Madla grabbed a vital win to pull themselves further away from the relegation spots after victory over Donn at Madla Handelslag Stadion just outside Stavanger in South West Norway in their Norsk Tipping-ligaen avd.3 clash.
The sides came into this 10th and 9th respectively (in a 14-team division), and the hosts were five points above the drop zone whilst the visitors were a further point above, so a win for either side would give them more breathing space to the bottom three spots.
Madla had a couple of early chances, seeing the keeper push a decent effort away for a corner, before the resultant set-play saw them send a downward header wide of the target.
But in the tenth minute the hosts were rewarded for their decent start when breaking the deadlock as after a decent chance had been blocked, the loose ball was sent back into the dangerzone and headed in from close range.
Madla should have doubled their lead when being sent clear down the right, but the Donn keeper made a good save, the visitors up till this point had only threatened with a couple of decent balls into the box, but they had yet to test the home keeper.
A good move from the hosts saw an eventual effort sliced well wide, before the visitors finally tested the keeper, seeing him beat away a cross shot, and then Donn almost forced home after a goalmouth scramble but the hosts managed to thwart them before clearing the danger.
Madla then managed to find themselves in on goal again, but again found the keeper in fine form as he saved again, before the visitors almost poked home from close range, only to find the home sides defence able to block the goalbound effort.
The visitors were growing more and more into this contest now though after a slow start, and after screwing wide from a decent position sent a brilliant ball into the hosts area which had anyone touched would have probably ended up going in, but it invaded all and went away from danger.
Late on in the half the home side sent a dangerous looping cross into the visitor’s box, but this flew across the area and away from danger, and soon after the referee blew for half time meaning Madla held a slender lead at the break.
Half Time Madla 1 Donn 0
Madla came out on the traps early in the second half quicker as well and saw a free header go straight at the keeper, before a decent cross into the visitor’s box almost found a host’s attacker but the defender just stuck out a leg to divert it away from danger. Soon after the hosts won a free-kick in a good position but this flew well wide.
Donn then came close to an equaliser when a effort fired across goal went just wide of the far post, before Madla glanced a header wide at the other end from a corner kick.
The visitors again though were starting to push their opponents back, and they almost levelled when getting goal side of their marker but as the forward struck wide appeared to be impeded, but the referee said no, resulting in a booking for one of the Donn players for disagreeing with his point of view.
And then the visitors came even closer to an equaliser when brilliant strike cannoned off the underside of the bar before a scramble for the loose ball ended with a free-kick being awarded to the home side, who could breathe a sigh of relief they were still in front.
And sure enough in the 69th minute Madla doubled their lead when a ball across goal was thumped home and the hosts had some breathing space with just over twenty minutes left.
But with thirteen minutes left it was very much game on again as Donn pulled one back after a cross from the right was turned in by a stretching defender who was desperately trying to cut out the ball in, and you thought that Madla might have to do some more defending for the last ten minutes or so.
But it didn’t really turn out that way as with nine minutes to go and after the home side had seen the visiting keeper turn away another decent effort, a superb long-range effort flew into the bottom corner meaning Madla had restored their two-goal cushion.
And with Donn still reeling from that third goal they quickly conceded a fourth and killer goal in the 83rd minute as the hosts broke down the left, squared the ball across for a tap into the empty net, and the contest was suddenly over just like that.
Donn to their credit kept going despite knowing they had no chance of getting anything from the game and almost grabbed a second when almost getting in down the right, but the home keeper came to thwart them, and it meant the hosts ran out 4-1 winners.
The scoreline probably didn’t reflect the contest, the visitors were well in this contest until those last ten minutes, but Madla probably did enough to win the game. It means the hosts now jump up two places and eight points ahead of the bottom three, whilst Donn drop a place to tenth and stay six clear of the drop zone with four games to go.
Full Time Madla 4 Donn 1
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