Villains Norway spoil Switzerland's joy in raucous start to Euro 2025

Independent

a day ago

From the picture-perfect opening half of Euro 2025 for hosts Switzerland came the rage of Norway, and with it, the fury of St Jakob-Park. Their thunderous comeback in Basel, and a dizzying couple of minutes where a penalty was awarded both ends, with one missed and the other disallowed, silenced Switzerland's party, as well as the ear-splitting whistles from the home fans. As they soaked in the boos at full-time, it was clear Norway were far from popular winners, not least because of the fact that Switzerland had just become the first dedicated host nation to lose their Euros opener.
Those boos will still be ringing in Norway's ears, but this was raucous and fun in front of the sell-out crowd of over 34,000. Buoyed by the home support, Switzerland played with a sense of growing belief from kick off and took a deserved lead when Nadine Riesen drilled a finish inside the near post. Norway, who have a painful and chaotic history of underpowering at major tournaments, especially in games against the hosts, looked to be following the same script. They looked unorganised, and incohesive, as they went into the break behind and fortunate it was only by one.
But then the stars arrived. Norway's captain and star striker Ada Hegerberg powered in an equaliser from an inswinging corner, burying the header with force and authority from close-range after the Switzerland goalkeeper Livia Peng failed to collect the cross. Then, within five minutes, Barcelona winger Caroline Graham Hansen skipped off down the left and produced the low cross that looked to have set up Hegerberg's second. Defender Julia Stierli instead cleared into her own net with Hegerberg waiting, a painful moment in a painful night for Switzerland. 'It was bitter and annoying,' said Switzerland's player of the match Geraldine Reuteler. 'It was undeserved.'
It was a rapid turnaround but the frantic finale was still to come. Hegerberg had the chance to finish Switzerland off from the penalty spot after the ball struck Reuteler's outstretched arm when she went for a header but the former Ballon d'Or winner astonishingly pulled it wide to an eruption of cheers. At the other end, Switzerland thought they had been awarded a further reprieve when Reisen went down under the soft challenge of Mathilde Harviken in the box. A penalty was awarded by referee Alina Pesu, and it only took a VAR intervention and semi-automated offside call to overturn it.
There would be a couple of further let-offs for Norway, none more clear than when Switzerland's 18-year-old star Sydney Schertenleib slipped in Reuteler with a reserve pass. Reuteler, who had been influential in Switzerland's moments of danger and threat all night, lifted her shot over the bar and Norway breathed a sigh of relief. Their attempts to wind down the clock over each substitution and throw-in and efforts to make the most out of the enforced cooling breaks, to the hosts' considerable frustration, was evidence of how desperate they were to get out of Basel.
Norway soaked up the boos from the home fans at the end, while many had already left for Switzerland's lap of the pitch at full-time. How different it would have been had Pia Sundhage's side held onto their first-half advantage, or found an equaliser at the death. The hosts had sparked a moment, though, in what was, with all due respect to Iceland and Finland, the true opening game of Euro 2025. Switzerland could hardly have picked a better joyful, unifying scene than Riesen turning and sprinting to the bench to allow the whole squad to celebrate together. 'I had goosebumps the entire match,' said Reuteler.
With the control of Lia Walti in midfield and the instinctive flashes of Reuteler in attack, Switzerland appeared to play on their instincts, crashing towards the noise. Reuteler hit the bar and was a menace, though spurned the golden chance to claim a point in the dying stages. Play like this though, and if the Switzerland fans remain this hostile, the hosts should fancy their chances of finishing above Finland and Iceland and getting out of Group A.
You also couldn't have asked for a better example of home advantage then when Hegerberg stepped up with the chance to score Norway's third. The piercing, screeching jeers rattled the Norway captain's head and the sight of her penalty flashing past the post gave Switzerland their second wind. You also can't help but wonder what would have happened had the marginal offside call gone Switzerland way and they had their own chance from the penalty spot. Would Norway have crumbled again, as they did throughout the first half?
They made sure they held on, though. 'Sometimes you want a perfect world where you perform and win,' said head coach Gemma Grainger. 'Today we didn't perform but did win.' Whether it was substituted players walking the wrong way to take time away from Switzerland, or staying down after fouls, Norway turned to the dark arts frustrating the hosts right to the end. This was a winning note to start, but Norway and all their promise remain a puzzle to solve. For Switzerland, a losing start should not mean that they cannot make this a lively, noisy Euros that may yet extend to the knockout rounds.