Despite appearing outmatched on paper, Iceland actually started stronger in the first half as Sandra Jessen forced Cecilie Fiskerstrand into a fine save early on.
They found the breakthrough from the resulting corner, as Sveindis Jonsdottir opened her country’s goalscoring account for the tournament, having previously netted in the last meeting between the sides in May.
She quickly latched onto a rebound from a set-piece to smash the ball into the roof of the net, representing the 50th goal of the tournament.
However, the early setback seemed to spark life into Norway, who turned things around before half-time.
Signe Gaupset inspired the comeback on her first tournament start, first volleying Vilde Boe Risa’s delivery into the bottom corner, before a low drive from the edge of the area found its way into the net.
Risa also set Gaupset up that time, recording her third assist of the tournament, which puts her level with England’s Alessia Russo at the top of that particular chart.
Norway maintained their momentum after the restart, immediately adding to their lead in the second half.
Gaupset turned provider this time, playing a neat one-two with Frida Maanum before the Arsenal midfielder fired home her first international goal since December.
Iceland showed little hope of bouncing back, with Jonsdottir remaining their biggest threat as she struck just over.
The same combination for Norway’s third goal then almost added a fourth when Gaupset fed Maanum again, only to be denied by Cecilia Runarsdottir.
The Norwegians kept attacking with the same two players, and it continued to pay dividends as Gaupset played in Maanum once more, with the latter finding the goal from the edge of the box.
Iceland grabbed a consolation late on through Hlin Eiriksdottir, who swept Jonsdottir’s cross into the top corner, before Glodis Viggsodottir converted a stoppage-time penalty, which resulted from a red card for Marit Lund after she fouled Eiriksdottir.
While a noble effort, that comeback came too late as Iceland's winless run at the Euros finals reached nine matches and resulted in a third successive group stage exit, while Norway stroll into the knockout stages, where they look likely to meet Italy in the quarter-finals.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Signe Gaupset (Norway)
