A late solo strike by Norway forward Caroline Graham Hansen secured a 2-1 victory against Finland in the Women's European Championship on Sunday, as the twice champions qualified for the quarter-finals.
A late solo strike by forward Caroline Graham Hansen gave Norway a 2-1 victory over Finland in the Women's European Championship on Sunday, as the twice champions qualified for the quarter-finals.
Norway's second Group A win put them top of the standings with six points and sealed a place in the knock-outs with a game to spare after Switzerland beat Iceland 2-0 in the other Group A match later.
Finland, who defeated Iceland in their opening game, remain on three points.
"We buzzed our way to three points in one way or another, but that's what counts in championships. There's a bit to work with, but we won, it helps," player of the match Graham Hansen told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
Eva Nystrom's own goal put Norway ahead after three minutes as Graham Hansen's cross into the goalmouth hit the Finland defender and slid into the net.
The Norwegians were unlucky not to score again when they hit the woodwork twice within a minute, Ingrid Syrstad Engen's close-range header striking the crossbar before Finland goalkeeper Anna Koivunen tipped Vilde Boe Risa's corner onto the post.
Finland equalised in the 32nd minute when midfielder Oona Siren found forward Oona Sevenius with a precise through ball. Sevenius hammered a left-foot shot into the top right corner to score her first international goal for over a year.
Graham Hansen stepped up to seal the win in the 84th minute, fooling two defenders with quick dribbling as she moved in from the right and dispatched a shot in off the far post.
"When she performs like she did for that goal, not many people are able to do that. Getting her in the most amount of one-on-one situations is something we want," Syrstad Engen told newspaper VG.
Finland coach Marko Saloranta said his team did not deserve to lose.
"I am very proud of how we played, it feels extremely bad," he said.
Finland face Switzerland on Thursday when Norway play Iceland.
Swiss beat Iceland, keep alive knock-out hopes
Geraldine Reuteler got the opening goal and Alayah Pilgrim scored a late second as hosts Switzerland beat Iceland 2-0 on Sunday to keep alive their hopes of a place in the knock-out stage by registering their first win in Group A at the Women's Euros.
The result means Norway, who beat Finland 2-1 earlier on Sunday, go through as group winners, while the Swiss will play Finland in their final group game in Geneva on Wednesday with second place and a spot in the last eight up for grabs.
Iceland became the first team to be eliminated from the competition.
"We wanted to win that game and we got carried by our fans. In the end we created the chances needed to win... I am so happy," Swiss captain Lia Walti said.
The tropical heat of the last week gave way to a cool evening and a light but persistent rain that made the pitch slick and slippery, raising the stakes for the two sides, neither of whom had much margin for error after losing their opening group games.
There were ominous signs for the hosts in the first minute when Ingibjorg Sigurdarsdottir sent a thunderous shot off the crossbar, shocking the majority of the 29,658 fans in attendance.
The Swiss had the ball in the net on the half-hour mark after Svenja Foelmli’s header was helped into her own goal by Glodis Viggosdottir, but the strike was ruled out after a VAR review found that Foelmli had committed a foul in the build-up.
It took until the 76th minute for Reuteler to break the deadlock in a tough, tense encounter as Iceland lost the ball in midfield and Sydney Schertenlieb slid it into her path to fire home confidently, capping off another superb individual display.
Substitute Pilgrim then wrapped up the three points with a deflected shot that flew into the net to send the crowd into a frenzy, with the promise of another big night of football for the hosts on the immediate horizon.
"When we scored the first goal, the 1-0, it was a fantastic feeling -- now there are 30,000 in the stands who are celebrating for us. It's a good feeling, it was overwhelming in a way. It just exploded in here," Swiss midfielder Smilla Valotto told reporters.
