This is one of these debatable goals which will be looked at by the board at NFF, probably over the next few days. It's even more difficult to get it right all the time in woso with so few cameras covering the games.
Matchday 5 of Toppserien this weekend: Sandviken vs Avaldsnes 1-0 1-0 June Hammersland 25 Vålerenga vs Stabæk 5-0 1-0 Sherida Spitse 1 (pen) 2-0 Ingrid Schjelderup 18 3-0 Ingrid Schjelderup 32 4-0 Isabell Herlovsen 56 5-0 Sherida Spitse 89 Lyn vs Arna Bjørnar 2-1 1-0 Vilde Hasund 11 1-1 Maria Brochmann 22 2-1 Noor Eckhoff 49 Kolbotn vs LSK Kvinner 0-5 0-1 Synne Skinnes Hansen 13 0-2 Synne Skinnes Hansen 28 0-3 Guro Reiten 45 (pen) 0-4 Emilie Haavi 70 0-5 Ingrid Kvernvolden 90 Trondheims-Ørn vs Klepp 0-1 0-1 Hege Hansen 85 Røa vs Grand Bodø 4-1 0-1 Anne-Marthe Birkeland 19 1-1 Svava Ros Gudmundsdottir 31 2-1 Maria Hiim 49 3-1 Ina Skaug 65 4-1 Therese S. Åsland 87 TOP SCORERS 6 - Sophie Haug (LSK Kvinner) 6 - Guro Reiten (LSK Kvinner) 5 - Lisa Naalsund (Arna Bjørnar) 5 - Hege Hansen (Klepp) 4 - Synne Skinnes Hansen (LSK Kvinner) 3 - Hanne Kogstad (Klepp) 3 - Svava Ros Gudmundsdottir (Røa) 3 - Kennya Cordner (Sandviken) 3 - Julie Adserø (Trondheims-Ørn) NEXT MATCHDAY 01 May: Stabæk vs Avaldsnes 02 May: Lyn vs Vålerenga --- 05 May: Avaldsnes vs Lyn 05 May: LSK Kvinner vs Trondheims-Ørn 05 May: Klepp vs Vålerenga 05 May: Arna Bjørnar vs Kolbotn 06 May: Grand Bodø vs Sandviken 06 May: Stabæk vs Røa
Stabæk have lost a number of players since last year. Trine Rønning retired, Ingvild Isaksen to Juventus, Frida Maanum to Linköping and Stine Reinås and Victoria Ludvigsen to Vålerenga. But Stabæk are still underperforming. They still have Ingrid Hjelmseth in goal plus Synne Jensen and Melissa Bjånesøy up front and should be at least mid-table. Avaldsnes are in trouble. Their new shared leadership; Cristiane Lessa and Lena Tyriberget, have not worked well so far. Many key players left this winter; Fraine, Thorsnes, Gielnik, Logarzo, Ryland. South Korean captain Cho So-Hyun arrived, but needs more time to adjust to the Norwegian game. LSK have improved over the winter for sure. They are better drilled collectively and more aggressive. Hege Riise said they learned a lesson from the first leg loss against Manchester City. "We are not lagging in skill, but we need more aggression at Champions League level. Improve in short sprinting and overall fitness". Sandviken and Lyn are the top surprises so far.
Two postponed games played in the midweek, and the crisis at Avaldsnes grows bigger every week. If this goes on, Avaldsnes might represent Norway in the Champions League in September whilst battling relegation. Stabæk vs Avaldsnes 4-2 1-0 Kelly Fitzgerald 5 2-0 Synne Jensen 11 3-0 Melissa Bjånesøy 22 3-1 Hanna Dahl 37 4-1 Synne Jensen 50 4-2 Daiane Santos 78 Lyn vs Vålerenga 1-1 0-1 Stine Reinås 22 1-1 Runa Lillegård 43 Another strong result by Lyn and a first ever Toppserien goal for Runa Lillegård, who just turned 17. The first of many, I presume. Lyn vs Vålerenga is the most prestigious of the Oslo-derbies. There is increased hatred and rivalry. Caroline Graham Hansen (a Lyn girl) says she wouldn't be caught dead in a Vålerenga shirt. She would turn down a million dollar contract in a heartbeat if it came from them.
Well, Champions' League could indeed become embarassing for them in this conditions: they even lose to Staebek, that so far had looked even more hopeless than them. Well, that's interesting: Vålerenga management could just bite into it and try making an offer!
Avaldsnes have just signed Cameroon international striker Gaëlle Enganamouit. She has been injured a lot lately, but impressed a great deal in Sweden. This is what Avaldsnes need.
