Norway find harmony, but no rhythm, in Women's Euro exit
The Norwegians won all three of their games to top Group A and came into the last-eight clash with Italy brimming with confidence despite only sporadically having played well, and their inability to make the best of their big moments against the Italians left them wondering what might have been.
"I want them (the players) to remember what we did here - we're obviously very disappointed right now, but this group of players showed that we're together," Norway coach Gemma Grainger, who took the reins in January 2024, told Reuters.
"We wanted to come here and have a successful tournament, and that meant, as a group of players and staff, that we showed everyone who we are, and I believe we did that."
With the likes of Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen and breakout star Signe Gaupset, Norway are blessed with an embarrassment of attacking riches, but the central midfield and defence never quite clicked in Switzerland, leading to their quarter-final exit.
Goalkeeper Cecilie Fiskerstrand was heartbroken to concede the last-minute goal to Italy that sent Norway out of the tournament, but after missing the Euros three years ago due to a serious injury, she managed to find a silver lining in the tournament overall.
"Playing a competition like this for Norway is an extreme privilege, and I'm really happy and grateful and proud to be a part of this team," she told Reuters.
"We have worked really hard, and we have given it our all in every game, so really thankful and proud to be a part of it, and we wanted more today, but that's how football is sometimes."
For Grainger, the next part of the journey is already in her sights.
"We're getting better, we're improving, and we have to take some time to look at what we need to get better at, and then we have to focus on the qualification for the World Cup," she said.
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