Chelsea midfielder Guro Reiten was Norway’s goalscoring hero as they defeated Wales 1-0 in Oslo this evening in their latest UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 qualifier.
In a game which was far from pretty from a Norwegian perspective, Reiten struck the solitary goal on the half-hour mark, leaving Martin Sjogren’s side seven points clear in the race for qualification for England 2022.
Reiten was joined in the Norwegian starting XI by Chelsea teammates Maria Thorisdottir and Maren Mjelde while Cecilie Fiskerstrand of Brighton & Hove Albion, Everton’s Ingrid Moe Wold and Amalie Eikeland of Reading were also named in the side.
The decisive moment came in the 30th minute when Reiten’s floated ball into the area forced an error from Welsh keeper Laura O’Sullivan. The player went to punch the ball but missed and the ball ended up in the back of the net.
Norway were unlucky not to add to their lead in the second half with Caroline Graham Hansen providing the main goal threat. She first saw a goal harshly ruled out for offside before the same player saw an effort cleared off the line as the scoreline remained 1-0 in her side’s favour.
Despite there being 22 places between the two nations in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings, Wales played their part in the match. They had as many shots on target as the hosts but were unable to find a way beyond Fiskerstrand in the Norwegian goal.
It now looks to be play-offs at best for Wales who will face a nervous final three matches to secure a runners-up spot.
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