Norway routs Northern Ireland 4-1 at women’s Euros
SOUTHAMPTON, England (AP) — Northern Eire was outclassed in its main event debut as Norway earned a complete 4-1 victory of their group-stage opener on the girls’s European Championship.
First-half finishes from Julie Blakstad and Frida Maanum, plus a penalty by Caroline Graham Hansen, put the two-time European champions on track for a routine win to dampen the event for his or her opponents.
Defender Julie Nelson — Northern Eire’s most-capped feminine participant — gave the competitors’s lowest-ranked nation transient hope of an unlikely comeback by heading in a landmark purpose simply after the interval.
However Guro Reiten’s free kick sealed the win for Martin Sjogren’s aspect to maneuver it stage on three factors with host England on the high of Group A.
A troublesome night for Kenny Shiels’ workforce was compounded by ahead Simone Magill leaving the sector in tears late on with an harm.
Following Wednesday’s record-breaking Previous Trafford attendance of 68,871 for the championship opener, a extra modest crowd of 9,146 turned out within the sunshine at St. Mary’s, with a sizeable contingent from every nation.
Blakstad, a Manchester Metropolis midfielder, scored the Tenth-minute opener by beating goalkeeper Jackie Burns at her close to put up with a low, left-footed drive after right-back Abbie Magee was caught nicely out of place.
Maanum swiftly doubled the benefit after she dispossessed Chloe McCarron simply outdoors the Northern Eire 18-yard field following a poorly executed purpose kick and was then left with a easy end into an unguarded internet after receiving the ball again from the unselfish Ada Hegerberg.
Whereas Shiels’ workforce confirmed spurts of enterprise on the break, the one-way visitors continued.
Northern Eire was repeatedly being carved open and as soon as once more contributed to its personal downfall as the sport was successfully determined within the thirty first minute.
VAR intervened after Nadene Caldwell inexplicably dealt with the ball in her personal field following an inswinging nook, permitting Hansen to confidently dispatch the resultant spot kick past the fingertips of the diving Burns.
Shiels, whose squad comprises 13 part-time gamers, responded to a troublesome opening interval by bringing on veteran captain Marissa Callaghan for her first look since struggling a toe harm in Could.
The alteration helped spark a direct response.
Rachel Furness smashed the ball again throughout the field after Norway made a multitude of clearing a nook and 37-year-old centre-back Nelson nodded over the road, regardless of one of the best efforts of keeper Guro Pettersen.
However ideas of an unbelievable fightback had been rapidly extinguished as Reiten restored the three-goal benefit by catching out Burns with a low, 20-yard free-kick.
Northern Eire will look to bounce again on Monday in opposition to Austria, whereas Norway performs England in Brighton.
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