The Norwegian national women’s football team didn’t lose against Switzerland in its second World Cup match on Tuesday, but didn’t win either. Now Norway must win against the Philippines on Sunday, in order to advance.
It’s been a disappointing World Cup for the Norwegians so far. They lost their opening match in Auckland against host nation New Zealand, which in turn was beaten by the Philippines. That means Sunday’s match won’t be easy for the Norwegian women, either, with a lot at stake.
The mood isn’t great among the Norwegian players, either, with star player Caroline Graham Hansen furious that she was benched for the first 56 minutes of the match and Ada Hegerberg left the field just before kick-off with a sore groin. Hegerberg told Viaplay there had been an “acceleration” of pain that wasn’t normal: “I didn’t want to take any bigger risks with it.”
Despite hurt feelings and muscles, head coach Hege Riise claimed the team had “more energy” than in the match against New Zealand and more “precision with the ball.” She conceded the lack of scoring, but noted that “hope lives on” even though Norway now ranks at the bottom of its team’s qualifying group with only one point.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