Matchday 6 of Toppserien this weekend. Klepp vs Vålerenga 3-0 1-0 Hanne Kogstad 21 2-0 Kirsty Yallop 63 (pen) 3-0 Hege Hansen 64 RC: Marte Berget 36 (Vålerenga) LSK Kvinner vs Trondheims-Ørn 5-0 1-0 Guro Reiten 18 (pen) 2-0 Sophie Haug 22 3-0 Guro Reiten 53 4-0 Guro Reiten 54 5-0 Guro Reiten 72 Avaldsnes vs Lyn 3-0 1-0 Luana Bertolucci 25 2-0 Meryll Abrahamsen 29 3-0 Francielle Alberto 76 (pen) Arna Bjørnar vs Kolbotn 1-1 1-0 Lisa Naalsund 17 1-1 Ingrid Elvebakken 65 Grand Bodø vs Sandviken 1-3 0-1 Amanda Perez 32 0-2 Kennya Cordner 73 1-2 Vilde Fjelldal 76 1-3 Ingrid Spord 85 Stabæk vs Røa 1-3 0-1 Svava Ros Gudmundsdottir 8 0-2 Rebecka Holum 26 1-2 Andrea Wilmann 65 1-3 Synne Christiansen 68 TOP SCORERS 10 - Guro Reiten (LSK Kvinner) 7 - Sophie Haug (LSK Kvinner) 6 - Lisa Naalsund (Arna Bjørnar) 6 - Hege Hansen (Klepp) 4 - Synne Skinnes Hansen (LSK Kvinner) 4 - Hanne Kogstad (Klepp) 4 - Svava Ros Gudmundsdottir (Røa) 4 - Kennya Cordner (Sandviken) 3 - Julie Adserø (Trondheims-Ørn) NEXT MATCHDAY 12 May: Røa vs Avaldsnes 12 May: Sandviken vs Klepp 12 May: Kolbotn vs Stabæk 12 May: Lyn vs LSK Kvinner 13 May: Trondheims-Ørn vs Arna Bjørnar 13 May: Vålerenga vs Grand Bodø
Wow, Guro Reiten scoring a poker: I can believe she tops scorers rankings! By the way it doesn't seem LSK Kvinner have "real" rivals, this year, does it? While Staebek get back to their older habits with a home loss, Avaldsnes somehow lift themselves up. Is this Luana Bertolucci actually an Italian player or she's just of Italian descent? I confess I don't know her (but it's not like I know the domestic scene in my country so much, apart from big names in NT).
No, I think the league championship is more or less decided now. The only pitfall I see is if they sell Reiten in the summer. I'll be very surprised if LSK mess this up now. She is Brazilian, but she might have Italian bloodlines for what I know. She could pass for an Italian looks-wise. Luana Bertolucci Paixão is her full name, btw. Very good player. Creative midfielder.
Oh, ok, the family named sounds very Italian (more than Brazilian/Portuguese), so it's quite likely that she has at the very least some kind of Italian ancestors.
In 2016, Lyon signed Andrea Norheim and Wolfsburg signed Marie Dølvik Markussen. Two very surprising signings. These were two rather unproven young forwards, who hadn't even established themselves in their clubs' starting XI in the Norwegian league. Why would Lyon and Wolfsburg add them to their star studded rosters? Needless to say, both struggled to get game time and moved on. Markussen, now 21, is back in Norway and mostly sits on the subs bench at Vålerenga. When she is on the field, you can see in short flashes why big clubs wanted to sign her. There is something about her acceleration with the ball, there is x-factor there, but there is also no end product. I wonder if she still has that inner drive to make the most out of her potential. Norheim, on the other hand, has resurrected her career in Sweden with Piteå, currently leading the Damallsvenskan. Playing in the #10 shirt, two goals and an assist after four games is her contribution so far. It will be interesting to follow her throughout the season.
Has there been any news in regards to whether or not Ada and Andrine Hegerberg will return to the national team before World Cup 2019, if they qualify?
No news, but there was an interview with Ada on Norwegian television the other week when Lyon qualified to the Champions League final, where she confirmed status quo. But you know something isn't right when she says: "I like to work on details in my own game during international breaks". The official version is that Andrine isn't considered good enough by coach Sjögren, and Ada has turned down Norway to focus on her club career. It's obvious that there is more behind the scenes. I think both are back as soon as coach Martin Sjögren is gone. And Sjögren will have to go if Norway miss out on the World Cup in September. Right now, very little indicates the Hegerbergs will be on show in the World Cup.
Should he miss out, would it be the first time Norway ever misses a Women's World Cup final tournament?
Yes, Norway is ever-present in WWC until now, also in the EC since 1987. With Sjögren's record at the Euros last summer in mind, a missed World Cup and also Olympics on top of that, would be a huge set-back and a wasted couple of years. But we are not there yet. We still have everything in our own hands.
I agree, Norway not qualifying for the World Cup would be extremely tragic. Not only for Norway and the development of their program but also for women's football fans in general. However, there is still enough talent in the squad from what I've seen; with Hansen and co. to qualify - still fingers crossed for the Hegerberg sisters to return before WC2019!
