Norsk Tipping-ligean Avd.5, Monday 28th July
My penultimate game on this trip to Norway saw me go from seeing the bottom side in the division to the league leaders as Vidar travelled the short distance to Hinna Stadion to take on Hinna, a team I had seen in my first game of this current trip to the Nordics, they had lost that one narrowly at Brodd, could they bounce back from that one against the stand out side in the division this term.
It was going to be a tough ask if they were going to, Vidar have only lost two of their league games all season and won the other nine, including a current five match winning run, had banged in 49 goals in those twelve games and only conceded ten in that same period of games, Hinna had been on a three match winning run until that was halted at Brodd last weekend, so they did have some form heading into the summer break before they all got going again last weekend.
Now I have seen Hinna before but not since they had built their new ground which I think was on the same site as the old one, they have a very neat seated stand on one side of the pitch and also a big building attached to it as well, they did serve some refreshments at the back of the stand on the concourse too, although I didn't bother this time to try and obtain anything!!!
I chose to stand next to the seated stand and lean on the barrier which was the perfect hight to lean on, you could only watch the game from one side of the ground anyway but the views across to the mountains peaking out above the typical wooden homes in Norway wasn't a bad view, I did watch some of the action on the pitch I promise!!!
Hinna themselves begin the evening down in 9th, but only three points off third placed Madla, it is that tight in that part of the table as said in previous blogs I've written whilst watching this division over the last couple of weeks, so yea a win in this one would have taken them third, but it was always going to be hard against the best team in the division arguably.
And Vidar should have been in front early on but somehow struck the bar from close range and then in another attack forced a brilliant save from hosts keeper Sondre Fossa, who brilliantly tipped over a powerful effort, Hinna did have a couple of chances themselves, one where a free kick whipped in someone missed two players coming in on the cross, but apart from this it was Vidar doing most of the running, however it looked as if the game would remain goalless heading into the break.
That was until the 44th minute when Vidar won a spot kick after attacker Maxmillian Haestad was flatted inside the box by a robust challenge, and Simen Haughom emphatically dispatched the penalty right in the top corner, and it meant Vidar had what was probably a deserved lead, and Hinna knew they would have to start the second half well if they were to respond in this one.
That didn't happen though for the home side, who soon found themselves two goals down early in the second half, Kevin Pereira sent in a teasing cross that Haughom managed to rise above keeper Fossa and nod the ball into the net for his and Vidar's second goal of the contest, and Hinna now really had a mountain to climb as the league leaders were taking complete control.
Just past the hour mark Vidar all but sealed the contest too, Pereira turning goalscorer this time to glance a header into the Hinna goal and make it three for the visitors, and you feared that this could get nasty for the hosts as Vidar fancied more goals you thought, but fair play to the home side they did keep going and nearly got a goal back on more than one occasion, one such chance seeing visiting keeper Elias Orn make a superb stop to deny them.
Hinna though could not grab a goal back which they probably deserved, and in fact it was Vidar who were to net the fourth and final goal of the contest with nine minutes remaining, a corner in from the left saw centre half Andreas Sebulonsen glance home Vidar's third header of the second period and make it four, and it meant they recorded a sixth straight win in the division and increased the lead back to five at the top.
Hinna remain in ninth and suffer back to back defeats now without scoring, however they are only three points off fourth still, so if they can get back to winning ways soon, things will start looking much better for them again, but they just came up against a side this evening who are ruthless and looking very likely to win the division and get back to the next tier for next season.
Full time Hinna 0 Vidar 4
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