Norway departed home soil for the upcoming UEFA Women's Championships in fine form on 25 June, with 12,657 fans cheering them on as they downed the Football Ferns 2-0 at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo. The result was in keeping with the recent form of both teams, with the visitors yet to win in 2022, while the host nation has built up a formidable unbeaten record on home turf over the last five years, with "The Grasshoppers" well on course to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup Finals, an event New Zealand will co-host. Martin Sjogren's charges hit the ground running in this match, dominating the early stages as they sought an early goal to settle any nerves. In just the second minute, Synne Skinne Hansen and Caroline Graham Hansen combined on the right, with the classy striker's back-heeled pass playing Amalie Eikeland in through the inside right channel. Her cross found overlapping fullback Julie Blakstad flying in on the far post, from where she volleyed into the side-netting of Vic Esson's goal, the 'keeper one of four changes to the Football Ferns' starting line-up, with Rebekah Stott taking over the captain's armband from the injured Ali Riley, and Annalie Longo making a welcome return to the national team after an eleven-month absence. After Graham Hansen blazed a shot over the bar from the edge of the penalty area in the tenth minute, Frida Maanum set off on a charging run before picking out Blakstad, who slipped the ball inside to Guro Reiten. The gifted playmaker weighted a delicious pass into the stride of Maanum, whose shot cannoned to safety off Rebekah Stott, who, in Ali Riley's injury-enforced absence, was wearing the captain's armband for the first time for New Zealand - a very special appointment, in light of what "Stotty" has endured health-wise within the last two years. Norway continued to press, with Graham Hansen drifting across the top of the penalty area in the seventeenth minute before getting her pass away to Eikeland. Her cross picked out the inaugural Ballon d'Or Feminin, Ada Hegerberg, whose downward header from six yards looked to be in for all money until Esson's reflex save with her leg ensured parity would remain for now. The Football Ferns' response to this saw them fire their first shot in anger in the twentieth minute - a dipping twenty-five yard missile from Katie Bowen which Guro Pettersen did well to tip over the bar. Buoyed by this, they threatened again three minutes later, this time on the counter-attack. Hannah Wilkinson headed clear from a corner, Betsy Hassett helped the ball on, and away went Paige Satchell, storming downfield at a great rate of knots with Hassett making a lung-busting run in support. When Satchell got to the edge of Norway's penalty area, she looked to pick out her team-mate, but Ingrid Engen was tracking back and snuffed out the danger - a pity, as the Norwegians were struggling to keep pace with the flying Kiwis. It wasn't long before the home team was in the ascendancy again, with Graham Hansen leading the charge. She evaded two opponents before feeding Eikeland once more. Her cross arced beyond Hegerberg to the unmarked Blakstad, whose shot was blocked by the well-performed Claudia Bunge, the ricochet prompting Esson to change direction and pounce on the loose ball. On the half-hour, Reiten's ball forward was missed by Stott, allowing Hergerberg to surge through the middle and find herself one-on-one with Esson. The odds favoured one of the game's greats, but the goalkeeper once more was New Zealand's saviour, standing her ground well before diverting Hegerberg's low drive round the post with her foot. The resulting corner was cleared to Liz Anton, who was making her first starting line-up appearance for the Football Ferns since November 2018. She sent Satchell dashing down the left this time, leaving Skinnes Hansen in her wake before presenting Olivia Chance with a great opportunity at the near post. The Celtic star's touch let her down, however, allowing Norwegian captain Maren Mjelde to shut down the chance and spark a counter-attack in which Engen and Hegerberg featured, the latter holding the ball up well before setting up Reiten for a twenty-yarder which she steered past the post. When Norway next attacked, they broke the deadlock. Hegerberg worked a one-two with Eikeland before being forced to check on the edge of the penalty area by the retreating figure of Meikayla Moore in the 34th minute. The striker turned, then turned again, in doing so finding the space in which to unleash a fifteen yard rocket beyond Esson's despairing dive and into the bottom far corner of the net - 1-0 Norway, a goal their efforts to this point fully merited. They came close to doubling their advantage three minutes later. Reiten led the way forward this time before working a one-two with Eikeland and inviting Hegerberg to let fly once more. Esson smothered the effort, and immediately sparked a raid down the right which came desperately close to seeing a Football Ferns equaliser come to pass. Without recognised fullbacks available due to injury, coach Jitka Klimkova deployed central defenders Anton and Moore in the wide roles, and it was the former Liverpool player who stormed down the right in the 38th minute before delivering a wicked cross into that gap between defenders and goalkeepers which the latter hate. Pettersen was no exception, especially given the sight of Bowen flying in at the near post and Wilkinson at the far stick. The former just failed to get her outstretched toe to the ball to divert it home, while the latter was unable to control it under pressure from Mjelde and Maria Thorisdottir - Norway escaped, but they knew they'd dodged a bullet. Seconds later, Moore was in again, this time crossing beyond Wilkinson. Chance chased and gathered the ball in before inviting Hassett to let rip from distance. Thorisdottir headed the danger to safety, and the first half gradually drew to a close. The visitors grabbed the initiative in the second spell by introducing debutant Kate Taylor to the fray. Football Fern #194 replaced Stott, who passed the captain's armband onto Esson for the duration. It was Longo who was first to threaten in this half. Robbing an opponent on halfway, she swept past another before you could say "Flea in a fit!", and

