Reiten show lowered Denmark in European Championship dress rehearsal:
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VIBORG (VG) (Denmark – Norway 1-2) A double from Guro Reiten (27) sends Norway full of confidence to the European Football Championship in England. But it started in a conceivable way for Martin Sjögren’s team.
52 seconds showed the stadium clock when Signe Bruun did not have Danes in the lead in the European Championship dress rehearsal. A shocking start for the Norwegian women, who missed the mark in their own box. The post from Sara Holmgaard was precise and the headbutt very hard, and the roar from an ecstatic home audience loudly.
Norway seemed shaken and ended up in several problems after a miss by Maria Thorisdottir. The midfielder slipped in the clearance moment, and ended up facilitating Denmark’s star player Pernille Harder. Pang in the post.
– A horrible start to it all, but we manage to have ourselves, says Guro Reiten to VG after the match.
Norway’s previous European Championship ended in failure. In 2017, the team was sent headlong out of the championship with zero points and zero goals scored, where Denmark was one of the teams that proved too strong. It was after this that Ada Hegerberg withdrew from further national team games. Well, five years later, the striker is back and ready for a new championship with Norway.
Hegerberg was active in the box, and ten minutes before the break she managed to pull herself free for a big chance. However, the shot was blocked and a subsequent attempt by Caroline Graham Hansen ended up in the goalkeeper’s clips.
But then the third of Norway’s attacking stars got to try. Guro Reiten let the good foot from a distance, and with the help of a control from a Danish defender, she sent the teams to the break with just as many goals.
– I had caterpillar shots last game against New Zealand, so I have been extra focused on improving it in training, says Reiten.
After the break, the same woman appeared at the end of a great Norwegian attack. Graham Hansen pulled into the field and played across the 16-meter. Hegerberg played playfully over the ball, before Reiten easily rolled in today’s second Norwegian goal.
– The first goal is a bit of luck, on the second goal we know exactly where each other is. It loves well before the European Championships, says Reiten.
The national team manager is also looking forward to the second goal.
– That goal indicates that we are well on our way in our interaction, says Martin Sjögren to VG.
This is the second time Reiten scores a goal for Norway in the same match. The first time was when Norway won 4-1 at home against Northern Ireland in 2017. The 27-year-old has shown brilliant form for Chelsea this season, and is highlighted by several international media, including the news agency Reuters, as one of the players should be extra note during EM.
– Denmark is a very good team with many good players, so it is a strong victory, the two-goal scorer continues.
Ada Hegerberg is careful not to take off completely before the European Championships started against Northern Ireland on 7 July.
– We can be satisfied with victory, but still look very concrete at situations we can do better. Next time it’s the European Championships and then it’s just to be «sharp». Then it must sit, she says to VG.
Denmark had a number of enormous chances in other rounds, and Norway can thank one woman for ending in victory: Guro Pettersen. The last chance had to handle several good shots and probably a duel against Harder, but went victorious against all the challenges she faced.
On Thursday next week, Norway will open the group stage of the European Championship against Northern Ireland. Austria and England make up the rest of the group, with the Norwegian girls and the English being the favorites to advance to the knockout rounds.
Both Norway and England are ranked top 11 in the world, while the other two are both outside the top 20. This means that Norway’s group has the lowest average ranking in the European Championships (29.3).