Women’s Soccer: Efficient Norway oust Sweden
Norway coach Bjarne Berntsen hugs Cecilie Pedersen after the substitute made it 3-0. © Getty Images/ Uefa.com
Norway stunned neighbours Sweden in the UEFA WOMEN’S EURO 2009™ quarter-finals on Sept. 4, with an ultimately comfortable victory that sets up their second meeting of the competition with Germany on Monday Sept. 7, reports Uefa.com
Before the game Sweden was considered the favorite, but Norway put on the pressure from the start. Norway’s Elise Thorsnes scored the first goal six minutes before the break. And only a couple of minutes later Anneli Giske made it 2-0 for Norway. Cecilie Pedersen secured Norway’s comfortable lead with the final goal. 10 minutes before the end Sweden scored their only goal.
Norway coach Bjarne Berntsen pointed to hard work and hours of analysis for the defeat over Sweden.
“This is really crazy for us,” said midfield Solveig Gulbrandsen, Norway’s nine-goal leading scorer in qualifying. “We had a good feeling before the match but when the goals came we were just laughing out there, we didn’t believe it. We thought it would be a really tough game but we had it under control.”
Norway captain Ingvild Stensland hopes the 3-1 victory will go some way to silencing the team’s doubters after a difficult year in which they have struggled for results.
Read more on: Uefa.com
