Rosenborg - Aalesund 3-1
By Endre Bakken, 3 July 2008, 06:12
RBK was a goal behind at half time, but turned the game around.
"A team that is able to change 0-1 to 3-1 posesses quality. But it is not good being one below at half time, if we are to be critical. We should score on every chance we get, and never let the opponents get such a simple goal," Erik Hamrén said.
Aalesund got a major chance within the first two minutes, when the ball was passed between Alejandro Lago and Roy Miller and ended up with Alexander Mathisen. Rune Jarstein used his heel to save the shot.
After that RBK took over. Didier Konan was the first to try, when he cut in from the left flank and fired off a long shot. Miller and Yssouf Koné followed up with good headers that both were centimeters away from ending up in the goal.
Instead AaFK, with their eleven straight away losses in a row, took the lead seven minutes before half time. Substitute Diego Silva got the exact same opportunity Mathisen got, and passed Jarstein. Roar Strand tried to save the ball, but it had passed the line before the captain kicked it away.
RBK should have equalized before the pause. Konan hit the post with another long shot, and Koné sent the rebound in the goalpost.
"It felt like we had the strength to continue. We couldn't get that many chances in two halves without scoring. If we could continue producing goal scoring opportunities we would score eventually," Hamrén explained.
Silva made it easier for RBK, when he, two minutes into the second half, got his second yellow card for fouling Lago.
Alexander Tettey equalized when a crossball from a near dead angle went above the goalie and into the net.
"It was exactly what I was attempting. Nah, I tried sending it towards the backmost goalpost, but it resulted in a goal all the same," Tettey joked.
Steffen Iversen scored Rosenborg's last two goals. 2-1 came after he rolled a Marek Sapara free kick into the net.
The last goal was a beauty. Sub Abdou Traoré ran down the left, and passed the ball to Iversen. He dribbled off two defenders and lifted the ball above the goalie.
"I passed them all, and had to lift the ball to score. Luckily it all went okay," Iversen concluded.
