Norway v Australia

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Norway v Australia

Norway Sink "Matildas" On Penalties

by Jeremy Ruane

Norway secured their passage into the last eight at France 2019 on June 22, edging Australia 4-1 on penalties after drawing their epic FIFA Women's World Cup tussle 1-1 in front of 12,229 fans at the Stade de Nice.

Australia began like a house on fire, and could have opened the scoring just twenty-five seconds into the contest. Caitlin Foord played Sam Kerr in behind the defence, with the striker skipping inside Maren Mjelde before lashing a twelve yard shot inches past the near post.

Five minutes later, "The Matildas" went close again, Hayley Raso racing clear down the right before cutting in along the by-line and working a slick one-two with Kerr - a clever back-heeled return - only to shoot straight at Ingrid Hjelmseth, who saved at her near post.

Australia continued to press, with Kerr seeing a shot blocked in the twelfth minute after Ellie Carpenter and Tameka Yallop had combined to good effect down the right. But in a half which saw both teams struggle at times to deliver quality final ball, the Norwegians finally flexed their attacking muscles in the fourteenth minute.

Lydia Williams grabbed a header from Kristine Minde, then did well to foil a low acute-angled drive from Caroline Graham Hansen, after the striker had been gifted possession by Foord on the edge of the penalty area.

Graham wriggled through again in the 24th minute before lashing a shot across the 'keeper and beyond the far post, after which the half hinged on opportunities at each end within thirty seconds of each other.

Kerr was thwarted on the edge of the Norwegian penalty area by Mjelde in the 31st minute, prompting the Norwegian captain to clear the ball to Vilde Boa Risa. She fed Karina Saevik on the right, and her angled ball in behind the defence found Isabell Herlovsen storming through in between Steph Catley and Alanna Kennedy.

She showed them a clean pair of heels before dispatching the opening goal of the game past Williams, whose goal can under severe threat in the minutes before half-time.

Graham charged in off the right in the 38th minute, taking on three defenders before seeing a shot deflect past the far post. From the resulting corner, Ingrid Wold's fierce shot from distance was tipped round the post by Williams, with another effort through a crowded goalmouth from the fullback being deflected past the far post.

Three minutes before half-time, German referee Riem Hussein pointed to the penalty spot after judging that Kerr's cross had struck Norwegian defender Maria Thorisdottir high on the arm, with the referee having an unobstructed view of the incident.

The Video Assistant Referee was called into play once more, and eventually prompted a change of decision by referee Hussein, who resumed play with a drop ball to Norway, who were delighted with their reprieve, as you would expect.

"The Matildas" came out all guns blazing in the second spell, but not before Hansen's pressure caused a nervous moment in Australia's rearguard, Williams forced to clear under pressure from the striker after she got past the shepherding figure of Catley.

Raso fired a shot past the post when off-balance, before Kerr's flick-on sent Chloe Logarzo dashing through the inside-right channel, from where she delivered a teasing cross to the far post. Foord, at full stretch, couldn't direct the ball on target in the 51st minute.

Back came Norway, Williams saving at her near post from Hansen after the audacious Reiten stripped Carpenter of possession and delivered a delicious pass into the striker's stride.

Australia roared straight back down the other end of the park, with Foord seeing her shot deflect over the bar off Mjelde's hand. Penalty claims were rightly rebuffed, so it was Emily Van Egmond's corner to which attention turned, a delivery to the far post which saw Kerr's headed attempt grabbed by Hjelmseth.

"The Matildas" were in the ascendancy, and they had the ball in the net in the 59th minute, only for Kerr, the scorer, to be ruled offside. Yallop then thundered a rising drive over the bar after Catley's superbly timed challenge thwarted Herlovsen in the six-yard box, following Karina Saevik's cross from the right.

Saevik went on another sortie soon afterwards, scything through midfield before bringing Hansen into play. She shot at Williams, who looked on for the next few minutes as her team-mates piled on the pressure at the other end of the park - a "Matildas" goal simply had to come.

Reiten stepped in to deny Kerr as she looked to thrash home a shot following an Elise Kellond-Knight corner, before a delightful move featuring Catley, Kennedy and the overlapping Carpenter saw the fullback's cross somehow evade Raso, Kerr and Yallop in the 67th minute.

Kennedy sent a long-range effort flying over the target soon afterwards, before Raso was thwarted by Thorisdottir's timely challenge, after the speedster had been played in by Kerr.

Australia probed and prodded, but couldn't penetrate the resilient Norwegian rearguard. "The Matildas" threw everything at their European rivals, and finally found a way through via the unlikeliest of routes.

Wold blocked a shot from Yallop for an 83rd minute corner, which Kellond-Knight whipped in towards the near post. Substitute Emily Gielnik didn't get a touch on it, nor anyone else as the ball careered into the netting on the far side of the goal - 1-1, the first scored direct from a corner at France 2019.

Norway were beside themselves, and Australia came in search of a winner. Twice they were denied penalties in the dying minutes, with the VAR determining Thorisdottir's challenge on Yallop was a fair one, while Hussein was on the spot to determine that Kerr had been beaten fairly in the aerial duel from which she went down.

