Nordic Football News

NFN were at Ullevaal to follow the final of the Norwegian cup live, read on to find out how that went..

Well, anyway, that’s all from us at Ullevaal. After an ordinary first half that was a absolutely mental second half and in the end the team that wanted it more won it. A thoroughly deserved win for Aalesund and their fans.

Aalesund players, fans and staff are going absolutely mental!

Amund Skiri can win it for Aalesund.. and he does!!!!! Aalesund win the cup for the first time in their history!!

Pape Pate Diouf.. scores! 4-4.

Demar Phillips for Aalesund now.. scores! 4-3!

Christian Steen makes no mistake for Molde, they’re still in this… 3-3.

Pablo Herrera scores for Aalesund! It’s 3-2 and still advantage AaFk!

Vegard Forren for Molde.. Scores! My that was fine penalty, keeper went the wrong way and the ball went into the top corner.

Johan Arneng now, Aalesund captain, scores as cool as you like, sent the keeper the wrong way, nicely done. 2-1.

Makthar Thioune.. Scores for Molde! 1-1! The senegalese was profoundly booed but kept his cool.

Khari Stephenson now for Aalesund.. Scores! But only just! His penalty crept under Lillebakk who was going the right way.

Jose Mota for Molde.. MISSES! SAVED BY LINDEGAARD!

This, incidentally, is the first ever Norwegian cup final to be settled on penalties.

Penalties coming up now, Aalesund have the momentum and their keeper Lindegaard is flexing muscles in front of his fans..

30 minutes – Huge chances for Molde, but a tired tired Aalesund defense again manage to clear their lines.. and it’s penalties!

28 minutes – Molde try to push forwards but Aalesund clear their lines, up front it’s Aarøy versus the world and the big man can only flick the ball onto nothingness.

27 minutes – Molde have been gutless, complacent and uninspired. Ever since they went a man down Aalesund have been the only team who looked like they really wanted this, and the equalizer is no less than they deserve.

26 minutes – And Aarøy almost makes it 3-2! A clever cross from Phillips evades everyone but Aarøy’s finish isn’t quite sharp enough.

25 minutes – To say the orange half of Ullevaal just went nuts would be a gross understatement, really, there’s no vocabulary for what just happened over there.

24 minutes – THERE IT IS! 2-2! And who else than Tor Hogne Aarøy!! The ludicrously tall forward rises majestically to meet a cross and there is nothing anyone can do!

23 minutes – A free kick in a good position is wasted by Aalesund, possibly because Thioune was standing far too close to the ball. Kjetil Rekdal is all sorts of annoyed. Even more than usual.

22 minutes – Aalesund go close again! This time a volley from Stephenson that goes just over the bar!

21 minutes – Oh my!x2 Down the other end Jose Mota is clean through, but seems to almost fall asleep with the ball at his feet and an Aalesund-defender rushes back and makes the tackle. That was bizarre.

20 minutes – Oh my! A sublime volley from Jonathan Parr ALMOST makes it 2-2, what a moment that would have been!

20 minutes – It’s long hoofs to Aarøy now from Aalesund, but so far it isn’t working.

18 minutes – Big big save again from the Aalesund-keeper as he denies Pape Pate Diouf.

17 minutes – Aarøy attempts to latch onto a through-ball, but really, that kind of stuff isn’t his thing.

16 minutes – The second half of extra time kicks off, and this is a huge fifteen minutes ahead for Aalesund, can they overcome tiredness and the numerical disadvantage? Can they still get something out of their first ever cup final?

The first half of extra time comes to an end and there was something thuddingly predictable about the way it panned out. The ten men of Aalesund have put in an almighty effort but this surely must be going Molde’s way..

16 minutes – ..aand he’s back on, running just fine. Lovely.

15 minutes – Molde have a corner as Thioune appear to be off for good, with strain, cramp or just general tiredness. Maybe the rest of them can play some football now?

14 minutes – The stretcher is on, but lo and behold Thioune can walk again. Who’d have thunk it. If he comes back onto the pitch the boing will split eardrums.

13 minutes – ..and Thioune is down yet again. Here come the physios. Really, he’s a lovely player, but it’s hard to like someone who behaves like this.

11 minutes – Tired, demoralized, surely there’s no way back into this for Aalesund? Diego Silva, who looks absolutely knackered, is off and Tor Hogne Aarøy is on. At the same time Trond Fredriksen is taken off and Demar Phillips comes on. One very tall man and one very fast man, is this the way to go for Aalesund?

9 minutes – Now that Molde are in the lead Thioune is suddenly in severe pain. Rekdal, AaFk-fans, really everyone not wearing blue, are deeply unimpressed.

7 minutes – Big players produce in big games, and Mame Biram Diouf is certainly a big player by that logic. And speaking of big people, Tor Hogne Aarøy looks to be hulking his way towards the bench, is he coming on? All 203 centimeters of him?

6 minutes – It was an almighty leap by Diouf to get to the ball, but Kjetil Rekdal will feel that a corner hit that high into the air should be cleared comfortably by the defense..

5 minutes – Johan Arneng has a go but it’s a fairly comfortable save. Up the other end Molde earn themselves a corner.. And it’s in! 2-1 Corner is floated in but AaFk can’t clear it and it’s Mame Biram Diouf again!

4 minutes – Diego Silva, who must be having the game of his life, draws a free-kick for Aalesund about 30 yards out..

2 minutes – Remarkably, Aalesund are taking the game to Molde, but the boys in blue have pace to burn up front so AaFk have to be very very careful.

