On Thursday 20 July, the Norwegian girls soccer team will play the opening match against New Zealand in the World Cup. There, they have a lot to make up for after the previous tournament.
Norway did not qualify from the group stage, and is best remembered for the stunning 0-8 loss against England.
– We want to fight back, I can promise you that. For us, it’s about wanting to show our faces. We’re here for a reason, and that’s because we really want to play the bullet, Hegerberg tells Nettavisen.
Also read: Norway has been hit in full: – It hurts to be Norwegian now
Hegerberg: – Nothing comes for free
Several similarities can be drawn between the Norwegian women’s national team and the men’s national team:
They both have what many consider the world’s best strikers at the top, in Ada Hegerberg and Erling Braut Haaland – and behind them we find two of the world’s best strikers in Martin Ødegaard and Caroline Graham Hansen, as well as Guro Reiten.
But both also struggled to get the best out of their offensive stars, collectively bringing the team down when it mattered most. Ada Hegerberg provides an explanation of the challenges:
It’s about a whole team. It’s about what we can do to strengthen the team so that the people can shine at a high level. We’re a small nation in Norway, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bite, Hegerberg tells Netavien.
Many people have reacted that Erling Braut Haaland sometimes participates sparingly in the matches of the Norwegian men’s national team. The same can be said of Hegerberg’s role in a Norway team that sometimes faces great challenges in strengthening the squad.
– It’s about strengthening the group, so we can also play individual players in good positions. Then the next best players have to work hard. The whole team must work hard. There are no fancy jobs, Hegerberg says, and adds.
It’s about working hard to help your teammates. Nothing comes for free.
points for experience
The former Balon D’Or winner specifies that anything can happen at the tournament, but still singles out England and the United States when asked about the favorites to lift the trophy.
There is a good reason for this:
These teams have experience having won before. The experience of winning is very important, but we also have to understand that club and national team are two completely different things, says Hegerberg, referring to the fact that many Norwegian girls have been winning a lot with their club teams lately.
Hegerberg himself has won the Champions League several times, and Chelsea duo Maren Myldye and Guru Ritten have just won the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea.
The latter is clear that the experiences since the previous tournament are very important for the World Cup.
– We learned a lot from that tournament and we learned a lot from that loss. No one likes to lose like that, Ritten tells Netavien.
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