Neville: links to USA job are 'flattering'
Time to wrap things up – here’s Suzanne Wrack’s report from Bergen. Thanks for joining me, and for all your emails. Goodnight!
“England will not win a major tournament – EVER – with Millie Bright playing center back,” writes Chad Noyes. “She is a huge liability defensively and her passing out of the back is frequently calamitous. Surely Neville sees this.” Strong words, Chad. Admittedly, she didn’t have her best game today, and was culpable for the Norway winner.
It’s not all doom and gloom department: here’s Suzanne Wrack on how England’s World Cup has transformed the women’s game back home.
Casey Stoney on co-comms was pretty damning about that England performance. There are issues that need addressing – England looked sluggish going forward, and disorganised defensively.
That said, the WSL season is yet to kick off, and the visitors did create a couple of good chances in that second half. I don’t think there’s any need to panic, but a win over Brazil next month would help allay a few nagging concerns.
Moments before England went behind, the FA announced another friendly this Autumn. Brazil are bringing the samba to Middlesbrough, in October.
Lord Beaverbrook! Clement Attlee! Henry Cooper! Can you hear me, Henry Cooper?
Full time! Norway 2-1 England
Beth England can’t quite connect with the corner, and that’s that. Norway win, and deservedly so on balance. England wilted in that second half.
94 mins: No. One more corner ...
93 mins: Bronze, who has grown into her midfield role, gets forward again but fires a scruffy shot wide of the near post. Is time up?
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92 mins: A decent opening for England, led by Bronze from midfield, who takes a fraction too long to play Mead in down the right. Norway regroup, and the move runs out of steam.
Four added minutes for England to snatch an equaliser. Phil Neville is cutting a forlorn figure on the bench.
Bright’s pass was cut out by Hansen, who zipped effortlessly upfield and into the area. Houghton tries to stop her with a despairing lunge, which would surely have resulted in a penalty had she connected. Instead, Hansen pulled clear, took a touch and fired high into the net beyond Roebuck.
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GOAL! Norway 2-1 England (Graham Hansen 88')
The game’s best player has surely won the match for Norway!
87 mins: An England attacking move breaks down as Beth England loses her bearings. It hasn’t clicked for England up front today ...
85 mins: Ingrid Hjelmeseth is coming off to a standing ovation. The veteran goalkeeper is replaced by Cecilie Fiskerstrand, marking the end of a long and illustrious international career. She looks emotional as she gets a group hug from teammates, and is presented with a shirt marking her 138 caps.
84 mins: Parris is still making her way around the perimeter. Not sure if he’s injured, or just observing the new rule, where players should go off the pitch at the nearest point. Fair play to her if so, because nobody else is.
83 mins: Mead cuts inside from the right and takes aim, but her shot is one to file under “optimistic”.
82 mins: Beth Mead replaces Nikita Parris, who has been one of England’s better performers today.
81 mins: England looking marginally more likely, although Graham Hansen remains a threat, carrying the ball silkily through midfield before Bronze makes a timely interception.
80 mins: Ten minutes for either team to win this, if they fancy.
78 mins: From the corner, Bronze pounces as the ball bobbles across goal – but can only fire over from 10 yards out.
Beth England on for Taylor, who wasn’t quite sharp enough up front. Williamson is on for Daly, who did a decent job at right-back, but was caught out for the equaliser. There’s a change in goal, too, with 19-year-old Ellie Roebuck replacing Telford.
75 mins: The ball still hasn’t gone out of play – first Parris kept it in, then teed up a Norway counter with a poor ball back towards midfield – and then England rallied upfield again. They win a corner, and here come those changes ...
74 mins: England try to slow the pace a little, with a couple of substitutes about to come on – Beth England and Leah Williamson.
73 mins: Hansen swaggers into the England area again and wins a corner. You can’t help but wonder how good Norway would be if Ada Hegerberg was playing alongside her up front. England clear this time.
72 mins: Norway win a free kick midway inside the England half and Reiten launches it towards the far post, where the hosts are waiting in numbers. Houghton does very well to nod the ball away from Lisa-Marie Utland, who has just come on for Eikeland.
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70 mins: Graham Hansen has become the game’s dominant attacking force, firing another shot low at Telford, then resurfacing on the right flank to test Demi Stokes with a jinking run into the box.
68 mins: England almost retake the lead from nowhere! Toni Duggan, back on the left flank, plays a brilliant cross from deep, into the fabled corridor of uncertainty, and Taylor meets it, sending her header just wide! That was a great chance.
67 mins: Hansen again has the England defence on the back foot, but her cross is hacked away by Keira Walsh.
65 mins: A long ball almost lets Hansen in, but Telford comes flying a full 20 yards off her line to clear.
