Heading into the '99 Women's World Cup, there were a number of indications
that Norway might be hard pressed to retain their Women's World Cup
crown. First there was the loss to Germany early in World Cup qualifying.
Then there was the loss of defender and team leader,
Gro Espeseth. Less serious injuries to goal scorers Ann Kristin Aarones and
Ragnhild Gulbrandsen and a host of new faces in the Norwegian starting lineup
had many wondering if Norway was still the team to beat.
Norway dominated in their '99 Women's World Cup
opener, but poor finishing resulted in only a 2-1 victory over the lightly
regarded Russians.
Something to prove?
Seemingly, Norway entered game two against Canada with something to prove.
They came away with a 7-1 rout and a ticket to the quarterfinals. Their coach,
Per Mathias Hogmo, was no doubt relieved by the impressive victory. He was
joined by team captain, Linda Medalen on the postgame podium where he patiently
answered questions from about two dozen reporters.
Q: What did you think of the play tonight compred to your first match?
Hogmo: That is the fantastic thing about football, there is no
mathematics.
Tonight we had 21 chances and scored seven goals and I'm quite happy with
that. We only gave away two chances in the first half with Canada. After
our first goal, we had a little problem in the defensive midfield. But once
we fixed that, we became a lot better. In the second half, there was (virtually)
only one team on the field.
Q. Ann Kristin Aarones scored the first two goals (tonight); why didn't
she play in your first match against Russia?
Hogmo: Both Ann Kristin and Ragnhild (Gulbrandsen) have been injured
for a long time. We didn't want to play them too hard in the beginning of
this tournament . (Aarones is recovering from both a virus and a knee injury).
Q. You have been building Norway up for the final. Is Norway ready
to improve more to get to an even stronger performance than today?
Hogmo: It's important for us to build our confidence. First we have
Japan. In the quarterfinal, it will be tough no matter who we meet there.
We don't look any further than that.
Q. Prior to the tournament, the focus was clearly on the U.S. team.
Now, we have just seen your 7-1 victory, so the focus will also be on your
team. Do you think that could be a disadvantage?
Hogmo: We are in the U.S. and the home team should have a lot of press.
that is very good for football. Norway is one of the teams that can beat
the U.S., but there is also China, Germany and Brazil, so let's wait a minute.
Medalen: Why I
went 'topless'
Linda Medalen, one of only two Norwegian players who spoke to the press had
less to say. She did talk about her goal however. It placed her at least
temporarily in a three way tie for the all-time WWC scoring lead with USA's
Michelle Akers and Germany's retired Heidi Mohr.
"It was a corner kick and the ball went through,
past the goalkeeper. I was there, so I headed the ball into the goal. I was
joking with the girls about the shirt, that no women do that (lift their
shirts up over their heads) only the men. Of course, I'm crazy enough and
I had to do it."
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your
point of view, Medalen was wearing a sports bra underneath.
