How about a thread for Norway and anything Norwegian? A mix of national team updates, Toppserien, the foreign based players performances and other general news. I'll try to translate interviews of personalities in the game from the land of the fjords also. The World Cup ended with a disappointing exit to England in the round of 16 for injury-prone Norway most of all lacking the leadership of Ingvild Stensland in midfield and the silky skills of Caroline Hansen in attack. But even if the World Cup dream ended early, there are still important matches coming up in the next months and new goals to aim for. Upcoming events: Euro 2017 Championship qualifiers 22/09/15 - Kazakhstan v Norway 23/10/15 - Norway v Wales 06/04/16 - Israel v Norway 10/04/16 - Austria v Norway 02/06/16 - Norway v Austria 07/06/16 - Wales v Norway 15/09/16 - Norway v Kazakhstan 19/09/16 - Norway v Israel Olympic qualifiers (February/March 2016) Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and Switzerland will fight it out round robin for one spot in Rio. Venues and exact dates not yet ready. Current standings in Toppserien before the World Cup break: (Matches to resume 18 July) LSK Kvinner 8 7 0 1 17- 1 21 Avaldsnes 8 5 1 2 23- 8 16 Klepp 8 5 1 2 15-16 16 Røa 8 4 3 1 11- 9 15 Trondheims-Ørn 8 4 2 2 13-11 14 Kolbotn 8 3 4 1 14- 8 13 Stabæk 8 2 3 3 13- 8 9 Vålerenga 8 2 2 4 8-15 8 Arna-Bjørnar 8 1 3 4 13-16 6 Sandviken 8 1 2 5 9-17 5 Amazon Grimstad 8 1 2 5 9-19 5 Medkila 8 1 1 6 9-26 4 -------------------------------- Let's start off with an interview. 19 year old Synne Jensen - Norway's next Wolfsburg player. I really wanted her as one of the subs in Canada after Caroline Hansen had to throw in the towel, but Pellerud opted for some extra midfield ballast in shape of Anja Sønstevold instead. ---------------------------------- Synne Jensen interview: Source: [Kolbotn Kvinnefotball] - I'm both nervous and excited On Tuesday Synne Jensen will board the flight to Germany and start a whole new life in one of the world's best clubs, Wolfsburg. Kolbotn said farewell to the rising star with a picture of her in a flying pose. Synne admits having feelings of fearful joy about the challenges ahead. Things have happened fast for the girl from Gjelleråsen. She came to Kolbotn two years ago after lack of playing time at LSK Kvinner. Just 18 months later Wolfsburg signed her up. - It's been beyond expectations really, Jensen tells. I've had a terrific time at Kolbotn and it will be sad to leave, but this was a chance I couldn't pass up. I've dreamt about this since I was a little girl. There will be adjustments to make when it comes to new language, live on my own and all that. Critical voices have said Jensen is a unique talent, but it's too early for her to move abroad at 19. Jensen is relaxed about it. - Of course I want to play as much as possible, but I've signed a three year contract with Wolfsburg and I know it will take some time. The most important thing for me is to develop as a player and I'm confident I will do that. Jensen becomes Wolfsburg's second Norwegian player. Caroline Hansen will start her second season at the club. - I'm very happy that Caroline is there. It's good that we're two. What do you think the biggest difference between German and Norwegian football will be? - First of all, it seems to be a strong focus on the physical aspect of the game. I've already received an exercise programme to follow and I feel the demands are tougher. Then of course it is a professional club with everything that goes with it. The level of the players and training sessions are very high. I need to be at my best all the time. Jensen won't get rich playing for the best club in the world, but she can make a living out of it. - Yes, I can make a living and it's a very comfortable situation to be in. I can now focus 100% on football. Kolbotn's CEO Hege Jørgensen handed over a farewell present to Jensen a few days before her departure. - We just wanted to thank her for the fantastic contribution she has made to the club and wish her good luck at Wolfsburg. It's sad to lose her, but it will be very exciting to follow her career next. We are very proud of her, underlines Jørgensen. ---------------------------------------
Norway's squad to the U19 European Championships in Israel has been named. The tournament will be held 15 - 27 July and is also the qualifiers for the 2016 U20 World Cup in Papua New Guinea. The four semifinalists qualify. Goalkeepers: Aurora Watten Mikalsen - Clausenengen Cecilie Fiskerstrand - Stabæk Defenders: Marit Clausen - Trondheims-Ørn Tuva Hansen - Klepp Marit Bratberg Lund - Kolbotn Kristine Bjørdal Leine - Fortuna Ålesund Sara Eriksen - Sandviken Ingrid Rokke Elvebakken - Kolbotn Midfielders: Karina Sævik - Avaldsnes Nora Eide Lie - Urædd Johanne Fridlund - Vålerenga Karoline Haugland - Arna-Bjørnar Maria Hiim - Klepp Cecilie Høegh Dekkerhus - Stabæk Forwards: Vilde Fjelldal - Medkila Marie Dølvik Markussen - Stabæk (Exciting player to look out for) Pernille Velta - Stabæk Vilde Hasund - Røa Norway is in Group B. First round matches: 15 July - Spain vs Norway 18 July - Germany vs Norway 21 July - Norway vs England (Group A contains France, Sweden, Denmark and hosts Israel) We need goals like this from Markussen in this tournament:
In the World Ranking thread, we're predicting that Norway returns to the top 10 this week when the new FIFA rankings are released.
