Basel (Switzerland), July 3: Norway star Ada Hegerberg led her team to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over host nation Switzerland despite missing a penalty in their opening game at the Women’s European Championship on Wednesday.
The home team dominated the first half and went ahead in the 28th minute when Nadine Riesen capitalized on some pinball-machine Norwegian defending to score in off the left post.
Hegerberg equalized against the run of play with a header to Vilde Bøe Risa’s corner in the 54th, four minutes before Switzerland’s Julia Stierli scored an own goal trying to stop Caroline Graham Hansen’s cross for Hegerberg.
But Hegerberg – the all-time Women’s Champions League top-scorer – sent her penalty to the left of the post in the 70th after Géraldine Reuteler was penalized for hand ball while trying to defend against the Lyon star.
Reuteler had sent the ball crashing off the crossbar for the dominant Swiss in the first half.
“It was a strong talk at halftime, you know we have high standards in the team,” Norway coach Gemma Grainger said.
Switzerland was awarded a penalty after Hegerberg’s miss only to have the decision overturned after a VAR review for an offside call.
The Swiss players looked crestfallen after the game, as did veteran coach Pia Sundhage who had previously called this job her “ biggest challenge.” Switzerland was looking for just its second win in seven matches at a European Championship.
“There’s such a small difference between being successful and not being successful,” Sundhage said.
Many fans stayed in their seats to applaud the team afterward. The match was played at St. Jakob-Park, across the road from where Austrian singer JJ won the Eurovision Song Contest in May. It’s Switzerland’s biggest stadium with a capacity of 34,250 for the tournament and it will also host the final, among other games.
This game — the second of the tournament after Finland’s 1-0 win over Iceland — was preceded by the Euro 2025 opening ceremony. Dancers used long silver tubes in a carefully choreographed performance that paid tribute to Switzerland’s clock-making heritage and Alpine landscape.
UEFA said the modest ceremony celebrated “the pinnacle of European team spirit” while emphasizing “diversity, unity and the triumph of women’s football on its greatest stage.”
Both captains wore rainbow armbands to underline the message. (AP)
