Norsk Tipping-Ligaen avd.3, Monday 10th April
I attended some football in Norway for the first time in over a year as I
went to a local game from where my mum is situated and the Madla Handelslag
Stadion for a Norsk Tipping-Ligaen avd.3 contest between Madla and Bremnes.
This is the first round of games in this division and indeed across the top
four levels in Norway as another season, which is played through the summer
months for obvious reasons, gets going for the 2023 campaign, and Madla will be
playing at a new level this season after they won promotion from the 4.
Divisjon menn avd.2 after winning their league in 2022.
Madla are based just outside Stavanger on the Southwest
coast of Norway, and their opponents Bremnes, who are located around 140km
north of today’s opponents, so basically in between Stavanger and Bergen, only
just survived going the other way to Madla, as they finished fourth bottom in
the Norsk Tipping-Ligaen avd.3 and five points above the drop zone, so these
two had had contrasting seasons in 2022.
Despite this being the first league game of the new season,
both had already played some competitive action prior to the season starting,
as they both had participated in the Qualifying part of the NM Menn, which is
basically the FA Cup in Norway, Madla had netted a 6-1 win at Vardeneset in the
First Round of Qualifying, but then lost at home to Forus og Gausel in the 2nd
Qualifying Round, Bremnes also won their First Qualifying Round tie at
Austevoll 3-2 before they also lost at home in the next stage, falling to a 2-1
loss to Froya.
So, both had similar runs in the cup this season, winning
one against a team a level below before losing out in the next stage, Madla
actually lost to another 4.divisjon team in Forus whilst Bremnes did lose out
to Froya who are at the same level, not that it really matters because a loss
is a loss at the end of the day, and missing out on a chance of reaching the
main rounds of the competition.
How would the sides begin their league campaigns then, this
was the only competitive football they would have for the 2023 season like most
others, this is a fourteen-team division in the fourth tier in Norway, so
twenty-six games over the next five/six months to see where both end up, as
always, it’s important to start well, so how would this one go?
Prior to the game on arrival at the ground I was presented
with a scarf from the hosts by a man who I had spoken to on Facebook chat a week
or so before the game, this was a very nice gesture and he explained to me the club’s
plans going forward, all very interesting and a good insight into what they hope
to do in the future.
Anyway, to the present, and the hosts had an early effort at
goal but saw Ali Memed fire over a powerful strike from the right, and then the
visitors went close but after Joakim Vage Nilsen round keeper Viljar Gronnevik,
his effort was blocked on the line, the visitors then had the ball in the net
when Erlend Meling Nesse slotted past Gronnevik, only to see the assistants flag
go up for offside.
Erik Dalaker fired over for the home side late on in the
half but neither keeper were tested in the opening forty five minutes if truth
be told, meaning the sides went into the break all square, the first part of
the second half saw the home side go close on a couple of occasions, Dalaker
firing just wide and then a cross flashing trough the six yard box with Vebjorn
Langeland Oen trying to get on the end of it.
Down the other end Bremnes almost got their noses ahead but
somehow missed the target after a cross into the box was held up in the wind,
catching keeper Gronnevik out and seeing three visiting players go for It and
see the ball somehow go wide, although they were adamant it was a corner, Madla
then had the ball in the net themselves, but this was also ruled out for offside.
Midway through the second period though came the
breakthrough, and it was a pretty decent effort too, as a poor clearance out
from the home defence saw the ball fall to Nilsen who let fly with his left boot
and saw the ball thunder past Gronnevik and hand the visitors the advantage
with a quarter of the contest to go.
Could Madla respond? They certainly had more of the ball
after the goal and thought they had levelled with nine minutes to go when a
ball turned towards goal was glanced home from point blank range by Norbert
Marchewka, and the assistant and the referee pointed back towards the centre
circle to signal goal, and after the goal music had been played and the scorer
announced, kick off was imminent we thought.
Well, no, because the referee and assistant got together and
then decided actually the striker was offside, so no goal and a free kick to
the visitors, it was a very bizarre situation and left every confused as to
what was going on. You felt at that point it may not be the hosts day.
Madla though kept plugging away, and four minutes into
stoppage time and with the last kick of the contest, they salvaged a deserved
point from this contest when after Dalaker’s effort had been parried up into
the air by visiting keeper Mads Katla Ellingsen who was no doubt trying to get
it over the bar, the ball dropped down in front of goal and saw Marchewka
bundle home and this one was going to count, and it meant the hosts could at
least avoid defeat on the opening day.
A largely inept game if truth be told, but it had its
moments too, a great strike, a very controversial no goal, and then the drama
right at the end, all watched by a decent 177 packed into the small stand I was
sat in, an enjoyable afternoon and a nice welcome too, very glad they picked up
a point in the end, Bremnes probably won’t be so happy about it though!!!
Full time Madla 1 Bremnes 1
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