Norway star Ada Hegerberg scored her 50th international goal to led her team to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over host nation Switzerland despite missing a penalty in their opening game at the Women’s European Championship on Wednesday.
Having lost to the Norwegians twice in the Nations League earlier in the year, the home side dominated the opening 45 minutes and Géraldine Reuteler came close to giving them the lead in the 24th minute with a shot that cannoned back off the crossbar before Nadine Riesen struck four minutes later to send the St. Jakob-Park Stadium into raptures.
Hegerberg — the all-time Women’s Champions League top-scorer — barely featured in the first half but levelled nine minutes into the second with an emphatic header from a corner to bring up her half century of goals for Norway. It was just her second goal at a European Championship and first since 2013.
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The goal briefly silenced the home crowd and, under pressure from Hegerberg, Switzerland’s Julia Stierli turned a low cross from Caroline Graham Hansen into her own net four minutes later.
Reuteler was sparkling throughout for the Swiss but despite a number of golden chances, she could not get the goal both she and her team deserved, and she conceded a penalty which Hegerberg missed in the 70th minute.
Switzerland were awarded a spot-kick of their own that was overturned after a VAR review and, as the Swiss poured forward, the Norwegians hung on grimly for a victory that puts them top of Group A, with Finland second after their 1-0 win over Iceland earlier in the day.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.
