By Philip O’Connor
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – AS Roma forward Emilie Haavi cannot wait for another crack at the Women’s Champions League after falling at the quarter-final stage last season, as they prepare to face Vorskla in a qualifying clash on Wednesday.
Haavi, who was voted the Italian league’s most valuable player last term as Roma won the Italian championship for the first time, said this is exactly the kind of challenge she was looking for when she left LSK Kvinner in her native Norway for Italy in December 2021.
“We want to at least achieve what we did last year, and whether we can go even further only time will tell, but a quarter-final at the Olimpico? I really want to experience that again,” she told Reuters.
A vastly experienced international, Haavi won an incredible nine league titles and eight Norwegian Women’s Cups with Roa IL and LSK before joining Roma, but she also suffered a serious knee injury at the World Cup in France in 2019.
Her time on the sidelines was extended by the COVID-19 pandemic, which left her frustrated at the time, but she now sees it as something positive.
“I came back even stronger and was even better equipped to play more. In retrospect, my knee has been doing very well. I’ve had little trouble. I feel physically stronger now than I did before,” Haavi said.
After winning so many trophies in Norway, Haavi decided at the relatively late age of 29 that it was time to test her talents abroad, and that led to a move to the Eternal City at a time when Roma were parked in the middle of the Serie A Femminile.
The addition of the Norwegian provided a boost for Roma’s attack, and they made last season’s Women’s Champions League quarter-finals after finishing second in their group behind German powerhouses VfL Wolfsburg.
POSITIVE EXPERIENCE
“I think it was a very positive experience last year, the whole Champions League was a little adventure for us. We had a little bit of luck with the draw, at the same time as we met a good level of opposition,” Haavi explained.
“We showed in those games that we have a very high potential and a high level in our team, and it’s clear that you are dependent on getting those matches in order for us to develop.
A 6-1 aggregate drubbing by Barcelona in the last eight has left them hungry for revenge in this year’s competition after learning some valuable lessons.
“We don’t meet that level (of opposition) every single weekend here in Italy, so it’s a very, very important arena for us to develop in,” she said.
Haavi believes the likes of Roma are getting closer to their European rivals thanks to the games they play against them.
“When we meet Barcelona, we get a reference as to what is perhaps the best international level in women’s football – we see what kind of pace is required, how hard the passes are hit,” she said.
With two Norwegians – Caroline Graham Hansen and Ingrid Syrstad Engen — in the Barcelona squad that beat Roma last term, Haavi knows what needs to be done to close the gap.
“I think that we now have a higher quality in our everyday training than what we had a year ago, so I think for us the Champions League is a golden opportunity to play those top matches and reach the top level,” she said.
Roma take on Ukrainian side Vorskla in their Round Two first leg at the Stadio Tre Fontane on Wednesday, with the winner of the two-legged tie going through to the group stage.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Toby Davis)
