Norway rise to section summit

Norway preserved their unbeaten record by coming from behind to defeat the Netherlands 2-1 at the Eintracht Schkeuditz stadium to replace them as the leaders of Group B.

Point needed
Norway drew 2-2 with France on Friday, while the Dutch were defeating Spain 2-1. With the Spanish beating France 3-2 today, Norway need just a point against Spain to qualify for the semi-finals. The other sides in the group can also still advance to the last four, though the plight of the Dutch would have been somewhat easier had Norway's Stine Frantzen and Lindy Melissa Wiik not replied to Lisanne Vermeulen's early goal.

Short lead
The Netherlands approached the match with confidence high following their late victory against Spain, and they went ahead on nine minutes after intercepting a Norwegian move, counterattacking and finding Vermeulen who slotted the ball beyond Erika Skarbø. Their lead was to last just five minutes, as Frantzen capitalised on some indecisive defending to equalise.

No10s impressive
The match had developed into an intriguing battle of wits between the two No10s, Guro Knutsen of Norway and the Netherlands' Kirsten van de Ven. Both played well in their opening matches and they were on form again today, Knutsen using her experience of last season's final tournament in Sweden to good effect. However, a huge downpour put paid to their endeavour, as puddles began forming on the surface and skill became secondary.

Late winner
None the less, both sides tried as well as they could and the Netherlands were the stronger team early in the second half, albeit without carving out any clear-cut chances. Norway began to come more and more into it but, save for a Lisa-Marie Woods free-kick which struck the crossbar, produced nothing decisive. That was until the 85th minute when a Frantzen shot got stuck in the area and Wiik showed the greater speed to fire the ball into the net.

Close group
The Dutch were given a glimmer of hope as full time approached when Norway goalkeeper Skarbø was adjudged to have held on to the ball for too long. They had a free-kick inside the area but as it struck the wall their hopes of a draw disappeared. With three points the Netherlands trail Norway by one and are level with Spain, while France have a point.