Vidar 5 Forde 4

POSTNORD-ligaen, avdeling.3, Saturday 13th August 2016

My final game of my Scandanavian tour for July/August 2016 was at Lassa gress, Stavanger, for a Norsk third tier match between Vidar and Forde.

I saw Forde a couple of weekend's ago at bottom side Sola and they were on the end of a 4-1 beating that day and with the pitch being sodden and slippery and the weather not ideal it sure had the feeling of a game that could yield afew goals.

But what was to come could not have been predicted.  Forde were completely over run in the opening twelve minutes and found themselves three goals down.  Firstly on six minutes Ingvald Halygunset rifled a shot in with his left foot from the right side of the penalty area, deceiving the keeper at his near post, before it was two for the hosts on ten minutes when after the visitors had blocked three efforts at goal the fourth saw Rogvi Baldvinsson smash home via the keepers hand from ten yards or so.

And when the hosts were awarded a penalty just two minutes later for a foul and Eirik Jakobsen converted the spot kick, you could of been forgiven for thinking that Vidar would run away with this one.  Well think again, because the next twelve minutes saw the visitors amazingly draw level in the contest.

Firstly just past the quarter hour mark Vetle Rygh stretched out a leg to convert a corner kick at the back post to make it 3-1 and then five minutes after this Thor Jorgen Spurkeland converted from a yard out and suddenly it was 3-2 and then remarkably it was 3-3 on 24 minutes when the visitors were awarded their own penalty and saw Kristoffer Haaland Iversen convert.

Amazingly that wasn't the end of the scoring in the first half hour as the hosts managed to edge themselves back in front again when Jakobsen glanced a header home and then on 31 minutes came the eighth goal of a crazy half hour when the hosts made it 5-3 as Daniel Berntsen powered home a close range header from another set play and this crazy half ended with the hosts 5-3 ahead.  Unbelievable.

The second period saw Forde actually have the better of the play and push the hosts back in the first ten minutes or so of the second half.  However the visiting coach was then sent from the bench for having one to many things to say to the referee, and then moments later the ball burst after being in the middle of a rather strong tackle.  It was all happening!!!!

And then just past the hour mark the visitors made it 5-4 when a cross from the left from Carl Joakim Kvist deceived the hosts keeper and thumped in off the inside of the far post and it really was anyone's guess which way this game would turn next.

It so nearly went 5-5 as well as the visitors burst through but the host keeper tipped the effort onto the outside of the post and saw the home side breathe a sigh of relief.  Vidar themselves then went close a coupld of times as they tried to add a sixth and clinching goal but it was the visitors who were pressing for a leveller.


In the five minutes of stoppage time that followed the end of the game Vidar saw Jakobsen hit the frame of the goal and then saw the hosts just about keep out the Forde attacking line as they clung onto a 5-4 win.  What a game and what a way for me to finish my tour, wonderful.

Åsebro 3 Färgelanda 1

Swedish Division Five, Dalslands FF section, Thursday 11th August 2016

So my first ever Swedish game saw me in the seventh tier of the countries pyramid for a Division Five encounter at the top of the Dalslands FF section as hosts Asebro took on unbeaten league leaders Fargelanda at Asebro's Rudevi IP ground.  It's quite a neat little set up their and here are some photo's I took two day's prior to the game:-

The visitors had won nine of their ten league games, drawing the other, as they lead their opponents by ten points.  Asebro knew they needed to try and end this unbeaten record and defeat the visiting leaders in order to try and close the gap to their opponents.  However as the teams warmed up and took to the field (pics below) people wandered how this match up would go.

Well the hosts didn't take long to let everyone know how they would approach this game, taking the lead with less than a minute on the clock as a cross floated in from the right found Fredrik Grenander who managed to loop a first time header over keeper Henrik Albinsson into the far corner.

Thereafter the visitors started to dominate possession but we're unable to really test hosts keeper Henrik Abom and when the hosts did get forward they still looked like they could grab a second.

However you felt the visitors pressure would eventually tell but no the hosts then put together some good football with just over ten minutes until the break when goalscorer Grenander turned provider, releasing Peter Eriksson in on goal with a sublime pass, and the latter duly slipped a first time finish beyond keeper Albinsson in off the post to double the hosts advantage.

So at the half the visitors unbeaten run looked in danger although you felt they were still far from out of the game especially if they could find an early goal back in the second period. Here are some first half pictures:-

And sure enough ten minutes into a fairly even competitive half the visitors grabbed a goal back when Tobias Andersson glanced a header beyond Abom and it was very much game on.

The hosts though still looked to attack although they had adopted a more counter attacking approach as Färgelanda continued to probe the Asebro back line but the half was much more even on the possession count as both teams had openings.

And with fifteen minutes to go hosts winger Alassane Ouarma burst down the right and cut back inside and was fouled for a penalty which saw Grenander convert with ease and give the hosts a two goal cushion once again.

The visitors missed a couple of decent chances to get themselves right back in the contest but then saw the hosts miss a great chance when Ouarma hit wide when clean through however it was the hosts who ran out winners thus closing the gap to the leaders and ending their unbeaten league record as well.  Here are some second half photos:-

So Asebro close the gap to seven points although they will need Fargelanda to lose a few more if they have any chance of winning the league.  Should be an eventful last seven games as they say.

Egersund 0 Floro 4

POSTNORD-ligaen, avdeling.3, Saturday 6th August 2016

So my latest Norsk adventure took my to Idrettsparken Egersund for a top of the table clash between third placed Egersund and second placed Floro.

