Against Austria under pressure – Norway has the knife on the neck after the swatter – sport
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Norway need an urgent win against Austria to stave off early group stage elimination.
It was the joint top game in Group A, the duel between hosts England and Norway last Monday. But the eagerly awaited game degenerated into an English demonstration of power: it was an embarrassing bankruptcy for the Scandinavians.
Already after 45 minutes Norway with six goals behind. The team around top player Ada Hegerberg was finally swept off the field in Brighton with a score of 8-0. The defensive debacle was of historic proportions: never before had a team suffered a greater defeat at a European Championship finals.
Four days after the English lesson, the Norwegians at the same venue against Austria are not only concerned with making amends, but also with a ticket to the quarter-finals.
Austria, tied on points, started the game with the better cards. Because the ÖFB-Elf’s defense was much less vulnerable against England in the first game (0:1), a draw is enough for the outsider due to the better goal difference to advance to the knockout phase.
2017 to the semifinals
Austria’s trainer Irene Fuhrmann pushes the role of favorites to the opponents from Scandinavia. Despite, or above all because of, the debacle against England: “A wounded animal is a dangerous animal,” said the 41-year-old before the showdown in Group A.
The starting position was similar to that at the EM 2017, when Austria in the final group game against Iceland would have been enough for a progression. The team didn’t give a damn and secured progress with a sovereign 3-0 win.
The journey goes even further for Switzerland’s first group opponents. Only in the semi-finals was Austria stopped by Denmark at their European Championship premiere. According to the fans, things should go that far this year. But wounded Norway still has something against it.