scampered downfield before inviting Satchell to take up the reins. The speedster skipped past Thorisdottir before delivering a low cross into the goalmouth, where Longo was arriving on cue. Unfortunately for the Football Ferns, Mjelde had read the danger, and her expertly timed intervention resulted in a corner, rather than the longed-for Longo goal on her return which New Zealand women's football fans were craving. A goal wasn't far away, however. Longo played the resulting corner short to Chance, whose beautifully flighted delivery to the near post found Satchell perfectly placed to direct a glancing header past Pettersen. Cue delight aplenty for the visitors, until the delighted scorer spotted the raised offside flag … what might have been! Norway heeded the warning, and looked to add a second goal to their tally sooner rather than later. Blakstad and Maanum joined forces on the left, the latter's angled ball in just beyond the reach of Hegerberg, who was at full stretch in an effort to convert her team-mates' handiwork. Reiten and Hegerberg then worked a one-two on the edge of the penalty area, only for the midfielder to sky her effort from twenty yards. The scream of frustration which accompanied it spoke volumes - 'twas not the gifted midfielder's greatest display, something she'll be the first to admit. Back came the Football Ferns, Wilkinson powering between two opponents to latch onto a clearance, with Satchell in support on her left. The winger soon found herself in possession, but a poor touch allowed Mjelde to close down the threat she posed - 1-0 it remained. After Graham Hansen had caught Moore in possession and stung the gloves of Esson with the resulting twenty yard drive, it was all change at Grand Central Station, with both teams making the majority of their six allowed substitutions during the course of the next ten minutes, significantly impacting upon the rhythm of the contest. Just two opportunities materialised in the next twenty minutes, the first the result of an error from debutant Taylor, whose clearance was pounced on by the indomitable Engen, who got through a truckload of work in midfield. She duly fed Graham Hansen, whose marauding run culminated in a shot from the edge of the area which Esson tipped round the post twenty minutes from time. The pair squared up again eleven minutes later, and again it was the Kiwi captain who prevailed, brilliantly denying the striker by tipping her fierce drive over the bar after substitute Karina Saevik had engineered the opening. The Football Ferns' newcomers were beginning to make their presence felt by this time, with Gabrielle Rennie and Jacqui Hand both threatening via left flank raids. The former's 85th minute cross was flicked goalwards by Bowen, only for Pettersen to smother the attempt, while the latter's foray saw her beat a couple of opponents before looking to pick out Emma Rolston at the near post. The intervention of fellow substitute Guro Bergsvand put paid to that move. In between times, Celin Bizet Ildhusoy did a tiring Bunge a treat on the left before drilling a cross-shot narrowly across the face of goal, while in stoppage time, Graham Hansen worked another opening with Reiten, who played a cheeky one-two off Moore to create a shooting chance. Esson wasn't troubled by this, but was afforded no chance by the final shot of the game, despite the Norwegians being down to ten following the departure of Lisa Naalsund having used all their substitutes, of which she was the final one - her reaction suggested this injury was serious, putting her participation in the upcoming European Championships in severe doubt. The ten women made light of their numerical inferiority, Reiten rifling a corner into the danger zone deep in stoppage time. It wasn't cleared, much to the delight of Bergsvand, who battered a twelve yard volley past Esson to wrap up a 2-0 win for Norway, whose winning margin would have been far greater but for the exploits of New Zealand's number one. There was plenty to be pleased about from a Football Ferns' perspective, not least the return of Longo, the versatility of Bowen - whatever position she plays in, she impresses, and the composed debut of Taylor, despite receiving a "Welcome to international football" badge of honour in the form of an errant Norwegian elbow to the nose which prompted some slick bandaging work by the team physio to enable the debutant to play on. Malia Steinmetz also impressed when coming off the bench, while Satchell's pace and hitherto unseen heading ability were problems which exposed shortcomings in Norway's make-up. Moore offered much in the fullback role, while Hassett's willingness to run herself into the ground for the cause has been something from which every team she's played for in her career has benefited. There is still plenty for the upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup Finals co-hosts to work on, however, with first touches and finishing inside the opposing eighteen-yard box an ongoing issue, along with a defensive midfielder to fill the void arising from Ria Percival's long-term knee injury - you don't know what you've got till you lose it, and the absence of our most-capped player presents coach Jitka Klimkova with a real conundrum in this regard. Wales in Spain's Pinatar Arena on Wednesday morning NZ time offers the Football Ferns another opportunity to address some of these issues, and the chance to avenge a 1-0 loss in Cardiff just over three years ago, a result which triggered New Zealand's current run of form - a win and two draws in their last 22 matches. Righting that particular wrong will mark a significant step on the road to Eden Park in just under thirteen months' time. Norway:     Pettersen; Skinnes Hansen (Josendal, 63), Mjelde (Bergsvand, 73), Thorisdottir, Blakstad (Saevik, 73); Eikeland, Maanum (Naalsund, 82), Engen (Boa Risa, 73), Reiten; Graham Hansen, Hegerberg (Ildhusoy, 63) Football Ferns:     Esson; Moore, Stott (Taylor, 46), Bunge, Anton; Bowen, Hassett (Cleverley, 74), Longo (Steinmetz, 64), Chance (Rennie, 63); Satchell (Hand, 85), Wilkinson (Rolston, 64) Referee:     Frederikke Sokjaer (Denmark)