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Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Gaupset shines, Bratberg Lund sees red as Norway beat Iceland 4-3
By Philip O'Connor HT Image THUN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Norway winger Signe Gaupset made the most of her first start at the Women's Euros, scoring twice and creating two more goals as her side beat Iceland 4-3 on Thursday to make it three wins from three for the Norwegians, who had already secured victory in Group A. Despite Gaupset's tremendous offensive performance, the Norwegians endured a nervy ending as Iceland scored two late goals, including a stoppage-time penalty after Marit Breatberg Lund was sent off for a clumsy challenge. With Iceland playing for pride, having already been eliminated, Sveindis Jonsdottir netted their first goal at the tournament by reacting quickest when Alexandra Johannsdottir's header was spilled by Cecilie Fiskerstrand in the sixth minute. Gaupset, one of six changes from the side that beat Finland 2-1 on Sunday, cancelled out Iceland's opening goal by firing a low volley from a corner in at the foot of the right-hand post in the 15th minute, and 11 minutes later she fired a left-footed drive into the opposite corner to make it 2-1. Gaupset heaped more misery on Iceland by teeing up Frida Maanum for Norway's third goal four minutes after the break, and she set up Maanum for another in the 76th minute. After dominating for much of the game, the wheels came off for Norway late on as Iceland battled bravely, scoring again through Hlin Eiriksdottir in the 84th minute. Substitute Bratberg Lund was sent off in stoppage time for a foolish challenge that resulted in a penalty which Iceland captain Glodis Viggosdottir fired home to make it 4-3, but the Norwegians held on to finish top of the group with a perfect nine points. The Norwegians will be joined in the last eight by hosts Switzerland, who came back from a goal down to draw 1-1 with Finland and squeeze into the knockout stage. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor; editing by Clare Fallon)
Hindustan Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Putellas finds flow state as Spain thump Belgium 6-2
By Philip O'Connor HT Image THUN, Switzerland, July 7 (Reuters) - Spain striker Alexia Putellas scored two cracking goals as her side defeated Belgium 6-2 on Monday to all but guarantee themselves a spot in the knockout stage at the Women's Euros, with the 31-year-old saying she found a flow state in the game that made it come easy to her. Finding herself in the zone on a wet, blustery evening, Putellas picked up her second straight player of the game award and contributed hugely to Spain overcoming a sloppy start to put the Belgians to the sword. "I think there are plenty of moments in a game, the team had an excellent performance, and even if we almost always have things we can improve, I believe that team is fine. We feel comfortable, if there's something that doesn't work we can change and adapt," she told reporters. Putellas opened the scoring with a typical Spanish goal midway through the first half, punctuating an intricate passing move with a powerful strike, and she netted Spain's sixth goal late on to cap a fine individual display. Asked whether her flow state came from her own performance or from that of the team, Putellas said it was a little bit of both. "They go hand in hand; as an individual you think about the group and when you feel we are all together, you flow, it makes me feel good of course," she explained. "I have this role of creating options, sometimes I finish them, sometimes others do, (but) I'm feeling great." Belgium proved a tough nut to crack but Putellas and her team trusted themselves to score, no matter who ended up getting the goals. "When we have them in the low block, we have more options, we are closer to the box. It's not that it's better for me or affects my performance, my objective is to choose the best action in every situation," Putellas said. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor; editing by Clare Fallon)
Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Graham Hansen's intuition lifts Norway bid for Euro redemption
By Philip O'Connor HT Image July 6 - Caroline Graham Hansen's winning strike for Norway against Finland on Sunday will barely register among the best goals of her career, but it almost guarantees her country a shot of redemption after years of Euro heartbreak. Her cross from a tight angle dipped over the Finnish keeper before hitting the far post and flying into the net in the 84th minute, a just reward after she displayed the full extent of her dribbling skills to set up the chance. "It was intuition, you try the thing no-one expects, and then it goes in. I have no better explanation than that," Graham Hansen told Norway's TV2 after her side's 2-1 win. "It's lovely, especially when it was such a messy game. You feel that you are not quite where you want to be, so getting three points and getting to the quarter-finals is lovely," she added. After beating hosts Switzerland 2-1 in their opener on Wednesday, Norway