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64 mins: Stanway is urging her teammates to push forward, with her and Taylor isolated up front. England are missing some key attacking players – Fran Kirby, Ellen White – but they’ve looked short of ideas.
England, as you may have heard, are hosting the next Euros in 2021 – so there’s no qualifying for them. The downside is that each friendly takes on extra significance. The Lionesses’ only other slated fixture (at time of writing) is against Germany at Wembley in November.
62 mins: Daly pushes forward on the right and swings in a cross that Moe Wold has to head behind. Duggan aims her corner at the near post, where Bright is steaming in, but a Norway boot hoofs the ball clear just in time.
60 mins: Taylor almost pounces on a loose pass in the Norway area, but with her back to goal she can’t find a white shirt in space.
58 mins: Hansen is given too much space on the edge of the box, and cracks a shot that’s straight at Telford. England started this game so well, but they look second best just now.
55 mins: Ooooh, England nearly retake the lead immediately, as a quick break allows Bronze to get into the box – but her header from Parris’ cross flashes just wide!
Goalscorer Maanum goes off, replaced by another emerging talent in Wolfsburg’s Ingrid Engen.
54 mins: That’s a deeply frustrating goal for England to concede, with a familiar weakness at set-pieces resurfacing. Maanum missed a very similar chance in the first half, but England didn’t learn from it.
GOAL! Norway 1-1 England (Maanum 53')
After bailing out her centre-backs once, this is the thanks Carly Telford gets. Maanum easily gets above Daly from the corner, and powers a close-range header home! Norway are level, and deservedly so.
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52 mins: Hansen slaloms into the area and lays the ball off to Saevik. Her low ball catches the England defence too deep, with Eikeland unmarked near the penalty spot. Her shot looks destined for the bottom corner, but Telford gets down brilliantly to turn it behind ...
50 mins: Graham Hansen overcooks a long pass to Moe Wold, but Norway have started this half the better...
49 mins: It’s been scrappy so far in the second half; perhaps some changes are needed.
Jon Elvebakk, watching on in Bergen, has sent me a snap of the teams heading out for the second half. The modern world, eh?
By the way, there can’t be many finer views from a seat in a European football stadium. Give us a wave!
We're back!
No changes for either side. Stanway gets the first shot of the second half away, albeit a mistimed effort that flies a long way wide.
Elsewhere in qualifying, Wales host Northern Ireland later on in Newport. Both teams are in Group C alongside Norway, who beat Northern Ireland 6-0 in their first game.
Wales also hit six, against the Faroe Islands – and will be hoping to finish as one of the highest-ranked runners-up, earning a direct ticket to the finals in England.
In response to a couple of emails I’ve had about this and other games not appearing on our live scores service, I hear you and will pass it on.
Also, an overdue mention for Scotland who began their Euro 2021 qualifying campaign with a thumping 8-0 win over debutantes Cyprus. Kim Little bagged five of the goals in a dominant display.
That flukey-looking effort from Caroline Graham Hansen reminded me of this, in that I’m not entirely sure she didn’t meant it:
Half time! Norway 0-1 England
England lead a lively, if occasionally scrappy game thanks to an absolute thunderbolt from Georgia Stanway 10 minutes in. More soon.
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46 mins: Norway almost level in bizarre fashion! A lovely bit of skill from Sævik sets Graham Hansen away down the right, and she tries to lift a cross towards the far post – but it almost loops into the net, with Telford forced to tip it away from under the bar!
45 mins: Three added minutes.
44 mins: One last foray upfield for England, led by Jodie Taylor, who holds the ball up nicely. Stanway hits a deep cross that’s far too close to Hjelmeseth in the Norway goal.
42 mins: Graham Hansen almost unpicks the England defence, but her pass is just too far behind strike partner Reiten. Hansen then goes into a 50-50 with Bronze, who lands heavily, but is OK to carry on.
39 mins: A tactical switch from England, with Duggan and Parris swapping wings. Duggan cuts in from the right flank, creating space for Daly at full-back, but she’s closed down by Minde.
37 mins: Stanway almost undoes Norway again with a lovely piece of skill, shaping to shoot and then slipping a through ball towards Taylor – but again, she just can’t pull the trigger in time, and Hjelmeseth denies her.
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35 mins: Duggan takes it, but pings it back to Daly, whose low ball in pings around the area. It’s a bit messy, but Norway don’t deal with it and after an errant defensive pass, Jodie Taylor has the ball at her feet in front of goal – but she can’t get a shot away.
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34 mins: Nikita Parris, a lively presence on the right, wins a free kick, and England’s centre-backs march upfield ...
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32 mins: Reiten curls a left-footed effort from distance that Telford is happy to leave – but it whips dangerously close to her far post, missing it by inches!
29 mins: Norway, perhaps surprisingly, haven’t really tried to test Daly at right back. Now Graham Hansen does take on the makeshift defender, who does well to hold her off and drill the ball back to Carly Telford.
