Norway are not going into their opening game against Switzerland with full confidence. The Scandinavians are also struggling with concerns in attack, which is why there is a certain amount of unease at home.
02.07.2025, 05:00
02.07.2025, 06:57
SDA
"Alarm bells are ringing" were the words of Carl-Erik Torp after Norway's 2-0 defeat to Sweden in the main rehearsal last Thursday in Oslo. The former professional, who now works as a consultant for Norwegian television NRK, was worried by the performance of Gemma Grainger's players.
Nevertheless, the Norwegian national coach was satisfied with the final test. "It was a perfect test," assured the Englishwoman in a TV interview. Despite her optimism, the former Wales national coach must be justifiably concerned about her players' lack of efficiency.
Goals only against Switzerland
The Norwegians have only scored four times in their last seven games. Three of those four goals came in the two wins against Switzerland in the Nations League. Otherwise, the record of top striker Ada Hegerberg and Co. is not exactly exhilarating: 0:0 and 1:1 against Iceland, 0:1 and 0:2 against France and most recently the defeat against their Swedish neighbors.
"If the team plays like this at the European Championships, I don't think we'll get through the group stage," warned Carl-Erik Torp, who is also concerned about the defensive stability of the Norwegian national team.
Like Switzerland with Luana Bühler, Norway also had to cope with the loss of one of its regular players in central defense, namely Brighton's Guro Bergsvand. And Mathilde Harviken, who plays for Juventus and has formed a central element in the Norwegian team together with Bergsvand in recent months, is also still questionable.
Hoping for top stars
Norway will be hoping that their two stars will be enough to make the difference against Switzerland. In Hegerberg (Lyon), the 2018 World Player of the Year, and Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona), the Scandinavians have two strikers whose experience far exceeds that of the young talents in the Swiss national team.