Not a fan of Norway in particular, but I like the fact that every important National Team has at least one dedicated thread on these boards.
Ada Hegerberg turns 20 today. Finally not a teenager anymore. It feels like she's been around forever. Her official senior career total (club + country) so far is: 161 matches and 115 goals. This girl won't stop until she has reached the top. Her goal oriented and winning mentality is exactly what Norway's national team needs more of. There was an article about her on NRK published after the groupstage at the World Cup. Here is a translation of it: -- -- --- -- - I thought, either she is amazing or just completely insane The older team members wanted to write her off when 16-year-old Ada Hegerberg arrived with a demanding attitude yelling at them. Four years later Norway's World Cup top scorer has come further than most. At one running session in 2011 at Stabæk the players ran up and down the pitch at the sound of the coach's whistle. "She has a huge stride", thought Lise Klaveness, as the youngster ran past most of her experienced teammates. "Every time she ran past us she tried to push us. She lectured us as well, on our structure for example. She thought the distances we left behind were not long enough, and she gave clear instruction about it". Not only was the 16-year-old so unusually good for her age, but there was something about her presence and the influence she already had on the players' group which included players twice her age. Klaveness, now an NRK football expert, knew then that Hegerberg was something special. "I felt huge anticipation before matches. The butterflies were having a field day every time", said Ada Stolsmo Hegerberg when we met her the day before Norway's important match against England. She had a black eye after the group matches and joked about what the English players can expect when they meet her. At the World Cup the list of journalists wanting to interview her is always the longest. Many see her as Norway's wild card. She can speak English, German and French, meets everyone with a firm handshake, high fives, and now she is wishing us good luck with our work at the championship. The 19-year-old's presence is special. Perhaps we are seeing a bit of the same as Lise Klaveness and the Stabæk players saw four years ago. It was what Klaveness had in her thoughts when she wrote about her former teammate for Bergens Avisa: "Ada Hegerberg #21, so strong in body and mind that you add five years to her age. But modest about it. Born fearless, blind to boundaries. We must all say honestly that we looked for reasons to write her off as she came into our side so demanding at the age of 16, but we liked her. The demands were genuine. She was right. I hope it's your World Cup, Ada". Klaveness remembers very well when Hegerberg came in and took charge four years ago. "Already from the first training sessions Ada took charge of the discussion in the locker room and out on the field, giving her views on the team's performance and how we must sharpen up. At that time there were many experienced players at Stabæk, many over 30, so it wasn't normal for a new player to take over, especially not a 16-year-old", she said. "How was it received?" - "For us who had been playing since Ada was born, feelings were mixed. I remember thinking 'either she's amazing or she is completely insane'. We quickly learned that it was the former. It didn't take long for us to realise that Ada had an ability that could not be suppressed". Ada Hegerberg smiled broadly when she heard these descriptions from her old teammate. "I have always known that it's very demanding at the top. So I have just worked hard and demanded a lot of myself, but also of others. People react differently, but I feel I am fair and honest with them. I want the best for myself and for the team", she said. "Have you always been the same?" - "I think it happened after I discovered what I wanted. That's when I went into 'killer-mode'. I have worked hard on details ever since I was little and that must be at the bottom of it", said Hegerberg. In Canada she has been critical of the team's performance and her own and it has been clear that Norway must improve if they want to make progress. "Even though Ada is young she has experienced most of what a footballer can experience", said assistant trainer Roger Finjord. "From now on it's about developing and doing what she does even better". We must give a short CV: Debut in Toppserien as a 15-year-old. National team at 16. Norway's best player and Toppserien's top scorer at 17. Professional in Germany and silver in the European Championships with Norway at 18. Striker for Olympique Lyonnais, French league and cup winner at 19. And now, Norway's top scorer with three goals at the World Cup and the hope of more. "You have to be goal-oriented over a long period to succeed", said Hegerberg. That was also Klaveness' point. She saw Hegerberg's start four years ago and is now clear that the Nordmøre girl has the attitude and ability to be one of Europe's best footballers. "Ada obviously has talent, but first and foremost she has worked really hard - and correctly - to reach a high level already", said Klaveness. Hegerberg agrees. "It's very individual how people succeed, but for me the important thing is always to have the 'go-mode' and not see any obstacles. I have always looked for new goals and tried not to become sated. That last point is important. When I reach a goal I always set a new goal so that I can climb further", she said. With Hegerberg there are two main questions. The first is how far she can go personally. "She can be Norway's best-ever striker", said Klaveness, before the analyst in her took over: "but she must always seek to foster good relations with her fellow players on the field. She can be so focused on her own project that she can be a little alone on the field. I miss collaboration between her and, for example, Isabell Herlovsen. If these two powerhouses can unite their energies, it could be a lot of fun".