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27 mins: Bronze, looking composed pulling the strings in midfield, plays a one-two with Parris, whose cross ends up at the feet of Stanway. Her cross-shot flies wide, and Duggan almost gets a toe to turn the ball in!
26 mins: Norway get your joy down the right-hand side and Sævik’s pull back falls to Risa – but she swings and misses, and England can break ...
24 mins: England try to play it out from the back – Neville channelling his inner Pep again – but Daly gets surrounded by red and blue shirts, and has to hurriedly clear.
22 mins: A long break, but Thorisdottir is able to carry on, and both coaches take the opportunity to fire a few tactical instructions at their players.
19 mins: Maria Thorisdottir goes down after being buffeted off the ball by Stanway. She needs a bit of treatment; it was a heavy challenge, one that could have earned a booking.
17 mins: Much better from the hosts since going behind, and Sævik picks out Guro Reiten, whose shot through a forest of legs flashes just wide of the near post.
Here’s the goal. Oof!
Oh wow. WHAT a goal. The build-up, the finish. @StanwayGeorgia, take a bow 👏 pic.twitter.com/enek5ngIIO
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) September 3, 2019
14 mins: Caroline Graham Hansen leads another slick Norway move, slotting a diagonal ball to Sævik – but the winger’s shot, from a tight angle, is high and wide.
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13 mins: The corner is met by Maanum at the near post – England second best at a set piece, a recurring theme – but her header flies over.
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12 mins: England are good value for their lead, but need to be careful – Moe Wold gets in down the right again, and Bright has to cut out a dangerous cross ...
WHAT A GOAL! Norway 0-1 England (Stanway 10')
Parris passes to Georgia Stanway, 25 yards out, who absolutely lashes a first-time shot that crashes in off the bar, right in the corner. Hjelmeseth was never stopping that. What a hit!
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9 mins: Bronze collects a pass from Parris and has a strike from 20 yards that’s charged down. She does like a long-range belter against Norway. Speaking of which ...
8 mins: Sævik gets the better of Stokes close to the byline, but her prodded low cross is cleared away. A half-chance for the hosts, there.
6 mins: Parris tries a cheeky, chipped cross inside the area, perhaps hoping to catch a Norwegian hand. She fails, but England come again and a tidy diagonal pass nearly sets Jodie Taylor in on goal – but Hjelmeseth is off her line to collect. The Norwegian keeper is winning her 138th and final cap today.
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5 mins: Neville prowls the touchlines, urging his players to be as aggressive as his pre-match comments:
“I have a vision that nobody else has. I’ve got bravery that no other coach has probably ever had. Do you know what? Thank your lucky stars. I’m here to stay. And I’m going to continue to keep improving”.
4 mins: Keira Walsh whips a cross in that’s too close to Hjelmseth, and Norway break with Houghton having to chase back to cover a through ball towards Reiten. Had the ball been better, England might have been in trouble.
2 mins: Norway clear but England win it back in midfield and build from the back.
1 min: Rachel Daly, filling in at right-back, gets forward straight away. Nikita Parris appeals for a handball, and England have an early free kick.
Here we go!
The teams are out, anthems played, and we’re ready to go. It looks a fine early evening in Bergen, and there’s a bumper crowd in the Brann Stadion.
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More on Bronze starting in midfield – Phil Neville is trying Europe’s best player in a new position, inspired by Pep Guardiola.
“We have a two-year period now where playing Lucy in midfield might be one of the risks we take. Guardiola did it with Philip Lahm [at Bayern]. He was voted one of the best right-backs, but he put him into midfield.”
Lucy Bronze will be wearing the No 8 shirt today, so one assumes she is going to be in midfield. Neville is keen for her to play there as she is so good, meaning it will be interesting who she performs in her secondary position.
Bergen is very nice. So here are some fine photos from Norway ...
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The impact of the World Cup on women’s football ...
Lineups: Norway v England
Norway: Hjelmseth, Moe Wold, Mjelde, Thorisdottir, Minde, Sævik, Risa, Maanum, Eikeland, Reiten, Graham Hansen
England: Telford, Daly, Stokes, Walsh, Houghton, Parris, Bronze, Taylor, Duggan, Bright, Stanway
Preamble
After a bit of a struggle away to Belgium in the previous match, Phil Neville will be hoping his England players can put on a more convincing display against the far tougher opposition of Norway. The success of the World Cup is starting to be forgotten and they need to focus on the next prize and showing what they can do against Norway will certainly be a fine starting point, even if Neville does do some tinkering.
This is a crucial time for the women’s team who need to make the most of the hype following the World Cup, as midfielder Jade Moore is already frustrated by the failings in the aftermath.
Kick-off: 5pm BST, 6pm local, with Niall McVeigh.
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