Hunter Freeman and Clarence Goodson helped Start ruin Rosenborg's undefeated Eliteserien season while Jay Needham and Alta are right back in the thick of the 1. Division promotion race.
Rosenborg 2 - 3 Start
Two goals in the waning minutes gave Start a heart-pounding win over newly-crowned Eliteserien champions Rosenborg on Sunday at Lerkendal Stadion in Trondheim.
Both Hunter Freeman and Clarence Goodson started on head coach Knut Torum's back line and went the distance for the visitors.
The road win for Torum's squad was their first one away from Sor Arena since July 12th and helped spoil Rosenborg's quest for a perfect season.
Trond Olsen put Rosenborg on the scoreboard first in the 35th minute when he took Per Ciljan Skjelbred's pass and slipped past Freeman and goalkeeper Kenneth Hoie before tapping the ball into the net.
Start responded ten minutes later when Cristian Bolanos fed Mads Stokkelein with a quick pass just outside the area and Stokkelein managed to get a shot off while being surrounded by three Rosenborg defenders.
The hosts' defense ended up blocking the view of Rosenborg goalkeeper Rune Almenning Jarstein who was left flat-footed as Stokkelein's shot sailed into the upper right corner to equalize the match.
Nine minutes after halftime, Olsen would bag his second goal of the match when Steffen Iversen's long ball found the forward who then fired a laser past Hoie.
Rosenborg had three clear cut chances to extend the lead throughout the second half but each time Hoie would ride to the rescue allowing Start to begin their last minute dramatics.
It would all start with Freeman who looped in a long ball into the penalty area which was headed across by Christer Kleiven right to the foot of Bernt Hulsker who slammed home the shot.
Controversy erupted in stoppage time with Goodson at the center of things. After a Start free kick was wrapped up by Jarstein, words were exchanged between the American defender and Rosenborg's Rade Prica leading Prica to shove Goodson to the ground in the penalty area.
The referee, Tom Henning Øvrebø, saw the whole thing unfold and was quick to award Start with a penalty kick much to the outrage of the Rosenborg players who vehemently argued the call with Øvrebø.
The heated scene recalled memories from last spring's Champions League semifinal when Chelsea players verbally attacked Øvrebø following their elimination at the hands of FC Barcelona.
With Lerkendal Stadion at its feet knowing what was at stake, the former Rosenborg head man Torum elected to have Bolanos step to the spot to take the kick.
The Costa Rican international never wavered and easily converted the kick giving Start an unexpected three points and thwarting Rosenborg's chances at an undefeated season.
The victory lifts Start back up to seventh place with 37 points who return to action in two weeks to host Aalesund.
Lillestrom 2 - 1 Lyn
Lyn's early goal was not able to hold up as Tyrel Lacey and company fell to Lillestrom at Åråsen Stadion on Sunday.
Lacey started at goalkeeper for head coach Gunnar Halle and went the distance for the visitors who were officially relegated following the defeat.
It still remains to be seen whether or not Lyn will be able to meet its financial obligations in order to avoid bankruptcy. In any case, what is for sure is that the Oslo club will not be playing next season in the Eliteserien.
Lyn got off to a good start with a goal in the 12th minute as Goran Ven Den Burgt sent a rifling shot off a free kick through the Lillestrom defende that stung the netting in the upper left corner.
Arild Sundgot got the equalizer for the hosts just a minute before halftime when he gathered in Marius Johnsen's deflected header off a corner kick and chested the ball past the goal line.
Replays showed that Sundgot may have used his arms to nudge the ball past Lacey but the referee saw it different and awarded the goal to the hosts.
Bad luck struck Lyn in the 68th minute which resulted in the game-winning goal for Lillestrom. Namibian midfielder Oliver Risser had a Lillestrom corner kick hit him square in the chest and deflect past Lacey into goal.
Lacey and Lyn return to action following the international break on October 18th when they host Stromsgodset.
Valerenga 3 - 1 Viking
Troy Perkins and Valrerenga continued their late season surge with a resounding victory over Viking on Monday evening at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.
Perkins started at his usual spot between the pipes for player/coach Martin Andresen to help the hosts secure their third straight victory.
Valerenga wasted no time in scoring as Bengt Saeternes got the game's first goal in the seventh minute when a corner kick deflected right to him allowing Saeternes to head the ball just inside the left post.
Viking got the equalizer just seven minutes later when Peter Ljeh took Hakon Skogseid's headed pass and volleyed a shot past Perkins to tie things up.
Coming out of the halftime break, Valerenga would find its stride and scored two goals in three minutes.
The first in the 50th minute came courtesy of Birget Madsen who saw Jarl Storbaek's header bounce off the post giving Madsen an open net to slam home the rebound.
The second goal was scored by Mohammed Abdellaoue after Bojan Zajic made a dazzling run through the Viking defense before feeding Adbellaoue who poked the shot home.
The victory sends Valerenga up to sixth place in the Eliteserien standings. Perkins and company hit the road in two weeks to take on Brann.
Alta 1 - 0 Notodden
A late first half goal helped Alta leapfrog back into the 1. Division promotion playoff hunt as Jay Needham and company took down Notodden at Finnmarkshallen Arena in Alta.
Needham started at central midfielder for head coach Aasmund Bjorkman before yielding his spot to Christian Reginiussen in the 73rd minute.
Alta had the bulk of the chances in the first half including a goal by Diomande Alassane that was disallowed by the linesman.
In the 44th minute, Alta were able to finally break through when Magnus Andersen stripped a Notodden defender of possession right inside the penalty area and sent a shot on goal that was fumbled into the net by visiting goalkeeper Nuno Marques.
Needham and the Alta defense kept the Notodden attack at bay in the second half ensuring the much-needed three points for Bjorkman's squad.
The win, coupled with Moss' 4-2 victory over Sarpsborg, brings Alta within four points of the final promotion playoff position with four matches left to play.
Alta hit the road next weekend when they travel to Tromsdalen.
Notes
Both Matthew Allen and Adin Brown watched from the bench as backup goalkeepers during Sandefjord's 1-1 draw with Aalesund.
Mikkel Diskerud was with the US Under-20 team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup and did not take part in Stabaek's 2-1 win over Fredrikstad.
Connor Tobin did not see any action in Nybergsund's 1-1 draw versus Sogndal. |
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