Hegerberg urges 'exceptional' Norway to 'ride crest of the wave' into semi-finals

Norway captain Ada Hegerberg believes the team have been "exceptional" at Euro 2025 so far and wants them to "ride the crest of the wave" into the semi-finals.

Norway booked their place in the knockout stages after a perfect group stage that saw them top Group A, and they will face Italy in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

As a nation, they have appeared in more major tournaments (World Cup/Euros) than any other European nation, but they have not reached the final four since they were runners-up at Euro 2013.

Norway are one of just two nations, along with Germany (eight times), to have won the European Championships more than once (twice), having triumphed in 1987 and 1993.

However, Norway had been eliminated in the group stage in each of the last two editions of the tournament. Now, having cleared that hurdle this time around, Hegerberg is confident of their chances this year.

"We took nine points in the group stage and are playing in the quarter-finals," she told reporters.

"It's a big moment for us. Everyone has contributed, and we want to ride the crest of that wave.

"To get a top-four position at the Euros would be unique. It's a very important game, with a lot at stake, and we want to relish the moment. The way we have acquitted ourselves as a team has been exceptional."

Hegerberg took a five-year hiatus from international football between 2017 and 2022 but has played a key role for Norway in the tournament, scoring in the 2-1 win over Switzerland in their opener.

Barcelona's Caroline Graham Hansen has also been influential as she scored the winner against Finland to put Norway on the brink of the knockout rounds for the first time in 12 years.

The Ballon d'Or Femenin winner was also part of the Norway side that lost the 2013 final to Germany, and noted that the expectations are much higher than they were then.

"People expect things from us now," Graham Hansen acknowledged, noting a "complete difference [from 2013]."

"We [Graham Hansen and Hegerberg] were like 18 and nobody expected nothing from us. We also just wanted to show what we could contribute at the time.

"I wasn't playing with much pressure at all [in 2013]. I was just going for it."

Italy, meanwhile, are looking to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1997, when they finished as runners-up to Germany.

Like Norway, Italy have competed at the Euros 13 times, more than any other nation, though they have never lifted the trophy despite reaching the final twice.

Having reached the knockout stage for the first time since 2013, when they were knocked out of the quarter-finals, head coach Andrea Soncin created the team's chemistry for this year's achievements.

"There is the emotional aspect, that magic that they and us and we manage together, with all the staff managed to create," said Soncin. "When all the elements combine, there is a magical moment."