UTRECHT, July 16, 2017 – A diving header from Shanice van deSanden earned host nation the Netherlands a well-deserved 1-0 win over Norwayin the opening game of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2017 on Sunday night.
Victory wasachieved in the presence of the Dutch royal family. King Willem-Alexander and QueenMáxima, both proudly sporting an orange scarf, brought their own regal touch tothe Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht, even joining in on the Mexican wave.
After a livelyopening ceremony, the captains of both the Netherlands and Norway led the wayforward against a backdrop of orange - the national colour of the Netherlands.Even more so, the players of the Dutch national team were wearing a special crest.Instead of a lion, the emblem now features a lioness to echo the team’snickname ‘Orange Lionesses’.
Much to the likening of the home crowd, theNetherlands could have been in front within the opening minute. Shanice van deSanden floated a cross in from the right, but left-forward Lieke Martens failedto get a shot on target.
It would have been a fairy-tale start forSarina Wiegman’s side that hopes to put Dutch women’s football on the map forgood. This quest began back in 2009 when former head coach Vera Pauw managed toprogress to the semi-finals with her squad. After being beaten by England, theytook home bronze. For all that she has done, Pauw was named ‘Knight of theRoyal Dutch Football Association (KNVB)’ during the interval.
Before the ceremony took place, however,Norway managed to settle into their rhythm in the first half after the earlyscare. Yet, apart from Ingrid Schjelderup shooting wide from close range, MartinSjögren’s side failed to threaten the hosts during the opening phase of thematch.
Meanwhile, it was Martens again who cameclose to breaking the deadlock. After a quick combination with VivianneMiedema, however she saw her shot saved by goalkeeper Hjelmseth. At the otherend, a reflex save from Sari van Veenendaal foiled Norwegian forward CarolineGraham Hansen from close range.
As a sign of respect the Dutch fans held aminute’s applause in the 32th minute to mark the passing of the 32-year-old Sylvia Nooij, who earned six capsfor the Dutch national team. This gesture was followed by a standing ovationfor Ajax player Abdelhak Nouri, who suffered severe brain damage during afriendly against Werder Bremen last week.
While both teamssquandered opportunities in the first half at Stadion Galgenwaard, theNetherlands started the first half just like they began the second. In the 65thminute, Shanice van de Sanden finally managed break the deadlock with apowerful header. Martens, who recently made the move to FC Barcelona, was againthe architect, crossing from the left flank. With her pace, Van de Sanden gotthere just in time to head home.
From that momenton, the Netherlands controlled the game to seal a well-deserved win over Norway,and kick-start Oranje fever throughout the country. In their quest to make a name for Dutchwomen’s football, the hosts started off with a bang. Norway on the other hand, willhave to come up with a Plan B for the remaining group A matches.
FollowJeroen Adriaanse on Twitter @J_Adriaanse
