Noemi Ivelj is just 18 years old, and yet the Zurich native is an integral part of the Swiss national team. After the 0:1 against Norway and the sealed relegation, Ivelj criticized the fair play of the opponents.
04.06.2025, 09:30
04.06.2025, 09:34
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- The Swiss national team lost 0:1 to Norway on Tuesday and is thus relegated from League A of the Nations League.
- After the game, 18-year-old Noemi Ivelj answers journalists' questions and talks about the early and ultimately decisive goal conceded.
- Ivelj criticizes the Norwegians for their lack of fair play: "Not all teams play fairly. I have to learn that."
It is the sequence of play that is the most talked about late on Tuesday evening. Of course it was. After all, what happened in the fourth minute of the Nations League match between Switzerland and Norway was to be decisive for the outcome of the game, decisive for this 1-0 defeat for the Swiss, which sealed their relegation to League B once again.
The Norwegians caught Pia Sundhage's team slightly out of position at a throw-in. Ada Hegerberg uses her heel to pass to Guro Reiten, who passes back and Vilde Böe Risa beats Livia Peng with a powerful shot to score the only goal of the evening. Beautifully played, the common fan between the Fendant and Planchette in the stands comments.
However, the fact that Reiten was offside during Hegerberg's move, giving her a decisive advantage over her opponent Iman Beney, was a flaw that the refereeing team led by Italian Maria Caputi missed. And as there is no VAR, the Swiss players do not get a subsequent save on screen.
Substitution as a precaution
For Noemi Ivelj, however, this situation should never have arisen in the first place. Before the decisive throw-in, the 18-year-old deliberately played the ball out of bounds because it had too little air. She assumed that the Norwegians would throw in a new ball and give it back to the Swiss. Instead, the Norwegians took advantage of the home team's lack of concentration and combined to take the lead.
"Not all teams play fair. I have to learn that," said Ivelj in the catacombs after the game, knowing: "We were too nice and they just took advantage of it."
She doesn't seem angry, but very sober and mature. The Grasshoppers midfielder also shows this maturity time and again on the ball. It is therefore no surprise that the Zurich native plays a major role in coach Sundhage's plans for the European Championship. As Ivelj has only recently returned from injury, she was substituted after the first half. Sundhage wants to manage the workload carefully and not take any risks before the big highlight in July.
A highlight that the Swiss must tackle as relegated from the Nations League, knowing that they have not won in eight games before the last test match against the Czech Republic. But Noemi Ivelj is also demonstrating astonishing composure in dealing with the not-so-promising facts. "It's tough that we're relegated. But the tournament starts from scratch in July and I'm convinced that we can beat the Norwegians in the opening game."
