Norway beat Euros hosts in first game
Switzerland 1 - 2 Norway
Ada Hegerberg scored a penalty, whilst also missing one, as Norway came from behind to defeat hosts Switzerland on the opening night of Euro 2025.
Author | Hollie Jacobs
A sold-out St Jakob-Park provided the backdrop for an entertaining opening ceremony and a lively atmosphere that carried into the match. Spurred on by the home crowd, Switzerland took a deserved lead when Nadine Riesen capitalised on a loose ball inside the area, her finish clipping the post on its way in.
Norway, twice champions of this competition, were unconvincing in the first half and failed to register a single shot on target.
But the game turned after the break as Switzerland’s early control slipped away. Hegerberg rose above the defence to head past Livia Peng from a corner, before Julia Stierli’s sliced clearance found her own net just five minutes later.
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The quickfire turnaround stunned the hosts, and Hegerberg had the chance to add a third from the penalty spot, but her effort drifted wide of the left post.
Switzerland thought they had been handed a lifeline moments later when Riesen went down in the area, only for the decision to be overturned by VAR for an offside in the build-up.
The defeat brought an end to a remarkable run of 12 consecutive wins for host nations at the Women’s European Championship, a sequence that included the Netherlands' triumph in 2017 and England's victory on home soil in 2022.
What next for these teams?
Switzerland will host Iceland in their second Group A match at 20:00 BST in Bern on Sunday, July 6. Meanwhile, Norway will face Finland at 17:00 BST that same day in Sion.
Switzerland will be desperate to recover from this early setback in the competition. A defeat against Iceland and elimination will also be confirmed. If Norway pick up another win, that should be them qualified.
Viva Ada Hegerberg?
Ada Hegerberg embodies a mentality in women's football similar to Cristiano Ronaldo's. She possesses unwavering self-belief. Clearly a fantastic player aswell and someone that will hope they can lead to Norway to glory at the end of this competition.
Some interesting stats
Switzerland are the first host team to lose their opening match in a Women's European Championship; all 12 previous host teams had avoided defeat.
Norway remains unbeaten in their last five encounters against Switzerland across all competitions. In fact, they have defeated Switzerland three times in just five months, with two victories in the Nations League preceding this victory.
