With up to ten Australians competing in top-level domestic Nordic competitions in 2020, Beyond 90 will be keeping readers up to date with how our players and the teams they are playing in are faring.
In this final Nordic Wrap of 2020, Teagan Micah is named in the official Toppserien team of the season after her first Toppserien campaign!
Karly Roestbakken‘s Norwegian Toppserien team LSK Kvinner contested the NM (Norway) Cup, as well as the second leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League Round of 32 matchup.
Indiah-Paige Riley‘s Danish Fortuna Hjørring team likewise completed their Round of 32 Champions League matchup, in the final piece of 2020 action of any Aussie across the Nordic women’s football landscape.
Arna-Bjornar and Matildas keeper Teagan Micah hasn’t been mentioned in this wrap for a few weeks due to a finger injury prematurely ending her season, but she is headline news today after being chosen in the official Toppserien team of the season after her efforts in her inaugural Norwegian campaign.
Reward for a superb first season in Europe! 💪 https://t.co/0oDx0XyH43
— Westfield Matildas (@TheMatildas) December 18, 2020
The 2020 edition of the NM Cup proved to be an epic contest of outstanding quality. Ninety minutes came and went without a goal, with favourites and Toppserien champions Vålerenga having the better of field position but unable to fashion chances of substance due to an outstanding defensive effort by the Lillestrøm side and their goalkeeper Ida Norstrøm against a side brimming with attacking talent.
While LSK didn’t have as much field position, they looked dangerous in attack especially through the left-sided combination of Emilie Woldwik at left back and her captain Emilie Haavi, both of whom were also named in the Toppserien team of the season, with the captain recognised as the season MVP.
Incredibly it was LSK Kvinner who could have pinched the game in the 89th minute, with Vålerenga keeper Jalen Tompkins caught stranded outside her own penalty box, but LSK striker Sophie Haug‘s guided attempt was just wide of goal.
In the end the Vålerenga attacking dam burst in extra time, with two goals either side of the extra time changeover sealing the deal, one to Toppserien golden boot Njoya Nchout, and another to Marie Markussen, as Vålerenga claimed the league and cup double.
How about another trophy for CJ Bott?
VIF wrapped up a league & cup double with a 2-0 ET win over LSK Kvinner in the cup final. Bott started and played 99 mins, subbed off in extras
Next up: Champions League football…#FlyingKiwis https://t.co/Kl0Et6mWVC
— The Niche Cache (@thenichecache) December 14, 2020
Both teams backed up just three days later to complete their Champions League Round of 32 commitments. LSK Kvinner were at home against Belarusian side FC Minsk, and looked tired after their Cup exertions. They lost the game 0-1, but proceed to the Round of 16 2-1 on aggregate thanks to their first leg 0-2 away victory.
FT: LSK Kvinner 0-1 FC Minsk (agg. 2-1)
Vanhaevermaet & co plaatsen zich voor de 8ste finales van de #uwcl pic.twitter.com/bh1LogBGMw— Belgica (@TeamBelgica) December 16, 2020
Karly Roestbakken was not considered for selection in either game, but her foot injury is nearing full recovery.
Round of 16 games will be played in March 2021.
Ladder
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Vålerenga (premiers) | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 14 | 25 | 38 |
| 2 | Rosenborg | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 34 | 16 | 18 | 38 |
| 3 | Avaldsnes | 18 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 21 | 10 | 34 |
| 4 | Sandviken | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 30 |
| 5 | LSK Kvinner | 18 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 29 |
| 6 | Lyn | 18 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 24 | 30 | -6 | 21 |
| 7 | Klepp | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 33 | -14 | 18 |
| 8 | Arna-Bjørnar | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 29 | -16 | 17 |
| 9 | Kolbotn | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 29 | -11 | 13 |
| 10 | RØA (relegated) | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 33 | -18 | 12 |
The 2020 Swedish Damallsvenskan season has been completed.
