The Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland) have long been a viable football destination for Aussie footballers, and 2021 looks to be no different with around ten players choosing the Nordic countries as their football playground.
The Beyond 90 Season 2021 Nordic preview is recommended pre-reading.
Read on for how our Aussies fared in the Nordic leagues this past week.
The Toppserien may not be kicking off until May 22 but that doesn’t mean there is any shortage of news.
Lillestrøm based club LSK Kvinner played the first of three successive practice games, losing 1-3 to Rosenborg BK but scoring a wonderful opening goal thanks to 16-year-old Mille Christensen‘s magnificent through ball to captain Emilie Haavi, who finished in style. Rosenborg looked a little more polished than the visitors three weeks out from the season, but the home side was without international wingbacks Emilie Woldvik (Norway) and our own Karly Roestbakken who shared the following post after minor surgery to her foot/heel – Beyond 90 wishes her the best for her recovery.
View this post on Instagram
LSK Kvinner plays Toppserien champion Vålerenga on May 8th in a second practice game, which is viewable on Direktesport (subscription required).
Nikola Orgill has not yet departed for Norway, it seems, having signed on for Klepp in 2021. Nor are there any further details yet about Tameka Yallop‘s move to Norway, although she has several seasons with Klepp under her belt.
Klepp also played their first practice game, debuting six new players and losing 2-1 away to their first upcoming opponents of the season proper, Arna-Bjornar. A second practice game this coming weekend will be against Avaldsnes.
The other big news out of the league this week from an Australian perspective is that 2020 Toppserien goalkeeper of the year Teagan Micah will be returning to Norway. This time she will be brandishing the gloves for IL Sandviken, having played last season with Arna-Bjornar.
.@MelbourneCity Player of the Year @TeaganMicah has signed with Norwegian side IL Sandviken for the upcoming Toppserien season 🇳🇴
Congrats on your move, Teagan! pic.twitter.com/DdwoHpRG86
— Westfield W-League (@WLeague) May 4, 2021
Sandviken beat Avaldsnes 2-3 away in their first training game, and play Arna-Bjornar this weekend (available on Direktesport with subscription).
Round 3 of the Swedish Damallsvenskan was played on the weekend.
Charli Grant came on late to play her first minutes for FC Rosengård as they overcame Eskilstuna United DFF 2-0 at home. Here are the goals:
View this post on Instagram
Emily Gielnik and Clare Polkinghorne both played 90 minutes for Vittsjö GIK in their 1-1 draw with Dylan Holmes‘ BK Häcken. This is a strong result for Vittsjö against the 2020 Champions. Holmes was an unused substitute for the away side.
The Vittsjö huddle is shown below, followed by the BK Häcken goal.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Round 3 results
Round 4 games
The Úrvalsdeild Kvenna has just kicked off for the season, with Round 1 commencing May 5th.
Emma Checker is the only Australian to sign up for the 2021 season to date (UMF Selfoss). Her team’s first game was an away fixture to Keflavik Women, with the result convincingly going Selfoss’ way 0-3.
View this post on Instagram
Round 1 results & Round 2 games
Ladder
The Gjensidige Kvindeligaen decided in late 2020 to commence 2021 football by completing the 2020 Champions and Promotion/Relegation series, before kicking off the 2021 season proper. This also ensures that Champions League participants for later in the year are resolved.
There were no games in the Champions series this past week, giving Indiah-Paige Riley and her Fortuna Hjørring team a short break. The Champions series is four games into the ten-game round-robin. At the end of the Champions series, the top two teams are eligible for Champions League action later in the year.
A full round of the Promotion/Relegation series was played however, with Hannah Bacon‘s AGF Aarhus doing well and dispatching B93 1-6 away (Google translate recommended). Bacon was not in the matchday squad for this game. With these games, Round 4 of this series is also complete. At the end of the Promotion/Relegation series, the top two teams are eligible to compete in the 2021 Elitedivisionen.
Hvad var det de fik… 👏⚪️🔴 #ksdh pic.twitter.com/jY2YubM9Bw
— AGF (@AGFFodbold) May 1, 2021
Round 4 Promotion/Relegation series results
Round 5 games
Champions Round-robin table
Promotion/relegation Round-robin table
Follow all our coverage of Aussies and Ferns Abroad here, and Aussies in Nordic football here.