Happy birthday Ada!!!....In France she conquered the heart of every football fans...even those not liking Lyon...her brilliant personality, her spontaneous positive attitude it's just too hard to resist... plus she adapted quite quickly that we though to our culture, language, way of living, really the best acquisition that D1 have done in a while, we all hope she's gonna stay in our country for a very very long time. ps: I am not talking strictly football because Bauser said it all, Ada is a legend in the making....
could it be that coach Even Pellerud once said "the most athletic & physical team is always going to win" so true in 2015!
Norwegian champions Lillestrøm played a friendly in Germany today. Wolfsburg vs Lillestrøm 1-1 (Goals: Tessa Wullaert 21m and Emilie Haavi 45m) VfL Wolfsburg: Frohms – Blässe, Bunte, Faißt, Kerschowski – Ellingsen (80. Rößeling), Simic – Jakabfi, Pajor (46. Megroz), Jensen (65. Maanum) – Wullaert Lillestrøm SK: Gunnarsdottir – Moe Wold, Skammelsrud Lund, Westerlund, Sandvei – Spitse, Bachor – Sønstevold, Mykjåland (72. Pettersen), Haavi (85. Svestad) – Löfwenius Wolfsburg obviously fielded a reduced team without World Cup players, but Ralf Kellermann gave three Norwegians play time. A debut for Synne Jensen and two 16-year olds on trial (Frida Maanum and Heidi Ellingsen). Lillestrøm were only two or three players from their best line-up. LSK coach Monica Knudsen said she was satisfied with the team's performance and looks forward to Sunday as Toppserien restarts after the World Cup break. LSK play Arna Bjørnar away and currently have a five point lead down to second placed Avaldsnes on the table.
A brutal start for Norway at U19 Euros in Israel. A 4-0 loss against an efficient Spanish team. Norway now face a do-or-die match against Germany on Saturday. [Source] The Norwegians were looking for revenge after losing to Spain last year 2-0 in the semifinals. "It was a brutal start to the championship for us. We lost to a better team, so there can be no complaints that Spain won, but the difference was not as much as the scoreline suggests. Spain were very efficient and led 3-0 at half time", said trainer Nils Lexerød to fotball.no. "We raised our game in the second half and played well, creating several chances in the first part of the second half. If we had been able to score from them we could have given them a match, but we didn't convert our chances. Spain did exactly that and added a fourth goal in the closing minutes". The Spanish team has been very solid right through qualification. We knew that Spain were good and the match turned out as expected. We could not keep them back for large parts of the match, and they are effective when they get a chance. They kept up with the tempo a bit better than we did", said Lexerød. One player who had a good match for Norway was Tuva Hansen. "I don't often mention individual players but today Tuva Hansen deserves it. She has played right-back in other teams but today she did that for the first time in our team, and she was brilliant. She was ahead in all situations and broke forward. She took Spain's star player right out of the match", said the trainer. "This team knows how to put the match behind them. We finished the game well today and must bring the positive aspects forward with us". The next opponents are Germany, who beat England 2-1 this evening in the other match in the same group. "Now the focus is on Saturday. Tomorrow we will recover and analyze the Germany-England match and plan ahead. Only a win will do", said Nils Lexerød. Spain - Norway 4-0 (3-0) Goals: Alba Redondo 22, 83; Nahikari Garcia 26, Pilar Garrote 37. Line-up: Aurora Mikalsen – Tuva Hansen, Marit Clausen, Kristine Leine, Marit Bratberg Lund – Karina Sævik, Cecilie Høegh Dekkerhus – Nora Eide Lie, Johanne Fridlund (Vilde Hasund 73), Karoline Haugland (Marie Dølvik Markussen 46) – Vilde Fjelldal (Pernille Velta 87). Other stats: Total attempts: 10-10 On target: 7-7 Off target: 3-3
Camilla Huse, now 35 years old and mother of four kids, is making a surprise come-back in top level club football for Kolbotn where she played between 2002 and 2007. She featured in every match the last time Norway reached the semifinal stage of a World Cup in 2007. Kolbotn's sports manager Hege Jørgensen says: "We've kept in touch with Camilla for a while and now she found out she wanted to give it a go again. This is good news. There will be tougher competition for the spots in the starting line-up and we get some much needed experience in the squad." [Source: Østlandets Blad]
I think I'm going to be a frequent visitor here, good to read some first-hand Toppserien news I hope it's OK to ask questions here. Seems like LSK recently opted to play Löwfenius as a forward whereas back in Sweden she was predominantly used as a winger, which was (is?) her favored position. Was it just a one-time experiment or is Lillestrøm going to start playing her up front more regularly? LSK has lots of offensive quality thanks to Haavi and Herlovsen but having more options is always better. Also, I'd be grateful for any updates on how is Freja Hellenberg's season going. On paper, Avaldsnes' defensive line appears to be pretty solid.
