A 4–1 victory over Northern Ireland in the European Championship premiere was followed by two losses: 0–8 against England and 0–1 against Austria.
Norway's European Championship adventure ended on Friday, already in the group stage - and with a stated medal goal in advance.
Swedish national team captain Martin Sjögren was clearly disappointed at the press conference the day after the outing.
- There may not have been much sleep last night, he states to the Norwegian press.
Want to continue
45-year-old Sjögren took over as Norwegian national team captain in 2016 and in the autumn extended his contract over the WC 2023.
And despite the failure, he is motivated to continue.
- I am very motivated to continue, he says.
- Now it's about trying to cope with this situation.
I am absolutely convinced that this group can rise from such a defeat as we have had.
Norway is ranked eleventh in the world rankings and in the group, only England was ranked higher (8).
- The ranking does not lie, Norway is still a good team, we qualify more or less for all championships.
We are ranked eleventh in the world, seventh in Europe, and with that background we should have advanced to a quarter final, says Sjögren.
Dont care
Regarding the medal goal, he says:
- It was a dream goal we had.
It was really realistic that we would move on from the group.
We have two nations ranked lower than us (Northern Ireland and Austria).
Sjögren was also asked if he understands that many from the outside want to see him fired.
- I pay very little attention to what so-called experts or external people have for opinions about my being or not being.
I actually can not care less if I am to be honest.
With Norway's loss, Austria joins England in the quarterfinals of Group A.