– It was a surreal experience that half the team was suddenly ill right before the match, says Emilie Woldvik. She is captain of the Norwegian U23 national team, which on Thursday night fought to a 1-1 draw against England in what was the team’s most important match for years, perhaps ever. U23 captain Emilie Woldvik started against England despite a less than optimal charge for the match. Photo: NTB Until the England match, the U23 team only played training matches, but now they are starting a completely new tournament concept with the nine best teams in Europe. – This was a significant match for ranking points, and therefore we were very determined to play, she explains. Stomach upset in the “half” team Shortly before the start of the match, things did not look particularly promising for the Norwegian team. On Wednesday evening, a large part of the playing group had fallen ill, probably from food poisoning or norovirus. – I have never experienced anything like this. It was a challenge I would rather have avoided, says national team coach Per Inge Jacobsen. Per Inge Jacobsen had a terribly tough challenge before his most important match as U23 coach. Photo: NTB – I was one of those who threw up and had diarrhea all night until yesterday. But I was probably the sick one of us who was perhaps in the best shape for the start of the match, so I “took one for the team” and played the first 45 minutes, says Woldvik. Six other players who took part in the meeting were removed from the match squad after the outbreak of the disease and there were then only 13 players left. Fortunately, the coaching team had managed to bring in Selma Løvås and Silje Helgesen to the squad at extremely short notice, so that there were four substitutes on the bench when the match started. – We flew them in two hours before the start of the match. They got a warning late the night before and got on the first flight on match day. So it was sporty, and they showed an impressive effort even without having trained anything with the team, explains Jacobsen. Thus, an ill Woldvik also had the opportunity to change during the break. – I was completely done by then, so I’m glad we brought in two new ones. Had to throw away all plans Jacobsen says that some of the players started to get sick two days before the match, before things really got worse the night before the match at Bryne Stadium. – The doctor has taken tests and we are checking it now, but the symptoms indicate norovirus or food poisoning, he says and adds: – Our medical team said it was safe to play and the English team were constantly aware of our situation. Fielding enough match-ready players was not the only challenge facing the coaching staff. With so many key players out, they also had to change all plans. – For two days we had trained on how we should present ourselves against England, but when so many people fell ill we had to make many changes from what we had trained on. Fortunately, we were able to make good use of the time at the hotel before the match, says the coach. Thea Kyvåg is in scoring form every day, both for LSK Women and on the Norwegian U23 national team. Photo: NTB Kyvåg scored on debut For despite a nightmare start, Norway, which has not lost a game in a year, managed to secure a point against England. – Based on the conditions we have, we are putting up a very good fight. The girls sacrifice a lot, and even though it takes a while to get into the game, we gradually take over and have, among other things, two shots on the crossbar before the break, says Jacobsen. After the change of sides, England started best and scored the first goal, but when LSK player Thea Kyvåg came on for Norway, it was quickly equalised. – My strength is at the back, and England left a lot of that behind. So when Emilie Bragstad hit a perfect ball into the back room it was just for me to shoot it into the goal. It was incredibly nice to show what I can do and it means a lot, says Kyvåg, who thus scored on his debut. Now Kyvåg and the rest of the players are going home, where there will be “isolation and a lot of Antibac” for the next couple of days. Then a new U23 meeting awaits in October, where the tournament continues against Belgium and Italy. The tournament is played until next summer and the top three get medals. In addition, ranking points are awarded which will be important towards a future championship. As of now, U23 on the women’s side does not have its own championships, but it is planned and will probably be implemented in the next few years.
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