BRIGHTON (Dagbladet): Norway played the tournament’s weakest team, Northern Ireland, and won 4-1. Then the nightmare began: 0-8 for England, 0-1 for Austria – and the EC play-offs on Friday night.
– We don’t deserve to continue. We were left with the feeling that we had not been shown anything we were good at. Nobody gets a kick out of this championship, says attacking player Guro Reiten.
– This is really crazy. Championships don’t come often. We just squandered the opportunity.
BELOW: Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten have to declare that EC is over. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
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Thus, history repeats itself from 2017. Norway were also eliminated after the group stage at the European Championships.
As usual, Reiten stood tall and spoke in the interview zone after the international match. Just minutes earlier, the big flop at Brighton was a fact. Norway had to win against Austria, but was unable to stand up at the most crucial moment.
– Should there be consequences?
– We have to go through this. Too bad. We just smoked. “I don’t know about that,” said Chelsea’s Reiten.
– I just know that we have to do something to succeed against the best teams in Europe that we want to compare. Exactly what, I don’t know – because we’re going to do it today.
Message without mercy
On paper, Norway has one of the world’s best attacks: Ada Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten. But neither relationship worked, neither against England nor Austria.
– There’s a long distance. We weren’t put in the position we liked. And we don’t put other people in the positions they like. We got nothing out of anything – both offensively and defensively, said candid Reiten.
– I do not know why. Then we’ve done something about it before. There were two games in a row where we had zero, nothing and nothing.
MOMENT OF DEFEAT: Celin Bizet Ildhusy (front) and the Norwegian girls realize that the battle has been lost. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
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Norway finished penultimate in the group. England and Austria play in the quarter-finals next week.
– I’m disappointed, also on behalf of everyone who comes here, said Ada Hegerberg. In the background, Austrian players celebrate.
– We all have a very big responsibility. We just have to accept the criticism we receive. There’s nothing to hide. If we’re going to make excuses, we’re going to get in more trouble, says Hegerberg.
TABLE EC
| English | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | – | 0 | 9 |
| Austria | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | 6 |
| norway | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | – | 10 | 3 |
| Northern Ireland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | – | 11 | 0 |
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