Vidar 5 Madla 2

NM Cup 2022 Qualifying Round, Thursday March 17th

St Patrick's Day saw me over at Lassa Idrettspark, Stavanger, Norway, for a NM Cup 2022 Qualifying Match between Third Division Vidar and Fourth Division Madla, and the hosts recovered from an early set back to take their place in the main First Round draw.

Vidar were having to qualify for the First Round of the NM Cup for the first time since the 2009 season when they were promoted to the second division, a division they remained in until relegation in 2019 back to the third division, with their best run in the cup coming in 2016 when they reached the Fourth Round, knocking out local Eliteserien side Viking on the way in what was a mammoth shock before bowing out to Oslo Premier side Valerenga in the last 16.

Madla have never been high enough up the divisions to qualify for the First Round so this was a usual beginning to a season for them, and they currently play in the Fourth Division so were definitely underdogs, they had played in the First Round in the last two seasons (2018, 2019) but had come unstuck against Viking in 2018 and then First Division Sandnes Ulf in 2019, but they were attempting to reach that stage once again with a surprising win in this one.

Vidar were using their artificial pitch for this cup tie as the main grass pitch they use is still being readied for the new season which starts next month, and also the grass pitch does not have floodlights whereas the artificial pitch does, there was no entry fee as you literally just walked onto the side of the pitch and watched so you were very close to the action which was fantastic.

So could Madla cause a surprise, they didn't have far to travel, just the 3km between the two grounds, so this was quite a local derby for sure, and after seventeen minutes the Fourth Division side got their noses ahead when the ball broke to Christoffer Talge and he sent an effort into the ground and found the bottom corner. Shock on perhaps?

They held onto that lead until ten minutes before the break when Vidar finally managed to break through when Chris Andre Formo cut in from the right flank onto his right foot and unleashed a powerful effort from range which although visiting keeper Viljar Gronnevik got a hand too, could not prevent it from finding the corner of the net.

They did go in level at 1-1 though so all was still to play for although you expected Vidar to probably go on a win it eventually, but ten or so minutes into the second period came a pivotal couple of minutes which probably decided the direction this game was to go.

Madla attacked in numbers and Talge found himself with a sight of goal but as he was about to shoot he appeared to be taken out and everyone expected referee Cecille Froyland to award a penalty, but amazingly she didn't and Madla were more than furious it had to be said, well a couple of minutes later Vidar went down the other end and saw their centre half, Simen Aleksander Aanonsen, loft a header over keeper Gronnevik and hand the hosts the lead, and now an angry visiting side had to try and come from behind themselves if they wanted to progress in the competition.

It got worse for them though with twenty minutes to go when a defensive slip allowed Oyvind Nilsen to nip in and round Gronnevik before firing home, and now the hosts had a two goal cushion, and despite Madla's best efforts to claw their way back into the contest they conceded a fourth goal with a minute left after Havard Vindenes had nodded home a cross from the left. Game Over.

Vidar still had time to add another a minute into stoppage time when a cut back found Andreas Malde Haestad whose first time effort was deflected home, and the scoring wasn't completed just yet as Madla did manage to find a second goal when Talge, who was one of their main threats going forward, swept home from close range five minutes into stoppage time, but it was merely a consolation for the visitors who had been undone in the second period.

They will look back at the non penalty award incident at 1-1, things may have worked out differently had that been given and they gone 2-1 in front, but we will never know now and Vidar took full advantage of their attacking prowess in the second period to take their place in the First Round draw.  It was an entertaining game to watch though so fair play to both sides.

Full time Vidar 5 Madla 2