Norway earn comfortable victory over Scotland – WU19s Euros

A rainy night in Maryhill was the setting for this bottom-of-the-table clash in Group A of the 2019 UEFA Women’s Under-19s European Championships. Having lost their opening matches, it was a must-win match for both sides.

A 925-strong crowd at Firhill included a strong vocal support for both nations, but it was the Norwegians who had the most to cheer in the end as their side strolled to a comfortable 4-0 win.

Norway’s Jenny Olsen was the star of the first half and she set the tone early on with a solid strike from just outside the box, forcing a good save from Scotland keeper Sophie Allison in the second minute. A minute later she was causing more problems for the Scottish defence as she played a dangerous ball across the six-yard box. Scotland were lucky not to concede as Emilie Bragstad couldn’t quite reach the ball to tuck it away.

Scotland were under pressure throughout the first half. In the 17th minute they had to defend a string of Norwegian corners, and in the 19th minute Emilie Bragstad spurned a great chance to head home from six yards after more great work from Jenny Olsen.

It came as no surprise then, when Norway opened the scoring in the 21st minute. A great run into the box from Jenny Olsen ended with a shot that struck the foot of the near post. As the ball rebounded in front of goal, Emilie Bragstad was in place to slam it home.

At this point, Scotland would have liked to keep it tight and limit the damage for five minutes before attempting to build their way back into the match, but Norway had other ideas. Just three minutes after the opener, Anna Josendal found space on the left wing just outside the box, and sent a beautiful strike into the opposite top corner, leaving Sophie Allison with no chance.

It took until the 29th minute for Scotland to get a foot on the ball in the final third, winning a free kick on the left hand side, level with the edge of the 18-yard box. Swung in by captain Amy Muir, the Norwegians struggled to deal with the cross and a minor stramash ensued before Norway eventually cleared the danger.

Scotland were starting to find their feet at this point and the game became more even, with chances at both ends. Norway’s Olaug Tvedten picked up a booking for pulling back Scotland’s Jamie-Lee Napier near the halfway line as Scotland started to look dangerous on the break.

At this point it was looking like Scotland just might be able to mount some kind of a comeback, if they could only keep the deficit manageable going into half time. Again though, Norway had other ideas.

Two minutes of stoppage time were played after a Norwegian player had been down getting treatment early in the game, and Norway took full advantage of this time. In 46 minutes Jenny Olsen got the goal her performance richly deserved, slotting home at the back post after the Scottish defence failed to properly clear a Norwegian corner.

And just in case a third goal wasn’t enough to kill off hopes of a Scottish comeback, the Norwegians made absolutely certain two minutes later. A cross into the box was half cleared by the Scottish defence, before the Norwegians played it right back in, and the ball was laid back to Rikke Nygard who placed it neatly in the bottom-right corner from 18 yards, making the score 4-0 going into half time.

Scotland started the second half brightly, with good work from Charlotte Newsham earning a corner in the 48th minute. Amy Muir’s corner was cleared back out wide, giving her a second chance to cross the ball into the box. Norway managed to scramble the ball clear properly at the second attempt.

Jenny Olsen continued to cause problems for the Scottish defence. In the 52nd minute as she looked to find a way past the defence, she looked to play the ball off of the hand of a Scottish defender, but the referee ignored the claims for a penalty. A minute later the ball fell to Olsen on the penalty spot, but she snatched at her shot as she took it on the turn and the ball went high and wide.

Olsen was one of three players subbed off in the 58th minute, as Norway looked to change their approach, sitting in more and protecting their lead while looking to hit Scotland on the counter attack.

Scotland’s only shot on target came in the 66th minute as the ball was swung in from a free kick and Rachel Brown found herself with a free header at the back post. She didn’t get enough power behind her header though and it was comfortably saved by Karen Oline Sneve.

Five minutes later the Norwegian defence repeated their mistake, again allowing Rachel Brown a free header at the back post. This time instead of going for goal she opted to knock the ball down, back across goal into the six-yard box in the hope that one of her team mates would slot the ball home, but the defence dealt with it well.

In the final ten minutes of the match, Norway started to pick up the pace again, pushing for a fifth goal that could prove crucial if qualification ends up being decided by goal difference. Substitute Runa Lillegard had a good chance from the penalty spot, but her shot went just wide of the top-right corner.

Three minutes later another substitute, Elin Sorum, found space outside the box for a speculative effort which Sophie Allison watched pass comfortably over the bar.

In the second minute of injury time, Abby Callaghan had Scotland’s best chance of the match as the ball was played across to her on the penalty spot, but her volley was deflected wide. As the resulting corner was cleared, the referee blew her whistle to signal the end of a disappointing night for Scotland.

Even after such a convincing victory, qualification for the semi-finals is still a tall order for the Norwegians. Unless Scotland can take something off of the Dutch, Norway will need to beat France by four goals in order to lift themselves off the bottom of the three-way head-to-head.

Meanwhile Scotland’s hopes are hanging by a thread. They now need to beat the Netherlands by five goals on Monday night, and hope for a French victory over Norway. Based on tonight’s display, it’s not looking hopeful.