The superstar may be the name of a Norwegian player

GRENOBLE (VG) (Jamaica – Australia 1-4) More than anyone, there is a player that Norway must stop at the Allianz Riviera in Nice next Saturday: Sam Kerr is an Australian phenomenon.

The 25-year-old scored four goals when Jamaica was beaten 4-1 at Grenoble. Australia was not particularly successful, with the exception of Kerr, the great hero of the players who walk in the Stade des Alpes and are greeted by more than 17,000 spectators.

Australia was likely to meet the host country, France, in the next round, but Kerr's fourth goal was won by Norway in Nice.

At her first two World Cups, she did not make a point and VG asked her if it was a bad sign for Norway to regain the scoring form on the biggest stage.

– I hope so. We have a lot of players who can score, but it's always good for a team when the attacker succeeds.

– What do you know about Norway in particular?

– They have good players, but we live on the other side of the world, so I do not know much.

– What do you remember about your last meeting with Norway?

– I remember we met them at the World Cup in 2011 and we won 2 to 1, she said. Kerr, 17, played when Norway was sent after the group stage. Australia has qualified for the quarterfinals (as in the last three World Cups). Ingrid Hjelmseth, Maren Mjelde, Elise Thorsnes and Isabell Herlovsen were also on the course.

But Sam Kerr and Australia have met Norway again after a practice match in Portugal 16 months ago. Australia won 4-3, but when VG asks Kerr to say something about what she remembers, against much of the World Cup this year, it's totally empty . She obviously does not remember the fight.

– You even scored?

– yeah There, she answers with a smile in the interview area, where Jamaican players dance with music.

Asked if she can name it some Norwegian players, Kerr responds quickly with a wink, as if to say that "I have impressed".

– Hensen. This is a good footballer.

It remains to be seen if Australia has to fight with Caroline Graham Hansen, injured. Even Pellerud was not intimidated by what he saw. The former head of the Norwegian national team was sent to Grenoble by Martin Sjögren.

"A quick fight." Australia is obsessed with an uneven obsession, with a winning match at Kerr, but there is stretching in the team – it's a team we can beat. ! ", Said Pellerud at VG at the break.From 1968, he was occupying the VIP booth of the Olympic city, where FIFA President Gianni Infantino had taken a brief break from the bustle that reigned in Qatar .

At 25 degrees, Australia impressed no one against Jamaica with a score of 0 to 8 after two games. Matildas, as they are called, seemed cluttered, made a lot of careless mistakes, the midfielder had big holes and the team backed visibly weakened by injuries. Jamaica was very close to 2-2.

But Sam Kerr impressed everyone. She nodded in both goals before the break and in the second half, she scored the 3-1 goal, before continuing 4-1 after the big job of Jamaica goalkeeper Nicole McClure.

With a very special stage and brilliant excitement, Kerr was completely in his own class. Considered one of the best players in the world, she was eighth in the FIFA World Cup "Best" rally last year (dominated by Brazilian Marta) and is the top scorer for Australian and American professionals, even though it should be noted that "the era" does not mean very far back.

The W-League in Australia had its first season in 2008-09 and the new National Women's Football League was created in 2012. Kerr scored 61 goals in the US and 70 in Australia. He now plays for the Chicago Red Stars and for Perth Glory. The teams are unified and eleven players of the Australian World Cup have a dual club address.

– Kerr is one of the most popular football players in Australia, men and women. People like his honesty, his behavior, there is no filter, says David Basheer, commenting on the struggles of Australian television SBS.

According to the Australian press, Sam Kerr earns more than one million Australian dollars (about six million Norwegian kroner) a year, including through a lucrative deal with Nike, where she ranks first alongside her husband. other big names:

Ben Simmons, American basketball star, Jason Day, one of the world's best golfers and Premier League players, Aaron Mooy and Mat Ryan (Mooy eliminated with Huddersfield, Ryan is Brighton's keeper).

The national women's football team is one of the favorites in Australia.

– I think they're number two, after the cricket team. People feel very attached to them emotionally because they know that hard – working athletes do not earn as much money. We love fighters, says David Basheer.

Australia is number six in the world rankings. It's a strong and physically strong crew, but entry into the World Cup was weak and the team is struggling with the loss of veteran Laura Alleway, who had to retire three days before the start of the World Cup.

Alleway had to play her third World Cup and, against Jamaica, Karly Roestbakken, 18, was thrown into the defense. Even Pellerud noted that the left-back, who has a Norwegian father (!), May be a weak point if she has the opportunity again.

• Australia and Norway met in the 2007 group stage at the World Cup. There was then 1-1, according to the Norwegian goals of Ragnhild Gulbransen. Lisa de Vanna scored for Australia. Now, she is 34 years old and she played her 150th international match against Jamaica.