Fredrikstad - Rosenborg 1-1
By Håvard Lindheim, 6 November 2006, 10:19
A draw in the final match on Fredrikstad stadion was a result Rosenborg should be pleased with. The performance, however, was bad.
1-1 was flattering for the away team, who never reached a level worthy of a champion. RBK was pressed hard by FFK throughout the game. Perhaps last weekend's celebrations still were felt by the players?
However, RBK took the lead after five minutes: Steffen Iversen took down a Marek Sapara pass on his chest, and fired away from eight meters - into the net.
After that, Fredrikstad started a strong and enduring pressure towards the RBK goal. Especially during the first half, this is how it went: RBK loses the ball on the midfield, FFK attacks and shoots. Simen Brenne luckily fails most of his tries, while Lars Hirschfeld saves the remaining shots and headers.
In the second half, the gameplay was somewhat more even, but still Fredrikstad were the ones to create chances - apart from a Sapara free kick in the post. After 78 minutes, Øyvind Hoås managed to put it in - or did he? On a corner kick, Hirschfeld was closed in by severald FFK players. Hoås hit the ball with his head, but on the line, Bjørn Tore Kvarme dived down and saved! With some help from the line man, referee Espen Berntsen however decided that the ball was in, despite the massive protests from the RBK players.
And so the match died out. 1-1 in the very last match on old Fredrikstad stadion was a fair result for both RBK and Fredrikstad, who thereby avoided the qualification spot by their own virtue.
"We are lucky to get a point today. In periods it was ok, and we could have scored more, but it's plain luck that Fredrikstad didn't score more. A draw was fair for our part," Knut Tørum concluded to Norwegian broadcaster TV2.
Rosenborg [4-3-3] Lars Hirschfeld - Roar Strand (Miika Koppinen 63), Bjørn Tore Kvarme, Christer Basma, Mikael Dorsin - Marek Sapara, Alexander Tettey, Jan Gunnar Solli (Vidar Riseth 46) - Daniel Braaten, Steffen Iversen, Øyvind Storflor (Yssouf Kone 86)
Yellow cards: RBK: Marek Sapara, Alexander Tettey, Steffen Iversen
