Four Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland) are hosting Aussie players this year. Read on to see how they fared during the past week!
Round 16 (of 18) of the Toppserien saw all teams involving Aussies picking up vital late-season points.
Tameka Yallop‘s Brann Kvinner – the benchmark team in the competition – picked up just their second draw of the season in their 1-1 home result against fourth-placed Stabaek. A goal in added time saw the hosts take a point, with Yallop – who was also selected in the Matildas squad to play Canada – playing the first half.
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Brann followed this up with a 1-0 victory over Turkish side ALG Spor in the Champions League qualifiers, where Yallop was an unused substitute. Next up for Brann is another do-or-die UWCL qualifer, this time against Spartak Subotica from Serbia, followed by a Norway Cup quarter final against LSK Kvinner.
For their part, LSK Kvinner always looked the goods in a 3-0 Toppserien away win against bottom side Røa Dynamite. Two goals up after 25 minutes, their opponents enjoyed some good periods of play but a third goal in the second half sealed the deal for LSK. Once again Fiona Worts was unavailable, and Karly Roestbakken is still rehabbing after surgery.
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The win pushes LSK up into sixth place, just two points from Stabaek in fourth place.
Ally Green saw late minutes in third-placed Vålerenga‘s 3-0 away win against ninth-placed Avaldsnes. The win keeps her team within striking distance of second-placed Rosenborg, with a game in hand.
Results
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Round 16 of the Damallsvenskan was the first action after the Swedish summer break. Aussie fans can only dream about the 26 round season on offer to fans of Swedish football.
Aivi Luik is no stranger to the Nordic leagues, having spent time with Brøndby in Denmark, Fylkir in Iceland, Vålerenga and Avaldsnes in Norway, plus Kalmar in Sweden. It’s remarkable to think that her career encompasses every league in these Nordic wraps!
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised then that Luik was announced during the break as signing on an 18-month deal with fourth-placed BK Häcken. (She was also selected in the Matildas squad to play Canada).
Congratulations and good luck for the season.
The @TheMatildas international midfielder Aivi luik has joined the @_OBOSDamallsv outfit @bkhackenofcl on a one-and-a-half-year deal. https://t.co/SeGlIJKL4k pic.twitter.com/JXgFOHgkSw
— LTA Agency (@ltaagency) July 16, 2022
The Häcken-Rosengard Round 16 fixture doesn’t occur until August 25th, so Luik will need to wait a little longer before she debuts for her new side in the Damallsvenskan.
Emma Checker played a full game in her Damallsvenskan debut as Umeå IK drew 1-1 at home against Kalmar, the first point for either side in quite some time.
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Like Aivi Luik, Teagan Micah‘s ladder toppers FC Rosengård have to wait until they resume Damallsvenskan action … but they will have to do so without inspirational captain Caroline Seger, who is out for the season after heel surgery.
Micah was also selected in the Matildas squad to play Canada.
Although Rosengård’s Charli Grant was announced last week as being on loan to Vittsjö GIK for the rest of the campaign, she was not on the team sheet for Vittsjö in their 1-0 away loss to second-placed Kristianstad.
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Both Katrina Gorry and Clare Polkinghorne played full games for Vittsjö in this encounter. All three Aussies associated with the club were selected in the Matildas squad to play Canada.
With Elise Kellond-Knight making her joyous return to action after more than two long years out with injury, Hammarby started their away game against fifth-placed Eskilstuna United with three Aussies in their starting lineup. Kellond-Knight took the field in her favoured holding midfield position, playing 57 minutes. Courtney Nevin set up behind KK in a central defender role and played a full game, while Kyra Cooney-Cross played 66 minutes out on the left wing. Both Nevin and Cooney-Cross were also selected in the Matildas squad to play Canada.
The 1-0 win augurs well for Hammarby, who move past Vittsjö into sixth place.
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Remy Siemsen was an unused substitute in AIK‘s 1-0 loss to eighth-placed Piteå, leaving AIK equal last at the foot of the table.
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Results
Ladder
Just three games were played in Round 13 of the Úrvalsdeild. Melina Ayres‘ Breiðablik played their Round 13 fixture in July, as did KR Reykjavik (Susan Phonsongkham and Margaux Chauvet).
Unfortunately for Breiðablik, they were knocked out of the Champions League on Thursday by Norwegian side Rosenborg, who currently occupy second place in the Toppserien. Rosenborg won 4-2 and Ayres was an 84th minute substitute. Up next for Breiðablik is the third-place playoff of their mini-tournament, against Czech side Slovácko on Sunday, before they return to domestic action.
Gema Simon wasn’t on the match card for Thróttur Reykjavík‘s 5-1 home victory over IBV but looks to be feeling on top of the world regardless, if the below shots are anything to go by.
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The win lifts Thróttur into third place, with an eye to Breiðablik on the ladder rung above them.
Results
Ladder
There was an Aussie reunion in Round 2 of the Elitedivisionen, as Matilda McNamara‘s AGF Aarhus travelled to Nord Energi Arena for a clash with Fortuna Hjørring (Indiah-Paige Riley and Angie Beard).
It was very much a case of home comforts for the team in green. Fortuna romped to a 5-0 win – Riley played the whole game and received a booking, while Beard played the first half. McNamara played the full 90 minutes for AGF.
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Once again, 2021-22 Fortuna Player of the Year Clare Wheeler was not in the squad, but with good reason: she’s being loaned to FA WSL side Everton! We wish Clare all the best with her English adventure.
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Fortuna were unable to replicate their weekend success in Thursday’s Champions League qualifier against German side Eintrahct Frankfurt, losing 2-0. Beard played a full game, while Riley started and played 64 minutes. Fortuna meet Kristianstad of Sweden in their mini-tournament’s third place playoff on Sunday before returning to Danish competition.
Despite the result, it was nice to see Riley feature briefly in this clip, filmed prior to the game with Eintracht Frankfurt.
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Winonah Heatley also experienced defeat as FC Nordsjaelland lost 3-0 away to KoldingQ – Heatley was an unused substitute. She will be hoping for more playing time and a better result when Nordsjaelland return home to face Brøndby.
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Finally, we would like to wish Angie Beard a belated Happy 25th Birthday! If anyone from Denmark can explain what happened in the below picture, please let us know 😛
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Follow all our coverage of Aussies and Ferns Abroad here, and Aussies in Nordic football here.