are all but guaranteed a spot in the last eight. If Iceland fail to beat Switzerland later on Sunday, the Norwegians will go through to the knockout stage as group winners and will play the runners-up in Group B, which features Spain, Italy, Belgium and Portugal. For the likes of Graham Hansen, team captain Ada Hegerberg and former captain Maren Mjelde, getting through to the knockout stages will offer them a chance at redemption following more than a decade of under-achievement at the Euros. That trio all featured in Norway's last game in the knockout stage of the competition, the 2013 final, in which Graham Hansen won one of two penalties the Norwegians missed in a 1-0 defeat by Germany. They exited at the group stage in 2017 and 2022, suffering a record 8-0 defeat to eventual winners England last time out. "We want to get her to take people on, there's nobody better at that than Caroline, and she finished with a fantastic goal that is incredibly important for us," Hegerberg said. Norway face Iceland in their final group game on Thursday. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Sweet success eludes proud Swiss in narrow Norway defeat
By Philip O'Connor Soccer-Sweet success eludes proud Swiss in narrow Norway defeat BASEL, Switzerland, - When Switzerland's Nadine Riesen put her side 1-0 up against Norway in their Women's Euro 2025 opener at St. Jakobs-Park on Wednesday the whole nation erupted and even though the Swiss let their lead slip and lost 2-1, they still left the stadium with their heads held high. "It felt amazing. I couldn't imagine that I would score a goal, and even happier that we could celebrate all together. The atmosphere was so nice, and the whole stadium and, yeah, it's something I will never forget," the 25-year-old Riesen told Reuters, beaming with pride despite the defeat. "The first half, I think we played pretty well, we showed what we can do. We wanted to give the whole of Switzerland something back... and it's so sad that we didn't make it through the second half." Norway captain Ada Hegerberg scored just after the break and Switzerland then conceded an own goal. Despite plenty of chances and a penalty award that was overturned after a VAR review, the hosts could not fashion another goal. Wednesday's game was Switzerland's third single-goal defeat to Norway in 2025 but Riesen said her side were proud of what they had done. "It's a positive feeling, leaving from here of course, we're disappointed that we couldn't win, we wanted the three points for sure, so we will keep looking for that, and we will take the first half into Sunday," she said. "And hopefully also the atmosphere, because we felt like we were 12 players on the pitch, not only 11, because everyone was supporting, everyone's rooting, and we really felt that." Switzerland face Iceland, who lost 1-0 to Finland in the tournament's opening game earlier in the day, in Bern on Sunday. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Soccer-Hegerberg's heroics help Norway to scrape to victory over Swiss
By Philip O'Connor Soccer-Hegerberg's heroics help Norway to scrape to victory over Swiss July 2 - With her side 1-0 down to hosts Switzerland in their Women's Euro 2025 opener, Norway captain Ada Hegerberg chose her moment, leaping to bury a second-half header from a corner that put them back in the game, and then playing a major part in forcing the own goal that gave them a 2-1 win four minutes later. "Momentum," Hegerberg said simply when asked what was going through her mind as she waited for the corner to be taken. "It was important with momentum sometimes you just don't think, you let the instinct talk and you know, great execution from Vilde , and it was all about being in the right place," she told reporters. "I'm not going to lie but scoring goals is never easy. So you take nothing for granted some people do but, as a player, you never do. I've been very focused on how we always can manage to make the team improve. "Because you're a striker, so obviously think about goals but in the end, nothing is easy with the international level and you've got to fight for it all, so every goal is important." Hegerberg and Norway were all at sea in the first half, struggling to create anything of note and conceding a goal to a marauding Swiss side looking to take their chance in front of a fanatical, noisy home crowd as they took the lead. But Norway's side is full of both skill and guile and they came out with a more direct approach in the second half, slowing down the game and killing the spaces the Swiss had exploited ruthlessly in the opening 45 minutes. Hegerberg apologised for the penalty miss that led to a nervy ending for the 1,500 Norwegian fans at the game and the millions more watching back home. "Winning an opener with your own crowd in the stands, all the people cheering at us from home, we wanted to give it to them as well, you know, so my heart is happy," Hegerberg said. Norway top their group on three points and take on second-placed Finland, who beat Iceland 1-0 in the tournament's first game earlier in the day, on Sunday. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
