Norway head coach Gemma Grainger has revealed what she told her team at half-time after they came from behind to beat hosts Switzerland in their Euro 2025 opener.
The English coach was furious with her side’s performance in the first-half, with Switzerland taking a 1-0 lead through Nadine Riesen.
However, in the space of five second-half minutes Norway turned the game around. Ada Hegerberg headed home an equaliser before Julia Stierli diverted a cross into the back of her own net.
There was late drama when Switzerland thought they had a penalty when Mathilde Harviken dragged Riesen to the ground.
However, Norway were let off as VAR ruled that there had been an offside in the build-up.
Following their victory, Norway are priced at 22/1 to win Women’s Euro 2025 according to the top football betting sites in the UK.
What did Gemma Grainger tell the Norway team at half-time?
Gemma Grainger, the only British head coach at Women’s Euro 2025, has revealed what she told her Norway team after a disappointing first-half display against Switzerland.
She said: “I was very honest at half-time. The work was not good enough. I can accept everything as a coach, but not that.
“For me, the work effort, energy, and running were not good enough. We can’t be run down by teams. We will do it. That identity is very important to me.”
Norway captain Ada Hegerberg, who sparked the turnaround, also revealed that a serious team talk took place during the break.
She told Norwegian TV 2: “We agreed at halftime that we’re just messing it up, plain and simple. So we made some small tactical adjustments and decided that we can’t have any plan if we don’t win our duels.”
Norway receive criticism despite victory in Euro 2025 opener
Norway received heavy criticism from their national media despite coming from behind to beat Switzerland in their Women’s Euro 2025 opener.
They received comparisons to Euro 2022, where they exited the competition at the group stage.
Expressen commentator Frida Olsson said: “Norway is just as bad as they were in 2022. Switzerland started out inspired. Norway started terribly. Totally outplayed. It was like being thrown back a few years – or just a few days when they met Sweden.”
Norway went into Euro 2025 off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Scandinavian rivals Sweden.
She added: “Norway was unsynched and unstructured. There were a lot of mistakes and the stars continue to underperform.”
Aftonbladet commentator Anna Ryden told Norwegian outlet VG: “The teams that Norway has got in the group are teams they should normally beat. Norway should really have sailed through this group, but I’m not convinced after this first day.
“If you don’t find a quick solution to this, an identity, a way forward. Something that everyone can buy into. The stars are there, but if you want to go far and win against the biggest nations, you have to play as a team.”