Norway charged for a late winner themselves, with the calm head of Ingrid Engen linking with Hansen and the overlapping Minde for a cross which ricocheted off both Kennedy and Gielnik for a corner.

It was cleared to Hansen, who cut in off the left before reaching the edge of the penalty area, from where she unleashed a sumptuous curling effort which beat Williams all ends up, only to hit the inside of the far post and roll along the line back into play.

It was cruel for Norway - on another day it would have gone in off, but not this one. So to extra time we went, and a further drama-laden half-hour was in store, right from the outset.

Given the frequent - and often intrusive and unwelcome - use of VAR throughout this tournament, it was quite surprising to see the technology ignored in the 91st minute, as Kerr latched onto Van Egmond's through ball and burst into the penalty area.

Thorisdottir promptly hauled down the striker from behind in the six yard box, but referee Hussein waved play on. Kerr was not best pleased, and the evidence backed her up - it should have been a penalty.

That would have made life exceedingly interesting, to put it mildly. But Norway, having dodged a bullet, promptly charged up-field, Hansen and Reiten combining cleverly, with the former seeing her shot deflected over the bar by Kennedy.

After Williams tipped Vilde Boa Risa's twenty-five yarder over the bar, there were chances at both ends in the 99th minute. Kerr was thwarted by Thorisdottir - this time legally - on the edge of the area, to which the Norwegians retorted via Hansen, who took on the defence before seeing Williams tip her effort over the bar as well.

Five minutes later, there was another twist in the plot, with "The Matildas" reduced to ten women after Kennedy hauled down substitute Lisa-Marie Utland. The defender was deemed to have been the last player between Williams and the goal, and referee Hussein didn't hesitate in reaching for her back pocket, and the red card located inside same.

After Kennedy's enforced departure, Mjelde's resulting twenty-five yard free-kick was gobbled up by Williams, who was caught off her line by Risa in first half stoppage time, only for the midfielder's dipping thirty-yarder to crash against the crossbar.

Seconds prior to that effort, Utland, who had already been booked, tangled with Yallop, and somehow avoided receiving a second yellow card - referee Hussein certainly made some intriguing calls in this match, that's for sure!

The eleven women dominated the ten throughout the second half of extra time, but just couldn't find the breakthrough. Hansen evaded a couple of challenges, only to see her twenty yarder tipped round the post by Williams, who then watched a Reiten drive deflect to safety off Logarzo.

A Reiten cross flew inches behind both Utland and Hansen in the 118th minute, before the latter secured possession and looked to pick out Utland at the near post, only for long-serving substitute Clare Polkinghorne to avert the danger.

Still Norway pressed for a dramatic winner, Engen igniting a lovely move in which Utland and Reiten also featured before Hansen let fly once more. Williams smothered this attempt and cleared the ball downfield, Kerr securing possession on the left before picking out Gielnik with a cross which she chested down into the stride of Yallop.

She put everything into her thumping twenty-five yard drive, but Hjelmseth, who'd been a spectator for a fair while, it should be noted, proved equal to the task, diving to her right to smother the shot.

Back came the Norwegians with what was surely the last throw of the dice. Reiten, Minde and Hansen linked on the left, with the striker evading her marker in the penalty before whipping in a low near post cross for Utland.

Australia scrambled it clear to Reiten, who had given her all for the cause, but was unable to muster one last attempt on target, the ball instead slicing well wide of the mark and bringing an enthralling encounter to its inevitable conclusion - a penalty shoot-out.

With "The Matildas" having been reduced to ten, one of the Norwegian players enjoyed a lucky reprieve - they wouldn't have to endure every player's ultimate psychological test from twelve yards, having given their all physically in the two hours just concluded.

Those Norwegians that were charged with taking penalties, however, put on a clinic from twelve yards, with Williams being sent the wrong one on three occasions, Hansen, Reiten and match-clincher Engen scoring in this fashion, with Mjelde the only penalty "The Matildas" goalkeeper even had a sniff of saving as it whizzed into the corner of the net beneath her dive.

Interspersed with these efforts were Australia's attempts. Kerr stepped up first, and promptly sent the ball flying high, wide and far from handsomely over the bar, before Hjelmseth made things worse for the Australians by superbly saving Gielnik's effort.

All the pressure in the world was on Catley when she stepped up with the scoreboard reading 3-0 on penalties to Norway, but the defender rose to the challenge and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.

As did Engen seconds later to end "The Matildas" hopes of winning the Women's World Cup, something Norway hope to be even closer to doing after their quarter-final, which pits them against England or Cameroon.

Norway: Hjelmseth; Wold (Hansen, 102), Mjelde, Thorisdottir, Minde (booked, 53); Saevik (Maanum, 72), Risa (booked, 105), Engen, Reiten; Hansen, Herlovsen (Utland, 77 (booked, 96))

Australia: Williams; Carpenter (Harrison, 120), Kennedy (sent off, 104), Catley, Kellond-Knight (Polkinghorne, 94); Logarzo, Van Egmond (Roestbakken, 116), Yallop; Raso (Gielnik, 74), Kerr, Foord

Referee: Riem Hussein (Germany)

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