Guro Reiten set up Norway's winning goal as they continued their perfect start to the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championship and took a big step towards the quarter-finals with a victory over Finland.
Norway now know that anything other than a win for Iceland against hosts Switzerland in the evening’s later kick-off will guarantee their progress to the next round as Group A winners, making them the first team to book a place in the knockout stages of Euro 2025.
Having already defeated the Swiss in their opening fixture, they were made to work hard for a second victory against a Finland side who also triumphed in their first game.
It initially looked like Norway – with Reiten starting on the left flank for her country – would have things all their own way. Caroline Graham Hansen’s cutback from the byline was diverted in for an own goal by Eva Nystrom before it could reach the Chelsea winger at the back post, giving Norway the lead after just three minutes.
However, Finland equalised before half-time and then took the initiative, hitting the post after the break. But Norway had hit the woodwork twice themselves, while it needed a fingertip save from the Finland keeper to deny Reiten a spectacular overhead-kick goal after another dangerous Graham Hansen delivery.
In the end, the bounce went in Norway’s favour again, to give them a winning goal six minutes from the end. Reiten fed the ball to Graham Hansen on the right and, following a slaloming run into the box, on this occasion her looping cross came off the inside of the post and into the back of the net.
They saw out the victory with vice-captain Reiten wearing the armband. That left Norway top of Group A on six points after two games, awaiting the outcome of Switzerland’s match against Iceland to confirm their top spot and progress into the quarter-finals.