Norway in World Cup peril amid Hegerberg injury and player unrest

HAMILTON, New Zealand -- Norway coach Hege Riise was left sweating on news of an injury which forced star striker Ada Hegerberg out of Tuesday's goalless Women's World Cup draw with Switzerland.

Riise's problems were exacerbated due to tensions in the squad with Caroline Graham Hansen unhappy at being left out of the line-up.

Winger Graham Hansen, a Champions League winner last month with Barcelona, was dropped by Riise for the game in Hamilton following Norway's 1-0 defeat to co-hosts New Zealand in the opening match of the World Cup.

Meanwhile, former Ballon d'Or winner Hegerberg had lined up on the pitch for the national anthems before heading back towards the dressing room injured, with Sophie Roman Haug coming in as a last-minute replacement.

The Norwegian Football Association said Hegerberg had felt a pain in her groin in the final sprint of the warm-up, with Riise admitting she only realized a change would need to be made at the last moment.

"We were quick to have (the line-up) changed so Sophie could come in and not use a substitute," said Riise, who did not provide any further update on the extent of Hegerberg's injury.

Graham Hansen's frustration at not starting might be a more pressing concern for Riise with Norway now needing to win their last Group A game against the Philippines just to stand a chance of reaching the last 16.

According to Norwegian media, Graham Hansen complained she had not been shown respect after being left out of the starting XI.

"These are things we will handle internally," Riise said when asked about the player's reaction.

- 'Frustration' -

"There is a lot of frustration that we didn't win. Caroline is entitled to be frustrated and to express an opinion, but since I arrived in this position I have always said the team is the most important thing.

"All players want to start matches. I reached the decision in the best interest of my team and I defend my decision today," added the 54-year-old coach.

Norway lacked inspiration in the final third in the absence of Hegerberg, the UEFA Champions League's all-time top scorer, and with Graham Hansen only coming on just before the hour mark.

They remain without a goal or a win in the tournament and have just one point in Group A.

Switzerland are top with four points, one ahead of New Zealand and debutants the Philippines, who beat the co-hosts 1-0 earlier in Wellington.

Norway must win their final group game against the Philippines in Auckland on Sunday to stand a chance of progressing.

Switzerland just need to avoid defeat against New Zealand at the same time in order to reach the last 16.

The loss just before kick-off of Hegerberg, whose career has been blighted by injuries in recent years, was a disappointment for the 10,769 fans who showed up on a cold, wet and miserable night.

Her replacement, the Roma player Roman Haug, was unlucky not to score, forcing a good save from Swiss goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann with a header midway through the first half and from a half-volley after the restart.

Norway were more lively following the introduction of Graham Hansen, who forced another save from Thalmann after cutting in from the right flank.

Her club teammate Ana Maria Crnogorcevic had Switzerland's best chance, firing over after a quick exchange of passes in the first half.

Yet a draw was a better result for Switzerland, and Norway are at risk of a group-stage exit, just like at last year's European Championship.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Portugal win in Euro 2024 qualifying as Scotland stun Haaland's Norway

PARIS, France -- Bruno Fernandes scored twice as Portugal won in Euro 2024 qualifying on Saturday after Scotland produced a stunning late comeback to beat Erling Haaland's Norway in Oslo.

Portugal defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 in Lisbon to make it three wins out of three in Group J, with Manchester City star Bernardo Silva opening the scoring a minute before half-time.

Fernandes headed in the second from a Ruben Neves cross in the 77th minute and scored his second, and Portugal's third, in added time.

Cristiano Ronaldo wore the captain's armband and played all 90 minutes as the 38-year-old men's international appearance record-holder won his 199th cap.

However, the forward now playing for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia did not manage to add to his record 122 international goals -- he found the net with a header midway through the first half only to be denied by an offside flag.

Portugal, who visit Iceland on Tuesday, are top of Group J with nine points out of a possible nine having scored 13 goals and conceded none.

They are two points clear of Slovakia, who beat Iceland 2-1 in Reykjavik with Tomas Suslov unwittingly scoring the winner 20 minutes from time after an Alfred Finnbogason penalty for the hosts cancelled out Juraj Kucka's opener.

Luxembourg beat Liechtenstein 2-0 in the same six-team group, from which the top two sides qualify for the finals in Germany.

Scotland have three wins out of three in Group A after following a famous victory over Spain in March by coming from behind late on to beat Norway 2-1 on Saturday.

It looked as if Norway would get their first win of the campaign after Erling Haaland was fouled in the box on the hour mark by Ryan Porteous and converted the resulting penalty.

It was Haaland's 22 goal in 24 games for Norway, and he was taken off six minutes from time by coach Stale Solbakken with the job seemingly done.

But then Scotland equalised in the 87th minute when Leo Ostigard failed to deal with a John McGinn pass, allowing Lyndon Dykes to stab home.

And Scotland were not finished as they snatched the winner with a minute left, McGinn and Dykes combining to set up Norwich City's Kenny McLean to slot in, leaving Norway with just one point from three outings.

- Lukaku rescues Belgium -

Scotland, who went 23 years without appearing at any major tournament before going to Euro 2020, are now in a fantastic position on top of Group A, five points clear of Georgia and six ahead of Nations League finalists Spain.

They have played a game more than both of those sides, however, and welcome Georgia to Glasgow on Tuesday.

"Sometimes when it's your moment you just have to ride the wave. The boys believe in themselves and kept going," said Scotland boss Steve Clarke.

Georgia, coached by ex-France international Willy Sagnol, won 2-1 in Cyprus with Zuriko Davitashvili scoring the decisive goal late on.

That was after Georges Mikautadze's opener was cancelled out by a penalty from Ioannis Pittas for Cyprus.

Belgium were held to a 1-1 draw by Austria in Brussels, with captain Romelu Lukaku turning and firing in from the edge of the box just after the hour mark for the hosts.

They had been trailing after Orel Mangala deflected a shot past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and into his own net.

"After the first goal we saw the heads go down, which is something we need to learn from because this team is young," said Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco. "But in the end, I honestly saw good things as well."

Eden Hazard, the former Belgium captain who quit international football after the World Cup, attended the match and did a lap of honour around the stadium at half-time.

Belgium are three points behind group leaders Austria but have a game in hand. They are back in action on Tuesday in Estonia, who drew 1-1 with Azerbaijan on Saturday.

In other action, the Czech Republic cemented their position at the top of Group E after a 3-0 win in the Faroe Islands in which Vaclav Cerny scored twice.

Agence France-Presse