Löfwenius is usually a right winger for LSK (Haavi on the left and Herlovsen centre forward), but this recent Wolfsburg match might have been a one-off experiment as Herlovsen didn't play. Freja has started every game this season under Tom Nordlie. A very versatile defender. Avaldsnes is the club alongside Lillestrøm with best financial backing from investors in the league. They are aiming high.
Norway beat Germany 2-0 in the important second group match at U19 Euro in Israel. The semifinal (and U20 World Cup) dream is still alive! Source: Fotball.no The team had a brutal introduction to the tournament earlier in the week when they lost 4-0 to Spain. Meanwhile Germany started with a 2-1 win over England. Only a win today could have kept Norway's hopes alive of a place in the semifinals. The Norwegians got the job done. Vilde Fjelldal produced a dream start by sending Norway into the lead very early in the match. The goal came after a fine attack, with Norway crossing the ball in from the right before Fjelldal pounced on a rebound and put it in the net. After half an hour there was more celebration for Norway when they counter-attacked and Maria Hiim headed the ball in front of goal. A German player was unlucky enough to place the ball past her own keeper. So Norway had a 2-0 lead which they held on to for the remainder of the match. It was a strong win and a great way of coming back after the defeat by Spain. "After the first match they were frustrated and felt they had done a much better job than the scoreline suggested. Today the staff and I are really proud of what the girls did. Not just because all of them played well right through the match, but because of their fantastic team morale and their pride in playing for Norway", said trainer Nils Lexerød to fotball.no. "The way they worked was impressive". Lexerød felt he knew what had brought a brilliant result today. "First and foremost the fantastic team effort. The girls showed high team morale and really worked for each other. We are building a very strong collective unit with this group here", he said. "Germany kept the ball better than us, but we managed to stand up for 90 minutes and we scored with two of our chances. Against Spain we were not effective, but we were today. The morale and the effectiveness were the two main reasons we won", said the trainer. In the other match Spain beat England 3-1. After two matches the Spaniards have six points, Norway and Germany have three each and England have none. "We are back in the tournament with a chance to get to the semifinal. We will use the time well before the England match, recover well and build up our strength. England know us very well from earlier encounters, and we know how to prepare", said Nils Lexerød. "We will do all we can and see whether a win over England can take us through". Germany 0 Norway 2 (0-2) Yellow card: Vilde Fjelldal Goals: 0-1 Vilde Fjelldal 5 0-2 Rebecca Knaak (o.g.) 33 Line-up: Cecilie Fiskerstrand - Tuva Hansen, Marit Clausen, Kristine B. Leine, Marit Bratberg Lund - Maria Hiim (Marie Dølvik Markussen 73), Karina Sævik (capt), Cecilie Høegh Dekkerhus, Nora Eide Lie - Johanne Fridlund (Karoline Haugland 46), Vilde Anett Fjelldal. Other stats: (Ger-Nor) Total attempts 23 - 9 On target: 8-4 Off target: 13-4
I mentioned Camilla Huse's comeback a couple of posts ago, and she made an instant impact when Kolbotn beat Amazon Grimstad away in the first Toppserien match after the World Cup break today. Kolbotn won 2-1, but 35 year old Huse came on as a sub after 61 minutes and needed only three minutes to contribute with an assist (perfect cross) to 16 year old Jenny Norem for Kolbotn's second goal.