Emily Gielnik‘s Vittsjö GIK finished the season in fifth place. It was a season to remember for Gielnik, scoring 8 goals in 16 games.
Elise Kellond-Knight may have succumbed early in the season to an ACL injury, but her Kristianstads team finished the league in third place.
Ladder
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Göteborg | 22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 55 | 10 | 45 | 54 |
| 2 | Rosengard | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 57 | 14 | 43 | 47 |
| 3 | Kristianstads | 22 | 14 | 3 | 5 | 48 | 29 | 19 | 45 |
| 4 | Linköping | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 32 | 34 | -2 | 39 |
| 5 | Vittsjö | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 33 | 35 | -2 | 31 |
| 6 | Växjö DFF | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 32 | -14 | 27 |
| 7 | Örebro | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 36 | -10 | 26 |
| 8 | Pitea | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 33 | -12 | 25 |
| 9 | Djurgarden | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 31 | -11 | 24 |
| 10 | Eskilstuna United | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 31 | 35 | -4 | 23 |
| 11 | Umeå IK | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 21 | 40 | -19 | 23 |
| 12 | Uppsala | 22 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 21 | 54 | -33 | 10 |
The Úrvalsdeild Kvenna 2020 season was abandoned due to COVID-19 concerns with two rounds to play. Final standings as at the last played round have been used to determine premiers, Champions League places, and the relegated teams.
Laura Hughes‘ newly-promoted Thróttur Reykjavik finished in fifth place and retain their place in the league.
Angie Beard‘s KR Reykjavik finished bottom of the league and are one of two teams relegated. Even though they had played two games less than some other teams, they would not have been able to lift themselves out of the bottom two, no matter the results in the two games not played.
Ladder
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Breiðablik | 15 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 66 | 3 | 63 | 42 |
| 2 | Valur R | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 11 | 32 | 40 |
| 3 | UMF Selfoss | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 24 | 20 | 4 | 22 |
| 4 | Fylkir | 16 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 29 | -7 | 21 |
| 5 | Thróttur | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 34 | -6 | 18 |
| 6 | Stjarnan | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 34 | -9 | 18 |
| 7 | Þór/KA | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 37 | -17 | 18 |
| 8 | ÍBV | 16 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 39 | -23 | 17 |
| 9 | FH Hafnarfjörður | 16 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 19 | 35 | -16 | 16 |
| 10 | KR Reykjavik | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 36 | -21 | 10 |
Indiah-Paige Riley‘s Fortuna Hjørring completed their Round of 32 Champions League home-and-away games this week against Slovenian club WFC Pomurje by winning 3-2 at home, comfortably granting them passage to the next round after their 0-3 away victory in the first leg.
Riley played 62 minutes of the match (the below post is from the first leg).
View this post on Instagram
Similarly to Iceland, all remaining games in the Danish Elitedivisionen are marked as cancelled for now due to coronavirus concerns.
The official site reads (translated):
Women’s football on a break.
We play again for the Spring of 2021.
As stated on the official Fortuna Hjørring site, the league’s last two rounds will be held at the beginning of spring 2021. Fortuna sits third in the league.
Hannah Bacon‘s AGF Aarhus are currently second last in their Elitedivisionen campaign.
Ladder
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | For | Against | GD | Pts |
| 1 | HB Køge | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 32 | 14 | 18 | 26 |
| 2 | Brøndby IF | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 26 |
| 3 | Fortuna Hjørring | 12 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 31 | 12 | 19 | 25 |
| 4 | Kolding BK | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 28 | 17 | 11 | 19 |
| 5 | Nordsjælland | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 20 | -1 | 18 |
| 6 | Thy – Thistedq | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 20 | -6 | 13 |
| 7 | AGF Aarhus | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 30 | -18 | 9 |
| 8 | AaB | 12 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 5 | 36 | -31 | 1 |
Follow all our coverage of Aussies and Ferns Abroad here, and Aussies in Nordic football here.
