Norge hadde taket på Australia, men tapte til slutt.Norge ute av VM - og OLNorway is out of the World Cup and the OlympicsNorway were going to the quarter-finals for 60 seconds yesterday. That is how long it took from Elise Thorsnes's opening goal to Australia's equaliser. Trine Rønning, whose mistake led to the equaliser, was millimetres from sending Norway into the lead again when her free-kick in the 84th minute hit the crossbar and came out. Three minutes later Kyah Simon scored the winning goal.
With defeat in the contest for the eighth and last quarter-final place Norway are out of the World Cup, but also out of the running for next year's Olympics. The next championship Eli Landsem can hope to take part in is the European Cup in Sweden in two years. "We will come back, I promise", said Landsem after the match.
Norway made an honest attempt and played their best match of the tournament. If it hadn't been for a moment's lack of concentration by Trine Rønning straight after Norway took the lead, they could have gone further.
Norway created the most but needed some help from Australian confusion to get the ball into goal. In the 56th minute Ingvild Stensland played a long ball forward. Two defenders thought they had played the ball back to the keeper, but Thorsnes burst in and took the ball in front of Melissa Barbieri to place it into an empty goal.
A minute later came the equaliser. Trine Rønning had really won a duel with Lisa De Vanna, but the Australian striker took it back, went to the by-line and passed back to Kyah Simon who placed the ball past Erika Skarbø. "At 1-0 I thought this could be the end, but I never gave up", said Lisa De Vanna.
Eli Landsem made five changes in the starting eleven after the match against Brazil, and put Rønning's experience ahead of Marita Skammelsrud Lund's speed in central defence to try to stop De Vanna. But Australia used Norway's imprecise passing to send up wave after wave of attacks. Good defending meant that Australia could not create chances.
The first chance came when Gry Tofte Ims was played free but she was caught before she could finish. The Cecilie Pedersen reacted quickly when the ball came over defender Servet Uzunlar. Her shot went just over the bar.
Elise Thorsnes forced Barbieri to make two spectacular saves with long-range shots. "The play was much better today so it's a bitter feeling that we are out", said Lene Mykjåland.
Ingrid Hjelmseth injured an ankle after taking a high cross in the first half. She continued to half time after treatment but Erika Skarbø took over after half time. Also at half time 18-year-old Kristine Hegland came in for Emilie Haavi.
After the goals Australia began to create chances, and the match could have been decided before it was. Trine Rønning's header just over the goal after a corner from Ingvild Stensland was Norway's best chance until the free kick at the end.
Australia – Norway 2-1 (0-0), Leverkusen Stadium
18,474 spectators.
Goals: 0-1 Elise Thorsnes (56), 1-1 Kyah Simon (57), 2-1 Simon (87).
Ref: Estela Alvarez, Argentina.
Yellow cards: Kim Carroll (45), Heather Garriock (68), Australia; Hedda Strand Gardsjord (90), Norway.
Norway (4-2-3-1):
Ingrid Hjelmseth (Erika Skarbø 46) –
Hedda Strand Gardsjord, Trine Rønning, Maren Mjelde, Guro Knutsen Mienna –
Ingvild Stensland, Gry Tofte Ims (Isabell Herlovsen 82) –
Emilie Haavi (Kristine Wigdahl Hegland 46), Lene Mykjåland, Elise Thorsnes –
Cecilie Pedersen.
Bench: Caroline Knutsen – Nora Holstad Berge, Marita Skammelsrud Lund, Runa Vikestad, Leni Larsen Kaurin, Madeleine Giske, Ingrid Ryland.
Australia (4-4-2):
Melissa Barbieri –
Caitlin Foord (Ellyse Perry 90), Servet Uzunlar, Kim Carroll, Elise Kellond-Knight –
Samantha Kerr (Laura Alleway 81), Clare Polkinghorne, Collette McCallum, Heather Garriock –
Lisa De Vanna, Kyah Simon.
Bench: Lydia Williams, Casey Dumont – Teigen Allen, Emily van Egmond, Tameka Butt, Sally Shipard, Lauren Colthorpe, Leena Khamis.