A great win for Norway over Germany, who still had quite a few starters from their 2014 u20 world championship team. They will need to win their next game vs England and then hope for a little luck that Spain can win or hold Germany to a draw. No guarantee since Spain with it's all ready 6 points does have the option to rest some of it's starters for that game. It would definitely be a shock if Germany does not advance out of group play as that would eliminate them from the next u20 WC, a tourney they've pretty much dominated the last 3 times around What do you think is the success of Norway this time around, their defense. midfield or strikers? Do they have another Hegerberg or Hansen on this team?
Wow. A blast from the past! I remember Camilla playing in the 2007 WWC and I was impressed with her passing skills and accuracy. That was a great team and tournament, with Rags Gulbrandsen playing lights out!
I hope Spain plan ahead for the U20 WC and take the opportunity to knock Germany out tomorrow. One less major contender next year. Without Synne Jensen who is now settling in at Wolfsburg instead, I think this is an allround solid team lacking star potential of a Hansen or Hegerberg. I thought Marie Dølvik Markussen would be the sparkling player, but she has only been used sparingly so far. The stand out player has been our goalkeeper Cecilie Fiskerstrand. She was influential against Germany. Highlights from that game here:
[Source: Fotball.no] Just in: The Olympic qualifiers will be held early March 2016 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Group winners to Rio. 2 March Norway v Sweden Switzerland v Netherlands 5 March Netherlands v Norway Sweden v Switzerland 9 March Switzerland v Norway Netherlands v Sweden Norway's assistant coach Roger Finjord on the news: "Netherlands will host the 2017 Euros and have had a rise in attendance recently, so there will be good crowds at these games and hopefully many Norwegians as well. Telenor Arena (outside Oslo) was already booked, so it was difficult for us to host in the winter. We are satisfied with Netherlands as hosts. These are four pretty even teams, so it's difficult to predict the outcome. We and Sweden are outside season by then, but we'll try our best to be ready. This is exciting and now we have something to aim for through the winter. Hopefully we'll peak by March 2nd."
Sadly, Norway bow out of U19 Euros after 0-0 against England, and must give up the U20 World Cup dream as well coming third in the group of death. ---------------------------- Source: Fotball.no Even if the outcome was disappointing, Norway could atleast feel good about their own performance. - We played a very good game today. The players were tired but managed to mobilize energy and we were clearly better than England for large parts of the game. We got the result we wanted and would have advanced if Spain had taken a point from Germany. If the pre-game setting had been different and we had been forced to win, we would have approached the game differently, coach Nils Lexerød said. - We were determined to avoid playing risky. We controlled the game and produced lots of chances. Two efforts against the crossbar among other things. We would have loved to win, but it wouldn't have made a difference today because of the result in the other match. After a bad start with a 0-4 loss against Spain, Norway showed themselves from a much better side in the other two matches. - This is one of the best games this team has played. It's difficult to compare with the Germany game given the different circumstances under which the games were played, but we were at our best in both games, Lexerød said. - I said before the tournament that we needed to play up to our full potential in all three matches to go through. We did in our last two, but not in the opening game against Spain and we were punished for it. Play-wise it has been a good tournament, but result-wise unfortunately not. Lexerød saw a Norwegian team led by captain Karina Sævik who followed the gameplan to a T. - Karina Sævik was very good today. She led by example and inspired her teammates to perform at their best and controlled the game to the result we wanted. During the tournament as a whole many players have done well, especially during the last two games. Many players here will make it to the senior national team in the years which follow, Lexerød said. Norway v England 0-0 (0-0) Ramla Municipal Stadium Line-up: Cecilie Fiskerstrand - Tuva Hansen, Marit Clausen, Kristine Leine, Marit Bratberg Lund - Maria Hiim (Marie Markussen fra 78), Karina Sævik, Cecilie Dekkerhus, Nora Eide Lie (Vilde Hasund fra 46) - Johanne Fridlund, Vilde Fjelldal Other stats: (Nor-Eng) Total attempts 18-13 On target: 12-3 Off target: 5-10
2 March Norway v Sweden Switzerland v Netherlands 5 March Netherlands v Norway Sweden v Switzerland 9 March Switzerland v Norway Netherlands v Sweden How will this impact 2016 Algarve Cup dates?
I don't see how Norway and Sweden can take part in Algarve Cup next year. That would mean two tournaments in addition to Euro qualifiers in the middle of a hectic part of the club season. Early March is Algarve time and it looks like we're going to have two parallel tournaments going on at the same time.