The hosts, nine points behind their opponents at kick off time, knew a win only do if they were to have any chance of catching them and also real in the leaders Nest-Sotra, a further point ahead.

A crowd of just under 500 were in attendance, most of them hoping for their home side to no doubt take a win in this one. The first ten minutes yielded very little in the way of goalmouth action though.

However for the next ten to fifteen minutes the hosts began to crank up the pressure and saw a couple of decent chances go abegging but it looked likely that the hosts would break the deadlock if anyone was going to.

But football has a way of kicking you in the teeth when you least expect it and on 25 minutes it was the visitors who took the lead when centre half Runar Hove rose to head home a corner from close range and silence the home support.

It was totally against the run of play but three minutes later the visitors struck again as Rashed Muhammed danced through a static defence and saw his effort loop over a stranded keeper and into the far corner.

The hosts look shell shocked as did the home fans, who suddenly saw their team two goals behind from nowhere. It left them a mountain to climb in the second half but they knew one goal back would change everything.

To most people's surprise the Egersund onslaught never really materialised at the start of the second period although the hosts were doing most of the pressing, just like the first half, although the visiting backline continued to thwart them.

And then twenty minutes into the half came a moment that summed up the game. Floro centre half Hove saw the keeper off his line and so pinged a wonderful free kick from inside his own half towoards goal and although the surprised keeper pushed the effort back out from underneath his own bar, he could only find striker Endre Kupen who duly bundled home the rebound to give the visiting side three goal cushion.

Despite this the hosts continued to prove the visitors backline, but just could not get their final ball correct. And sure enough with around fifteen minutes to go the visitors made it four when Steffan Aase smashed home brilliantly from range.

The scoreline was harsh on the hosts but it had just been one of those days. Floro had just been clinical when it mattered and kept the hosts out when they were asked too.

Sadly this also means both of my visits to this ground have resulted in home defeats, so I can see a ban coming very soon!!!! This latest defeat almost certainly means the hosts won't catch the top two now whilst for Floro their title charge and promotion to the second tier remains very much on.

Viking 0 Arsenal 8

Friendly Match, Friday 5th August 2016
 
So Friday night saw me at a big event at the Viking Stadion in Stavanger as local Tippeligaen side Viking welcomed the mighty Arsenal to their home for a friendly match.

It was part of Arsenal's Scandanavian tour and it had certainly caused a buzz in and around the City.  Below are a couple of snaps I took as the Gunners arrived at the stadium to what could only be described as a heroes welcome, seeing as Stavanger has a rather large Arsenal fan base, as does Norway in fact.



















Premier League football is big in Norway if truth be told and argubly more popular than their own top division, the Tippeligaen.  So for a top English side like Arsenal to visit their stadium was a very big deal indeed.

You could feel the atmosphere building inside the stadium as kick off approached and when it did arrive the atmosphere was electric, here are some snaps of that below.

Anyway how would the local side deal with Arsenal's threat.  Well after only a couple of minutes it looked as though the Gunners would take an early lead when they were awarded a penalty after the visitors had sliced through the hosts with their first real attack of any note.  It did look like a dive if truth be told but host keeper Ivan Austbo saved Santi Cazorla's spot kick and the game remained level.

Austbo managed to make another two notible saves in the first half hour to keep the visitors at bay although the hosts were causing the Arsenal defence some alarm on occasions as they did not look overawed by the occasion.   However on 33 minutes the Arsenal finally broke Viking's resistance when a ball into the dangerzone saw Mo Elneny rise to head towards goal and Joel Campbell applied the faintiest of touches to make sure the ball ended up in the net.

This proved the only goal of the half too, and although the Gunners, who looked that one or two yards quicker all over the field and had done most of the pressing, were only one goal to the good and Viking had done very well in the first half.

However the hosts then changed almost their entire eleven at the start of the second half, swapping their regulars for some of the more fringe players, including their keeper Heigre, who within fifteen minutes of the second half starting had conceded four further goals as the Gunners tore their opponents to shreds.

Cazorla had already volleyed inches wide moments into the second half but five minutes into it made it two when he thumped a brilliant effort intot the net from outside the box, making amends for that earlier missed spot kick.  Three minutes later it was 3-0 when Theo Walcott thumped home his first of the night as the Viking back up eleven just could not live with this Arsenal side.

Another two minutes had elapsed when the Gunners made it four when Campbell burst into the box and saw his tricky cross to the backpost bundled home by Viking defender Michael Haukas for an unfortunate own goal and then just before the hour mark the visitors made it four goals in ten devestating minutes when outrageous football from the Premier League side with some wonderful one touch passing and movement,  ended with Campbell rifling home his second off the underside of the bar.

It had been scintilating stuff from the Gunners and these Viking players just did not know what to do as they were being well and truly outclassed.  With about twenty minutes to Arsene Wenger decided to make five changes to his side with his troops five goals up and in cruise control.

One of those replacements, Alex Iwobi, capatisiled on some poor Viking play to score with minutes of coming on.  The hosts gave the ball straight to Cazorla who laid in the substitute who fired past keeper Heigre with ease.  The 13,933 inside the Viking Stadion were certainly being given a show of attacking football from the Arsenal side and with ten minutes left Iwobi thumped home his second in off the post and the Gunners seventh of the contest.

Another Arsenal sub Chuba Akpom added a late eighth as the Gunners completed the rout of their Norsk opponents.  The first half was a good battle but once Viking had replaced their first eleven it was men against boys out there.  Lets hope it doesn't effect the Stavanger side to much as they continue with their league season now.

Arsenal on the other hand now travel to Sweden and the Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg to take on fellow Premier League rivals Manchester City.  That should be a good test for them.