Matchday 7. What an exciting edition of Toppserien we have this year. Roughly one third into the season and two out of three title challengers are mid-table or lower. Got to love the game. Sandviken vs Klepp 1-0 1-0 Lena Soleng Hansen 73 (own-goal) Sandviken now with five wins in a row for the first time since 1996. Kennya Cordner from Trinidad has been an excellent signing. Made the prework to Hansen's own-goal. Røa vs Avaldsnes 2-0 1-0 Svava Ros Gudmundsdottir 58 2-0 Vilde Bratland 79 RC: Francielle Alberto 79 (Avaldsnes) More frustration for Avaldsnes. Their new Cameroonian striker Enganamouit played the last 20 mins as a sub. Will need her from start next time. Røa hit jackpot with the signing of Gudmundsdottir as Lisa Marie Utland's successor. Five goals now. Lyn vs LSK Kvinner 3-4 1-0 Linn Huseby 2 1-1 Emilie Haavi 14 2-1 Jenny Olsen 22 2-2 Sophie Haug 23 2-3 Sophie Haug 47 3-3 Jenny Olsen 52 3-4 Emilie Haavi 80 Heroic performance from Lyn following the champions until the end when Haavi's free-kick goal decided the match. Lyn are the best newly promoted team in Toppserien for years. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of their players soon are recruited to LSK. Kolbotn vs Stabæk 1-1 0-1 Melissa Bjånesøy 31 1-1 My Sørsdahl 34 Stabæk fielded a 16 y/o goalkeeper Melenie Watts who had a cracking game. She stood in for the injured Ingrid Hjelmseth who has had a poor start to the season. May be age is catching up to her finally. Trondheims-Ørn vs Arna Bjørnar 2-6 0-1 Maria Brochmann 6 0-2 Maria Brochmann 21 0-3 Amalie Eikeland 42 1-3 Malin Sunde 43 2-3 Julie Adserø 59 2-4 Lisa Naalsund 66 2-5 Ingrid Stenevik 85 2-6 Amalie Eikeland 90 RC: Kristine Nøstmo 84 (gk, T-Ørn) In addition to one red, there were seven yellow cards in this game. One of them bizarrely to Emilie Nautnes for running on to the field before the subbed off player had come off. Remember last year the same Nautnes received a second yellow card for walking too slowly off the field when subbed off, and got sent off instead and the substitution had to be cancelled. Vålerenga vs Grand Bodø 3-2 0-1 Anne-Marthe Birkeland 32 0-2 Vilde Fjelldal 48 1-2 Isabell Herlovsen 49 (pen) 2-2 Celin Ildhusøy 69 3-2 Ingrid Schjelderup 90 Heartbreak for G-B who had to finish the game with ten players because they used all three subs early and got an injured player in the last minutes. Conceding the goal in injury-time made it worse of course. TOP SCORERS 10 - Guro Reiten (LSK Kvinner) 9 - Sophie Haug (LSK Kvinner) 7 - Lisa Naalsund (Arna Bjørnar) 6 - Hege Hansen (Klepp) 5 - Svava Ros Gudmundsdottir (Røa) 4 - Emilie Haavi (LSK Kvinner) 4 - Synne Skinnes Hansen (LSK Kvinner) 4 - Hanne Kogstad (Klepp) 4 - Kennya Cordner (Sandviken) 4 - Julie Adserø (Trondheims-Ørn) 3 - Maria Brochmann (Arna Bjørnar) 3 - Amalie Eikeland (Arna Bjørnar) 3 - Jenny Olsen (Lyn) 3 - Isabell Herlovsen (Vålerenga) 3 - Ingrid Schjelderup (Vålerenga) NEXT MATCHDAY 19 May: Sandviken vs Vålerenga 19 May: Klepp vs Røa 19 May: Avaldsnes vs Trondheims-Ørn 19 May: Stabæk vs Lyn 19 May: Arna Bjørnar vs LSK Kvinner 20 May: Grand Bodø vs Kolbotn
Your descriptions of the games were excellent and made for a very interesting reading. Many games sounded exciting indeed!
Sophie Haug - only 18 years old? All those goals! Wow, she could have a great future - the next Caro or Ada? Guro Reiten is one of my favorites and again leads the goal scoring parade!
Yes, impressive. Sophie Haug is strong like an ox, good in the air. An old fashioned box player, but I wouldn't put her up with Caro or Ada at the same age. Sophie tends to score goals in blow-out wins which skews her numbers a bit. Regarding Reiten, I wouldn't be surprised if she is picked up by an English, French or German club this summer.
We forgot to mention that Norway this season had players winning the league championship in Germany (Caro Hansen and Minde), France (Ada Hegerberg) and England (Mjelde and Thorisdottir). Not many other countries had champions in all those three leagues this season. All of those players can still achieve the domestic double as well. Chelsea already did of course.