Norway find harmony, but no rhythm, in Womens Euro exit

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GENEVA - Led by captain Ada Hegerberg, Norways squad exuded togetherness at Euro 2025, which had been lacking at recent tournaments, but they never managed to find a consistent rhythm on the pitch as they lost 2-1 to Italy to exit the competition on Wednesday.

The Norwegians won all three of their games to top Group A and came into the last-eight clash with Italy brimming with confidence despite only sporadically having played well, and their inability to make the best of their big moments against the Italians left them wondering what might have been.

I want them (the players) to remember what we did here -- were obviously very disappointed right now, but this group of players showed that were together, Norway coach Gemma Grainger, who took the reins in January 2024, told Reuters.

We wanted to come here and have a successful tournament, and that meant, as a group of players and staff, that we showed everyone who we are, and I believe we did that.

With the likes of Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen and breakout star Signe Gaupset, Norway are blessed with an embarrassment of attacking riches, but the central midfield and defence never quite clicked in Switzerland, leading to their quarter-final exit.

Goalkeeper Cecilie Fiskerstrand was heartbroken to concede the last-minute goal to Italy that sent Norway out of the tournament, but after missing the Euros three years ago due to a serious injury, she managed to find a silver lining in the tournament overall.

Playing a competition like this for Norway is an extreme privilege, and Im really happy and grateful and proud to be a part of this team, she told Reuters.

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