Norway winger Guro Reiten has acknowledged her side’s outsider status at the Women’s World Cup starting this month but warned against underestimating the former champions at the tournament.
The 28-year-old Chelsea player is set to participate in her second World Cup, with hopes of surpassing the quarter-finals achieved in 2019 when England sent them out with a 3-0 win.
“At this World Cup we are outsiders, but I hope we are going to have a good tournament and you never know who is going to lift the trophy in the end,” Reiten told the FIFA website.
“In the quarter-final against England, we lost to a better football team, but I hope this year we can be even more competitive and go further.”
Norway’s journey at Euro 2022 ended in the group stage with three points. They suffered their biggest-ever defeat when England secured an 8-0 victory in their second match.
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Following their exit, Swedish coach Martin Sjogren stepped down and was subsequently replaced by Norwegian Hege Riise.
“She is not a typical coach because she’ll never stand and shout from the sidelines,” Reiten said. “She calmly conveys clear messages about how we’re going to solve different problems.”
Reiten will likely link up with striker Ada Hegerberg for the national team after the former women’s Ballon d’Or winner suffered an injury scare in April.
“Her qualities are absolutely incredible and she has scored many goals,” added Reiten. “It’s good to have her back and I hope she manages to stay injury-free. She will be a very important player for us.”
Norway will face World Cup co-hosts New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament on July 20 at Eden Park in Group A and Reiten is convinced they are ready for the challenge.
“It’s the perfect way to start! Of course, New Zealand on their home ground will wish to impress their fans but, for our part, it’s about enjoying the experience,” she added.
“We will then face the Philippines and Switzerland in our group – teams with different styles of playing. It will be a tough challenge but it’s a group we should be able to move forwards from.”
The ninth edition of the Women’s World Cup is being hosted by New Zealand and Australia, with the final scheduled to be played on Aug. 20 in Sydney.
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