"Conceding the goal so soon after scoring the opener was very hard to take, especially considering how hard we'd worked," Norway captain Ingvild Stensland told FIFA.com, hands on hips and with a look of disbelief still etched across her face. "The match was full of emotions. One minute we were up in the clouds, the next we were crashing down to earth with a bang."
Indeed, Elise Thorsnes' goal after 56 minutes sparked scenes of joy on the Norwegian bench, but the celebrations were extremely short-lived. The Matildas hit back almost immediately after the restart, with the irrepressible Kyah Simon side-footing home a Lisa De Vanna pull-back to square the tie. Norway's lead lasted just over a minute, and the equaliser proved to be the turning point.
It's very hard to explain what we're feeling today. We're out of the competition and we won't be playing at the Olympics.Trine Ronning, Norway defender
Norway never managed to recover from the setback, with their attacking moves becoming ever more desperate and wayward as the match progressed. Lady Luck was certainly not smiling on the Scandinavians either, as Trine Ronning will no doubt attest. The experienced defender struck a superb curling free-kick in the 83rd minute, only to see it bounce back off the Australian crossbar. Just four minutes later, Simon popped up at the other end to score her second goal and seal Norway's exit.
"What can I say? It was a good strike!" said an almost speechless Ronning, before receiving a hug from coach Eli Landsem. Even Australia coach Tom Sermanni recognised his side's good fortune. "When I saw the ball come back off the crossbar I thought, 'it looks like today might be our day'," he said in a post-match press conference. For Ronning, however, disappointment was the overriding emotion: "It's very hard to explain what we're feeling today. We're out of the competition and we won't be playing at the Olympics."
Earliest exit ever
Norway won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1995, and never before have they been knocked out of the competition at such an early stage. Their worst showing until now was at USA 2003, when they lost to the hosts in the quarter-finals. "Right now it's difficult to know exactly why we failed in this competition," said Ronning. "We need to go home and analyse what happened. We have to be honest with ourselves and recognise that we weren't good enough."
"There are many teams that have come on leaps and bounds in women's football," added the player. "That's good, but it makes everything more difficult. The level is much higher, and now there's no such thing as an easy match or a weaker opponent. Australia are a good example. They have grown and developed a lot. All we can do now is learn from this and wish them good luck for the rest of the competition."
Norway will no doubt see Germany 2011 as a missed opportunity, but they will soon be moving on to their next challenge. "We can't let our heads drop, we have to start looking forward," said Stensland. "The good thing is that qualifying for the Women's EURO 2013 starts in a few months. So getting to Sweden is our next goal."
"It's incredibly disappointing," concluded coach Landsem, reflecting on her side's exit. "We had high hopes of going much further, especially after the first match. But we'll now go home and work even harder. We'll be back, and we'll be even stronger."
BRAZIL IMPRESSIVE OVER NORWAY
A double from Marta lifted Brazil to a hard-working win over Norway and into the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™.
Norway now face Australia in the final group match with the winner joining Brazil in the last eight. The South Americans need just a point from their final outing against Equatorial Guinea to guarantee top spot.
The Group D contest at Wolfsburg’s Arena Im Allerpark failed to reach any heights in the first half, although Brazil held a one goal advantage despite a tight opening stanza. The game was effectively over as a contest within minutes of the second-half restart as Brazil bagged two goals in as many minutes through firstly Rosana, and then Marta with her second.
The contest began in disjointed fashion as both teams struggled on a slippery surface with misty rain falling throughout the match.
Norway, with Wolfsburg attacker Leni Larsen Kaurin in their line-up, enjoyed some solid crowd support, and it was they who had the first opening. Madeleine Giske found space just inside the penalty area but she hit her effort straight at Andreia.
The midway mark of the half saw the opening goal and Marta’s first of the tournament. The five-time FIFA World Player of the Year raced onto a long ball from Erika and, after taking advantage of a slip by a Norway opponent, stood up her defender before firing inside Maren Mjelde’s near post.
Norway created several dangerous moments with high balls into and around the penalty area, but no clear cut chances were to come of it.
The half ended with Brazil midfielder Rosana collecting a loose ball in midfield and thumping a first-time shot goalwards, which goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth did well to push over the crossbar.
Within the opening minute of the restart Brazil doubled their advantage as Marta burst down the right flank with pace, before drawing several defenders near the penalty area and feeding a square ball to the onrushing Rosana for an impressive goal.
Two minutes later Norway turned over the ball on the edge of the penalty area, and Marta took full advantage by slipping the ball past an exposed Hjelmseth after Cristiane’s initial shot was blocked.
The goals put Norway on the back foot and opened up the contest after a tight first half.
Midway through the half Marta again burst down the left but this time her square ball was just out of the reach of Cristiane. Marta seemed destined for a hat-trick minutes later as she raced clear of the defence only to hesitate with her shot allowing Hjelmseth to save.
Brazil were content to largely sit back as Norway tried to press for goals but the Europeans struggled to create danger, aside from set-pieces.
The final ten minutes saw Norway nearly pull a goal back as Cecilie Pedersen headed a corner back across goal, but Giske scooped her shot onto the roof of the net from close range. Then substitute Elise Thorsnes had her shot deflected onto the roof of the net after yet another dangerous corner from Norway.
Player of the match: Marta
GREAT TELEVISION RATINGS
Television viewing figures for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011 continues to be impressive with updated statistics for matchday seven (Saturday 2 July) further highlighting the competition’s appeal.
ESPN’s coverage in the US for USA’s 3-0 win over Colombia achieved an average audience of 1.9 million, which represents a higher figure than for any of the matches at the 2003 or 2007 editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Meanwhile in Germany, an average of 3.5m people watched live coverage of that game in Sinsheim, representing five per cent of the entire German population.
The day’s other game, Korea DPR-Sweden attracted an average audience of over 2.5 million in Germany, accounting for almost 20 per cent of all those watching television during the match.
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