Euro 2022: A guide to the Norway team
- Published
Euro 2022 is taking place at 10 venues across England between 6-31 July. Norway are in Group A, along with England, Austria and Northern Ireland. Nicholas Bergh, a sport journalist for Norway's largest newspaper Aftenposten, assesses their chances.
How will Norway do?
Expectations have risen a lot since Ada Hegerberg announced her return to international football. It makes it possible for Norway to dream and hope to beat one of the biggest sides.
We already have Barcelona's Caroline Graham Hansen, who has been the leader of the team while Hegerberg has been away. Now they are both together and they are two of the best attackers in the world. That gives Norway a big boost.
At the 2019 World Cup, England were far better than Norway - winning 3-0 in the quarter-finals - so the test for Norway now is whether they can beat one of the really big teams.
If you look at how the tournament is structured, it looks quite hard for Norway to get past the quarter-finals, because they might play Germany or Spain in the last eight. But anything is possible with those two players in attack.
Who is the manager?
What Martin Sjogren has done is get Norway to major tournaments, which was no longer a given. That has been really important for him, but he is yet to take Norway to the later stages of a tournament, so that will be his hope - to overcome that and get Norway to a semi-final or final.
Some people were surprised that his contract was extended after the last World Cup, but I think the players really like to play for him.
Norway have traditionally played a lot of long balls and been quite primitive, but Sjogren likes a possession-based game. When we play teams like Albania and Armenia at home, the team is extremely offensive, but the challenge is to play that style against top-quality sides.
Who is the star player?
Ada Hegerberg helped Lyon win the Champions League after returning from a 20-month injury lay-off
It is hard to look past Ada Hegerberg because of her record, and she was also one of the best players in the recent Champions League final, scoring in a 3-1 victory over Barcelona.
She is such a threat, she only needs one chance to score.
If you look back at the past few years when the team has been without Hegerberg, it has really been Caroline Graham Hansen who has been the leader of the team - the one player other teams need to have a plan to stop.
Who is the rising star?
There are some good young players in the team. Julie Blakstad, 20, who joined Manchester City in January, has got some game time for them.
She played in midfield when she was in the Norwegian league but can also play at full-back. She is the most exciting young talent in Norway.
Euros record | |
|---|---|
Previous tournaments | Ten |
Best result | Winners - 1987, 1993 |
Squad list
Goalkeepers: Aurora Mikalsen (Brann), Guro Pettersen (Valerenga), Sunniva Skoglund (Stabaek).
Defenders: Guro Bergsvand (Brann), Julie Blakstad (Manchester City), Synne Skinnes Hansen (Rosenborg), Tuva Hansen (Brann), Maren Mjelde (Chelsea), Anja Sonstevold (Inter Milan), Maria Thorisdottir (Manchester United).
Midfielders: Vilde Boe Risa (Manchester United), Amalie Eikeland (Reading), Ingrid Syrstad Engen (Barcelona), Frida Maanum (Arsenal), Lisa Naalsund (Brann), Guro Reiten (Chelsea), Elisabeth Terland (Brann).
Forwards: Celin Bizet Ildhusoy (Paris St-Germain), Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona), Ada Hegerberg (Lyon), Anna Langas Josendal (Rosenborg), Sophie Roman Haug (Roma), Karina Saevik (Avaldsnes).