Four Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland) are hosting Aussie players this year. Read on to see how they fared during the past week!
Two and a half years ago Karly Roestbakken arrived at LSK Kvinner and after a promising start, signed on for two years until the end of 2022. Persistent foot troubles over that time – perhaps exacerbated by the unforgiving home artificial surface – meant that Roestbakken’s time at the club has come to a close by mutual agreement (translation from Norwegian recommended).
Roestbakken has since been announced as a Melbourne City signing for the forthcoming A-League Women’s season, so Australian audiences can look forward to seeing her in person over the summer.
LSK Kvinner is facing the prospect of relegation after their 3-2 home loss to Lyn in Round 4 of the Relegation Group playoffs. Julie Dolan medallist Fiona Worts returned to action, coming on for the last six minutes. LSK let a 2-1 lead slip – with just three games left and the team hovering near the drop zone, this team with a proud history will likely rally and avoid relegation. In football as in life, however, there are no guarantees.
Ally Green‘s Vålerenga won 2-0 at home over Rosenborg in Round 3 of the Champions Group playoffs, thanks to two first-half Elise Thorsnes goals. The result sends them into the top two on goal difference and into Champions League playoff reckoning with three games remaining. While she was listed on the team sheet, Green’s services were not called upon from the bench.
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It wasn’t a surprise to see Tameka Yallop absent from the Brann Kvinner lineup when they defeated Stabaek 1-0 away from home in the Champions Group playoffs. Yallop has recently withdrawn from the Matildas squad and their October international window games against South Africa and Denmark, due to an ankle injury.
Brann sits atop the Champions Group ladder by five points and is in the box seat for 2023-24 Champions League qualification.
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Three Aussies scored in Round 22 of the Damallsvenskan!
Clare Polkinghorne once again graced the scorecard for Vittsjö GIK in their big 5-0 home win against Emma Checker‘s Umeå IK. Polkinghorne and Checker played full games, as did Vittsjö’s Charli Grant and Katrina Gorry.
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Teagan Micah‘s ladder-topping FC Rosengård overcame Örebro 4-2 in their away game which saw Micah playing the full 90 minutes.
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BK Häcken rode roughshod over third-placed Linköping, winning 5-1 – a highly credible away result. Aivi Luik didn’t take the field, perhaps picking up a niggle after the recent Champions League loss to PSG (a loss that saw Häcken exit the tournament).
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Kyra Cooney-Cross scored for Hammarby with an outrageously fine chip in their 1-1 away draw against similarly placed Pitea.
Gårdagens delikatess, signerad @kyracooneyx 🎯
▶️ Se sammandraget av krysset i Piteå: https://t.co/9qDPTIGl5D#Bajen pic.twitter.com/m7A7um8klX
— Hammarby Fotboll (@Hammarbyfotboll) October 3, 2022
All three Aussies started for Hammarby, with Courtney Nevin playing an hour, Elise Kellond-Knight 75 minutes, and Cooney-Cross close to a full game.
Remy Siemsen hit the net for AIK in their 4-2 away loss to Djurgarden but also missed a penalty. Siemsen was a late call-up for the Matildas, joining the green and gold for the games against South Africa and Denmark.
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Results
Ladder
The final round of the 2022 Úrvalsdeild competition has come and gone, and while KR Reykjavik went out with a bang by defeating seventh-placed Thor/KA 3-2 at home, their last placing relegates them once again to the second tier of Icelandic football. (Aideen Keane‘s KR stint, during which she helped the club back into the top tier, feels like yesterday).
Susan Phonsongkham scored twice from the penalty spot, catapulting her into the Team of the Round. Margaux Chauvet was not listed on the KR team sheet.
Susan Phonsongkham with a massive 9.6 out of 10 rating in the team of round 18 after scoring 2 goals for KR Reykjavik. pic.twitter.com/XHv2Oc69uk
— FNX Sports (@FNXsports) October 5, 2022
Gema Simon played the last 16 minutes of Thróttur Reykjavík‘s fine 3-2 away win over Breiðablik. Melina Ayres was not listed on the team sheet for the home side. It was a respectable season for both sides, with Breiðablik finishing third and Thróttur fourth.
Simon posted some stunning pictures of the sights she witnessed in her time abroad.
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Results
Ladder
There were Aussies on both sides for last weekend’s Elitedivisionen game at Right To Dream Park, with Winonah Heatley’s FC Nordsjælland hosting Matilda McNamara’s AGF Aarhus. It was the visitors who were triumphant, AGF earning their first victory of the campaign and moving out of last place after a 3-1 win. McNamara played a full game for AGF, but Heatley didn’t get off the Nordsjælland bench.
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Fortuna Hjørring couldn’t use home comforts to their advantage, losing 2-1 to second placed Brøndby. Angie Beard and Indiah-Paige Riley played the full 90 minutes.
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Now that every team has played each other once, let’s take a look at the table: Fortuna are in fourth, AGF are sixth and unfortunately Nordsjælland occupy last place.
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Like many other leagues, the Elitedivisionen pauses due to this month’s international window, and it’s good to know that three of our Danish-based players have attracted attention from national teams. McNamara will join the Matildas (nominative determinism?) for the games against South Africa and Denmark, while Riley has received another Football Ferns callup and will be hoping for playing time against Japan. It was also announced that Beard has been invited to train with the Philippines national team as part of their preparation for two games against Costa Rica.
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Follow all our coverage of Aussies and Ferns Abroad here, and Aussies in Nordic football here.
