Norway star Ada Hegerberg led her crew to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over host nation Switzerland regardless of lacking a penalty of their opening sport on the Women’s European Championship on Wednesday (July 2, 2025).
The dwelling crew dominated the primary half and went forward within the twenty eighth minute when Nadine Riesen capitalised on some pinball-machine Norwegian defending to rating in off the left submit.
Hegerberg equalised in opposition to the run of play with a header to Vilde Bøe Risa’s nook within the 54th, 4 minutes earlier than Switzerland’s Julia Stierli scored an personal aim attempting to cease Caroline Graham Hansen’s cross for Hegerberg.
But Hegerberg — the all-time Women’s Champions League top-scorer — despatched her penalty to the left of the submit within the seventieth after Géraldine Reuteler was penalized for hand ball whereas attempting to defend in opposition to the Lyon star.
Reuteler had despatched the ball crashing off the crossbar for the dominant Swiss within the first half.
“It was a powerful speak at halftime, you already know we’ve excessive requirements within the crew,” Norway coach Gemma Grainger said.
Switzerland was awarded a penalty after Hegerberg’s miss only to have the decision overturned after a VAR review for an offside call.
The Swiss players looked crestfallen after the game, as did veteran coach Pia Sundhage who had previously called this job her “biggest challenge.” Switzerland was looking for just its second win in seven matches at a European Championship.
“There’s such a small difference between being successful and not being successful,” Sundhage said.
Many fans stayed in their seats to applaud the team afterward. The match was played at St. Jakob-Park, across the road from where Austrian singer JJ won the Eurovision Song Contest in May. It’s Switzerland’s biggest stadium with a capacity of 34,250 for the tournament and it will also host the final, among other games.
This game — the second of the tournament after Finland’s 1-0 win over Iceland — was preceded by the Euro 2025 opening ceremony. Dancers used long silver tubes in a carefully choreographed performance that paid tribute to Switzerland’s clock-making heritage and Alpine landscape.
UEFA said the modest ceremony celebrated “the pinnacle of European team spirit” while emphasising “diversity, unity and the triumph of women’s football on its greatest stage.”
