Norway's Isaksen thrilled to bring Germany down

Scoring her first senior international goal in such a high-level encounter as a UEFA Women's EURO fixture against perennial champions Germany gave Norway's Ingvild Isaksen a great deal of pride. It was the pivotal moment in the 1-0 victory which ensured Even Pellerud's side topped Group B ahead of their opponents.

It was also the first time the holders had lost in the competition – qualifying included – in 17 years, since Norway inflicted a 3-1 defeat in May 1996. Victorious captain Maren Mjelde said it was time the run came to an end, while Nadine Kessler conceded it was probably the moment Germany's inexperience caught up with them.  

Ingvild Isaksen, Norway goalscorer
It feels very good. We took to the pitch with the attitude that we should win the game – and we did, even though we knew we were through to the quarter-finals regardless. We fought for 90 minutes. We knew the new players starting today were keen to show themselves in a positive light, so they gave it 100%, which helped the team stay the distance.

I had never scored [in a senior international] before, so to get my first goal in an important match like this is big for me and I'm proud. Whoever we meet in the quarter-finals it will be a tough match and we just have to take one game at a time and hope we get as far as possible. 

Maren Mjelde, Norway captain
Today is a very good day for us. It's not that often Norway beat Germany, so that was loads of fun. I knew the girls were going to perform. We have a very good team and it's very competitive to win a place in the starting XI. It was great seeing those who were given a chance today taking it.

We thrive very much in Kalmar. We've been here all the time and wanted to stay on. It's just great and now we'll have a few days off before the next match, so it's all about recharging the batteries.

It was a great achievement by Germany [to go unbeaten for so long], but it was time someone defeated them and it was good that it was us again.

Nadine Kessler, Germany midfielder
There was a lack of precision in finishing our opportunities and also with the final pass. We lacked focus at times and were a bit slow in taking decisions. That's why we had a lot of problems against a defensively compact Norwegian side.

Of course, it's a pity for Lena [Goessling, who had flu] and the team that she couldn’t play, but I don't think the change affected our game decisively.

Yes, it was one of those days when [our inexperience] counted, but it was not only due to the young players. There are ups and downs in sport and especially in our team – it has happened quite often recently –  but I still have high hopes and I'm thinking positively before the game against Italy because I'm convinced we will play better.

Simone Laudehr, Germany midfielder
Norway played very defensively, standing deep, which is generally a good thing because we usually have a good passing game, but for whatever reason we didn't manage to find any gaps and it was a really bad day for us.

It is difficult to analyse it properly right after the game. We have to sleep on it and think about it tomorrow, each player about their own performance. We shouldn't be down on ourselves right now. We have to show character and analyse what needs to be improved.

The Italian players are versatile, aggressive in one-on-ones and they won’t give us lots of space. We will do a thorough analysis of their team to find a way to win that game because we want to reach the semi-finals.