Hásteinsvöllur in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, home ground of IBV. Graphic: Michael Alesich

The Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland) have long been a viable destination for Aussie footballers, and 2021 looks to be no different with over a dozen players choosing the Nordic countries as their playground.

Read on for how our Aussies fared in the Nordic leagues this past week.

Four undefeated teams after the first four rounds was a situation that couldn’t be sustained. Rounds 5 and 6 of the Toppserien proved to be the rounds that separated them.

A bright start in the opening 20 minutes of LSK Kvinner‘s top-of-the-table weekend Round 5 match against Rosenborg in the LSK Hall counted for nothing as a stunning shot from range by Julie Blakstad found the top corner of the LSK net in the 24th minute. The goal seemed to deflate the home side and Blakstad was to add insult to injury with a second blazing strike on 71 minutes, this time from a dead ball. Both of these goals deservedly made the top three Toppserien goals of Round 5 (goals two and three in the package below).

Karly Roestbakken‘s LSK pressed the attack to find their way back into the game but in doing so opened up counter-attack opportunities for Rosenborg, and a third goal ensued in the final minutes. Roestbakken watched both of this week’s LSK games from afar in Canberra.

2021 Toppserien promotional image of LSK Kvinner’s Karly Roestbakken. Image supplied.

No doubt looking to atone in their follow-up Round 6 midweek away game against Teagan Micah‘s IL Sandviken, LSK met a side who were of the same mind after Sandviken’s draw on the weekend against lower ladder opponents (see below). But it was the home team who responded the better of the two, coming away with a 4-1 victory after both teams scored in the opening five minutes. LSK’s causes weren’t helped when they lost two starting defenders just before kickoff.

The game provided two entries in the Toppserien-nominated goals of Round 6:

 Micah played a full game in her team’s victory over LSK. 

The losses mean LSK Kvinner drop to fourth place on the ladder with the prospect – like all teams in the competition – of playing their third game in the space of eight days. The Lillestrøm based club will be up against Stabæk this coming weekend.

Nikola Orgill‘s absence from the Klepp backline was keenly felt as her side was dealt a hammer blow on the weekend with a 7-0 away loss (highlights here) to last season’s champions Vålerenga. The result sent Vålerenga to the top of the table. This was the first of three successive matchups against ladder-topping teams which could go some way towards defining Klepp’s season.

A midweek game against equal ladder leaders Rosenborg followed, with a much stronger performance in a narrow 2-1 away loss where it is fair to say that Klepp didn’t see much ball. Despite this, Klepp inflicted the first goal upon their opponents this season. Orgill was again not on the team sheet, presumably injured.

Klepp drops to sixth place after their Round 5 and 6 results, and back up at home against Micah’s Sandviken this coming weekend.

After a solid start to the season, Sandviken dropped their first points – and gifted Arna-Bjørnar their first point – in an away 1-1 draw on the weekend. Micah played the full 90 minutes, and the team’s performance as a whole needed to lift when they encountered LSK Kvinner in a subsequent midweek game at home. As described above, the team responded well with a convincing victory. The below Instagram photo was posted after their victory against LSK.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by IL Sandviken Toppfotball (@ilsandviken)

Sandviken is third on the ladder and will look forward to a weekend away game against Orgill’s Klepp.

Round 5 and 6 results

Round 7 games

Ladder

 

Round 10 of the Swedish Damallsvenskan was played last weekend. 

Both Charli Grant (FC Rosengård) and Dylan Holmes (BK Häcken) were unused substitutes as ladder leaders Rosengård faced their greatest challenge of the season to date against second-placed BK Häcken. The home side Rosengård saw off their challengers 2-0, extending their lead at the top of the table to eight points after having only conceded two goals in ten rounds.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Charlotte Grant (@charli_grant)

Grant’s Rosengard is away to 9th placed Örebro in Round 11, while Holmes’ BK Häcken play third-placed Kristianstad, with just one point separating BK Häcken and Kristianstad.  

Emily Gielnik and Clare Polkinghorne‘s Vittsjö GIK played against Djurgårdens IF DFF at home, with both Aussies playing a full game and receiving yellow cards in the final minutes. It was perhaps a sign of the frustration the home side experienced in this 0-1 loss. Djurgårdens played with a compact defence and were difficult to break down for the Vittsjö attack as they spent much of the game moving the ball around the visitors’ penalty area with little to show for it.

As is sometimes the case in our beautiful game, a comparatively rare chance for their opponent was fruitful, with the resulting away win lifting Djurgårdens to one position below Vittsjö in 8th place, as Vittsjö fell to 7th.

Elise Kellond-Knight was on the Hammarby IF teamsheet for the first time in their 2-1 home win against Växjö DFF but saw no game time. The win keeps the team in fourth place on the ladder as they prepare to meet Polkinghorne and Gielnik’s Vittsjö next round.

 

Round 10 results

Round 11 games

Ladder

 

Úrvalsdeild karla (

There were two games in the last week for Emma Checker and UMF Selfoss. On the weekend they hosted Thróttur Reykjavík in a Cup quarterfinal, but their recent form downturn again plagued them and they were defeated 1-4.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Emma Checker (@emmachecker)

Round 8 of the Úrvalsdeild Kvenna was also contested during the week, as Selfoss travelled to bottom side Tindastoll and was able to fashion a point from a scoreless draw. Checker played the full 90 minutes in both games. The result sees Selfoss maintain their third position on the ladder as they prepare to go up against ladder leaders Valur Reykjavík next weekend.

Round 8 results and Round 9 games

 

Ladder 

 

Having recently completed the 2020 season’s promotion/relegation series as well as the process of selecting teams for the 2021 UEFA Women’s Champions League, there is now a break until the 2021 Elitedivisionen season proper kicks off on August 7th.

Fortuna Hjørring has been busy rejuvenating their team list in preparation for the new season, including a couple of experienced stalwarts from previous seasons to complement the young squad. Indiah-Paige Riley will also be returning, but this time she’s bringing along a few mates:

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Fortuna Hjørring (@fortunahjorring)

 

 

Follow all our coverage of Aussies and Ferns Abroad here, and Aussies in Nordic football here.

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