Norway made it a clean sweep of wins in Group A after a seven-goal thriller with bottom side Iceland sealed the deal at Euro 2025.
With Norway’s top spot in the group already secured and Iceland rooted in fourth place, the match may have only been a dead rubber, but it delivered plenty of entertainment nonetheless. Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir bundled in Iceland’s first goal of the tournament, before braces from Signe Gaupset and Frida Leonhardsen Maanum looked to have given Norway a comfortable lead going into the final five minutes.
However, late goals from substitute Hlín Eiríksdóttir and captain Glódís Perla Viggósdóttir, plus a red card for Norway defender Marit Bratberg Lund, threatened to add a late twist to rival events happening in Geneva, ensuring Iceland would have the final word on their farewell from Euro 2025.
The Lineups
NOR: Fiskerstrand, Hansen, Harviken, Mjelde, Woldvik, Naalsund, Maanum, Bøe Risa, Gaupset, Terland, Bizet
ISL: Rúnarsdóttir, Heiðarsdóttir, Sigurðardóttir, Viggósdóttir, Arnardóttir, Antonsdóttir, Vilhjálmsdóttir, Jóhannsdóttir, Tryggvadóttir, Jessen, Jónsdóttir
The Action
Having already lost to Finland and hosts Switzerland, Iceland were determined that they would depart with something against their name. They started fast, with Angel City’s Jónsdóttir stinging the palms of Cecilie Fiskerstrand with a rasping strike within the first five minutes.
Jónsdóttir maybe should have done better, but she made no mistake from the resulting corner, volleying home the loose ball after Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir’s header was saved and scoring Euro 2025’s 50th goal of the tournament.
Not wanting to be outdone on the set piece front, Norway responded instantly with one of their own. Vilde Bøe Risa’s outswinging corner was met first time on the volley by Signe Gaupset, a sumptuous effort that flew past Cecilía Rán Rúnarsdóttir and into the net. This was the 20-year old midfielder’s first start at Euro 2025, in the team as part of Gemma Grainger’s mass rotation of the team, and she was keen to make her case to remain there when the big hitters returned for the quarter-finals.
10 minutes later, and it was Bøe Risa and Gaupset combining again. The former picked up a ward clearance in the Icelandic half and fed Gaupset on the edge of the box. Her drilled effort found the bottom corner and put Norway firmly in the driving seat. The rest of the first half passed with Norway now in full control. For the first time in the tournament, there was a level of clarity and confidence to their play, and Iceland, having started the better, were struggling to keep up.
The second half brought no joy for Stelpurnar okkar. Four minutes and once again, Gaupset was at the heart of it. This time, she was the provide, facilitating a sharp one-two with Frida Leonhardsen Maanum around the statue-esque defence to set up the Arsenal’s midfielder’s first goal of the championship.
Maanum and Jessen both had good chances to stretch Norway’s lead further, and it was Maanum who finally put the game beyond doubt on 76 minutes, with Gaupset assisting her again. Her pass found her in oceans of space in the Iceland half, gifting her safe passage into the penalty area and reversing a strike past Rúnarsdóttir to make it 4-1, ending the contest for good.
At least, that’s should have happened. Instead, having hibernated through most of the match, Iceland suddenly decided with five minutes to play that they wanted to go down fighting. There seemed little jeopardy when Jónsdóttir picked up the ball on the halfway line. But her pace and a clever nutmeg allowed her to burst clear of the Norway defence. When Fiskerstrand came out to meet her, she merely rolled it sideways for Eiríksdóttir to slam into the empty net.
With seconds ticking down on their time in Switzerland, Iceland threw the kitchen sink at Norway, and were rewarded in injury time when VAR spotted substitute Marit Bratberg Lund illegal attempts to prevent Eiriksdottir from converting a threading cross into the area. worse was to follow, as Lund received a second yellow and then a red for her misdemeanour . Whilst immaterial to the game itself, it now sees her suspended for Norway’s upcoming quarter final, a major loss for their defence.
Bayern Munich captain Viggósdóttir hammered the penalty home for Iceland’s third and to bring them within one goal. Alas, time was the enemy, there was none left to complete an unlikely and unthinkable comeback. Iceland depart the Euros winless once again, whilst Norway march on, the Group A Grand Slam completed, but the loss of one of their key defenders a stinging regret.
Norway perform when it mattered the least
All tournament, Norway have badly unconvinced in their matches, winning through tight margins combined with a strong sprinkling of fortune. Here, with no pressure upon them, they finally arrived, playing some brilliant football with a heavily rotated side- Ada Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen and Guro Reiten had all been benched with the upcoming quarter final in mind. This gave some of the fringe players a chance to audition for a greater role during the knockout rounds
No one did this more than Signe Gaupset, who was instrumental throughout with two assists and two well taken goals. Manchester United’s Elisabeth Terland was given the opportunity to lead the line, and she forced Rúnarsdóttir into a sharp save in the first half with a good touch and turn in the box.
The problem Grainger now faces is that the performance level was greater here than at any previous point in Norway’s campaign. How mucho of this was to do with the level of opposition and the circumstance of the match, or the fact that the fringe players’s output was simply better than anything the main cast ever managed consistently before them?
What was originally opportunity to rest the first team could well see them ostracised from the first team. On merit, the team that played today (the final 5 minutes outstanding) does not warrant being relegating back to the fringes.
One player Grainger won’t have available to her is Marit Bratberg Lund, who came on at half time and picked up two yellow cards, ruling her out of the quarter final. Having started their previous games against Switzerland and Finland, Grainger must now plan for Norway’s first Euro knockout match since 2013 without one of her first choice defenders.
Iceland thrill, but fall short again
In some way, this game encapsulated Iceland’s Euro 2025 campaign. Too little, too late. The talented Jónsdóttir finally got off the mark, and her run through the Norway defence in the dying embers highlighted what she could have brought to the table had Iceland got up to speed with the competition quick enough.
Instead, for too long they simply weren’t in the fight, both in this game and in the group as a whole. Only when it was too late did they stir themselves and show some of the form that saw them beat Germany in the Nations League.
It’s sadly yet another winless Women’s Euro campaign for Iceland. To many, they were the dark horses at Euro 2025, only for someone to forget to unbolt the stable door. The scoreline may have seemed close, but don’t be fooled, in all three matches they were well short.
With the talent spread across Europe in their possession, this was a chance for them to truly announce themselves. Instead, it is a bitter disappointment and a wasted opportunity, especially given the Group they were fortunate enough to be drawn in.
You can read all of the latest news, analysis and opinion at Euro 2025 on The Halfway Line.
