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Switzerland botches its home European Championship opener against Norway – drama in Basel!
The start of the 2025 European Championship: Switzerland loses against Norway in Basel. Analysis of the players, performance record and future challenges.
Switzerland botches its home European Championship opener against Norway – drama in Basel!
Today in Basel everyone was ready for the opening game of the 2025 Women's European Championship. The Swiss national team met the Norwegians and wanted to impress in front of their home crowd. But the start was anything but happy: Switzerland had to admit defeat 1-2, despite a promising first half. Loud radioherford.de 34,063 spectators experienced a turbulent game in the St. Jakob-Park Arena.
The first joy in the stadium came in the 28th minute when Nadine Riesen gave Switzerland the lead with a precise shot. But the Norwegians, under the leadership of coach Gemma Grainger, did not let themselves be defeated. After the kick-off for the second half, they were suddenly much more present and improved. Ada Hegerberg, who scored her 50th international goal with this goal, equalized in the 54th minute and caused great excitement in the stands. Just four minutes later, Julia Stierli's mishap followed, as she slipped the ball into her own goal and thus secured the lead for the Norwegians.
The Swiss coach, Pia Sundhage, had a lot of trust in her players, including 18-year-old Sydney Schertenleib from FC Barcelona, who came on as a substitute at one point. Nevertheless, the game should not go on their side. Hegerberg had the opportunity to decide the game with a hand penalty in the 70th minute, but was denied by goalkeeper Livia Peng, who mastered the situation confidently.
Importance of the Nordic countries
In addition to this exciting opening game, Group A of the European Championship is characterized by an interesting rivalry, because in addition to Switzerland, northern countries such as Iceland, Finland and Sweden are also represented. These nations have played an important role in the development of women's football, the findings suggest nzz.ch. Norway, for example, has a successful history that includes winning the unofficial World Cup in 1988 and the Olympic Games in 2000. The Swedish league, which has been successful since 1988, also serves as a model for numerous other countries.
In the FIFA world rankings, only Sweden (6th place) and Denmark (12th) make it into the top ten among the Nordic countries, while Switzerland is in 23rd place. These rankings reflect the challenges facing the Nordic countries, particularly in terms of financial resources, which lag significantly behind those of other major football nations when compared internationally.
The development of women's football
The development of women's football has made great progress in recent years, but the long-term challenges remain. How fifa.com FIFA recently commissioned comprehensive statistics on women's football up to 2026. The goal is to increase the number of girls and women playing football to 60 million. To this end, global programs will be established to further strengthen training, development and visibility in women's football.
The debate about equal bonuses for men's and women's teams is more present than ever in the Nordic countries. Norway was the first country to successfully implement this step in 2017. These principles of equality and support are essential to establishing women's football as an equal sport. It is important to further expand the base of artists and trainers in order not only to promote future talent, but also to train it in the best possible way.