BASEL, Switzerland - Switzerland took the lead against Norway but fell to a 2-1 defeat on home soil after scoring an own goal on the opening day of the Women’s Euro 2025 championship on July 2, with Norwegian captain Ada Hegerberg netting the equaliser and missing a penalty.

The hosts had plenty of opportunities to grab what would have been a famous victory but the Norwegians dug deep to snatch a narrow win, their third over the Swiss by a single goal in 2025. 

Having lost to the Norwegians twice in the Nations League earlier in the year, the home side dominated the opening 45 minutes and Geraldine Reuteler came close to giving them the lead in the 24th minute with a shot that cannoned back off the crossbar before Nadine Riesen struck four minutes later to send the St Jakob-Park Stadium into raptures.

Riesen reacted quickly to an attack that broke down, rattling the ball past Vilde Boe Risa and off the near post into the net to send the Swiss fans at St Jakob-Park into raptures.

However, it was a different story after the break and it was Norway’s Hegerberg who turned the page.

After barely featuring in the first half, she levelled nine minutes into the second with an emphatic header from a corner that briefly silenced the home crowd and four minutes later, under pressure from Hegerberg, Switzerland’s Julia Stierli turned a low cross from Caroline Graham Hansen into her own net.

Reuteler was sparkling throughout for the Swiss but despite a number of golden chances, she could not get the goal both she and her team deserved, and she conceded a penalty which Hegerberg missed in the 70th minute.

Switzerland were awarded a spot-kick of their own that was overturned after a VAR review and, as the Swiss poured forward, the Norwegians hung on grimly for a victory that puts them top of Group A, with Finland second after their 1-0 win over 10-woman Iceland earlier in the day.

A Katariina Kosola goal gave Finland victory in the opening match of the championship.

Finland lost all three games at the last tournament, scoring one goal, but after Iceland’s Hildur Antonsdottir’s red card in the 58th minute, Kosola made the breakthrough 12 minutes later. REUTERS

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