by Northern Ireland got off to a far from fairytale start to their first major tournament as they were thrashed by Norway in their Group A match at Southampton. Martin Sjögren’s side rose to the top of the group on goal difference, knocking England out of first place following their 1-0 win over Austria on Wednesday.
Caroline Graham Hansen showed that Northern Ireland had a tough night ahead of them in the early stages. She beat multiple defenders to run midfield and feed Guro Reiten, whose attempt went over the crossbar. The chances kept coming with shots from Frida Maanum and Ada Hegerberg.
Related: Norway 4-1 Northern Ireland: Women’s Euro 2022 – live!
Northern Ireland needed a defensive fortress to try and win a point, but it wasn’t long before Norway brought it down. In the tenth minute the ball was well passed to Julie Blakstad, who finished off the left side of the post. Northern Ireland looked to strike back quickly, but Rachel Furness’s long-distance attempt foundered and the team’s night went from bad to worse.
A defensive horror show allowed Maanum to jump. Goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns passed a short pass to Chloe McCarron but she got in Hegerberg’s way. The Lyon forward hit a pass to Arsenal’s Maanum, who doubled his lead. Maanum followed up with another thunderous punch that went wide and won a corner. Norwegian fans gasped when Hegerberg’s header grazed the front of the goal from a set piece, but it wasn’t long before they scored a third.
VAR, which is in use for Euro 2022, was used as Nadene Caldwell appeared to play handball while defending a corner kick. Referee Lina Lehtovaara awarded the penalty after a review and Graham Hansen made no mistake to put Norway up 3-0.
Simone Magill had the best chance of the Northern Ireland half, but her rushing shot from long range hit the billboards. The loudest roar of the night came just after half-time when Norway failed to clear the danger and Julie Nelson headed in towards goal. Goalkeeper Guro Pettersen stuck a finger in the ball, but it wasn’t enough as he rolled to give Kenny Shiels’ team their first goal in a major tournament.
Another Northern Ireland defensive miscommunication nearly undid their good work, but Abbie Magee made an impressive clearance from the line. But Norway were undeterred by their opponents’ comeback and, with an outstretched celebration, Reiten scored a spectacular free kick.
The Chelsea playmaker has been scoring wonderful goals for her club all season, so the cracker won’t come as a surprise to fans of the Women’s Super League. The next action saw Hegerberg begging the referee for a penalty as Magee tackled her to the ground, but nothing was given. However, the Women’s Champions League top scorer finally got the goal from her in the 68th minute when she converted an assist from Reiten.
In heartbreaking scenes, Magill, who recently signed for Aston Villa, was limping and crying. A horrible end to his game and a worrying one for the rest of the Northern Ireland campaign. There was also cause for concern for Hegerberg when Captain Sarah McFadden took her down, but she quickly got back on her feet.
Burns managed to save more of Northern Ireland’s blushes with three great saves in the closing stages. But it was Norway’s night and they have prevailed in this tournament. Sarina Wiegman’s side will have a battle on their hands when they meet on Monday.