Extra time is on, wireless still playing tricks on us all we struggle on.

Michael Jackson is screeching “Beat it” from the speakers and people are dancing half-heartedly in an effort to stay warm. The players have gone indoors for the short break before extra time. After the fairly underwhelming first half that was a superb offering in the second, but can the tired ten men of Aalesund possibly get anything from the extra thirty minutes?

93 minutes – Aalesund break dangerously but Pablo Herrera has no help. Full time, 1-1, extra time..

91 minutes – The Molde-manager wisely takes off Magne Hoseth before he gets himself sent off. Jose Mota is on. The Aalesund-keeper, incidentally, is a dead ringer for newly crowned Norwegian footballer of the year Brede Hangeland.

90 minutes – Magne Hoseth, on a yellow card, is mouthing off. Not clever, but he gets away with it. Three minutes of added time.

89 minutes – Molde have a corner and there is much excitement, but it suffers a similar fate.

87 minutes – Gripping stuff this, Aalesund need to get forwards because there is no way extra time can end well for them. And there they win a corner, all of Ullevaal have taken to their feet, but the delivery is sadly very poor.

83 minutes – Fantastic save by Aalesund-keeper Lindegaard after Molde-captain Daniel Berg Hestad let rip from twenty yards. And shortly after Lindegaard is again at hand to clear up an almighty air-kick in the AaFk-defense. Their heroic fightback has cost Aalesund dear in terms of energy and they are, understandably, starting to look tired.

81 minutes – 25 109 punters at Ullevaal today, that’s not at all far off a full house.

78 minutes – The ten men of Aalesund are putting up a terrific fight now, and no matter what happens they can at least be pleased with their efforts. This is the exact opposite of what they were doing in the first half.

76 minutes – Again it’s Diego Silva for Aalesund who carves out a chance for himself, but he shoots wide. Molde look complacent, they clock may be working for them against ten men but Aalesund are dangerous, a 1-1 they really shouldn’t get too comfortable.

75 minutes – Diego Silva is still making a good first of it for Aalesund but he is now very very isolated up front.

72 minutes – On the sidelines Rekdal is looking pensive, while the still-warming-up Aarøy looks brooding.

71 minutes – It seems like the burst of energy Aalesund got from their goal has gone now and it’s all Molde. If this continues it’s just a matter of when Molde scores, not if.

69 minutes – A moment of pretty football there, with a pass from the outside of Hoseth’s boot finding Thioune out wide, Thioune goes past his man with ease and crosses but no one can get to it.

68 minutes – Aalesunds’ problem now is that with one man down they can’t really push forward, but extra-time really doesn’t suit them either.

66 minutes – Having said that, Molde are finding more space than before and Hoseth goes close after some nice build-up play.

64 minutes – In spite of their numerical disadvantage Aalesund are putting up a much better fight than they did in the first half. That goal seems to have given them belief.

62 minutes – Sensing that things are getting out of hand, Molde manager Kjell Jonevret puts on defensive midfielder Thomas Holm in place of winger Mattias Mostrøm.

61 minutes – The sending off has really opened the game up. Molde now look dangerous whenever they venture forwards, while Aalesund still somehow manage to mount attacks that look more menacing than anything they did in the first half.

60 minutes – This is interesting from Rekdal, goalscorer Glenn Roberts is substituted and Costa Rican Pablo Herrera is on. Probably to re-inforce the midfield which has been understaffed since Carlsen’s moment of stupidity.

59 minutes – And there Molde have a goal disallowed! This match really has gone a bit crazy.

57 minutes – The word from those who are watching re-plays is that Silva actually dived when he could have scored, so actually Roberts rescued him from potential embarrassment.

56 minutes – That goal, however strange and unexpected, has really gotten the Aalesund-fans going and now it’s Molde who look a bit shocked.

55 minutes – And what a strange situation is was, Silva looked like he was fouled by the Molde-keeper and if the referee hadn’t played advantage and Roberts scored it could well have been a penalty and a sending off. Should Molde also be down to ten men?

53 minutes – Goal! 1-1! Would you believe it! That makes no sense whatsoever. Molde were toying with Aalesund after the sending off, but suddenly Diego Silva is played through on goal, he is fouled by the onrushing Molde-keeper but Glenn Roberts is on hand to score!

51 minutes – Magne Hoseth casually lumps the resulting free-kick into the stands. Charitable stuff, but probably not what his manager was looking for.

50 minutes – RED CARD! Disaster for Aalesund as young midfielder Fredrik Carlsen has been sent off for a second yellow. That really was a suicidal challenge, already on a booking the youngster attempted to rugby-tackle a Molde-player who was driving forwards with the ball.

47 minutes – Aalesund could really use a hand from the bright orange army in the stands, but the usually enthusiastic bunch aren’t really making that much noise now.

45 minutes – As the second half kicks off there are no changes to Aalesund, Kjetil Rekdal has given the 11 that played ther first half a chance to show that they can do better.

Half-time – I’m off to have some coffee and reheat my fingers. Big team-talk for Kjetil Rekdal this, his team needs to at least have a go in the second half because so far they’ve been underwhelming. The Aalesund-players won’t want to go home feeling they haven’t done all they could, but that’s the story so far. Molde look very comfortable.

45 minutes – Aalesund-captain Johan Arneng booked for a tackle on Thioune. Referee looking to assert his authority on the game now.

44 minutes – Aalesund are just trying to get to half-time without conceding another now. Molde have a corner that is initially fumbled by the AaFk keeper but it eventually goes into touch.

43 minutes – Molde are looking very comfortable here while Aalesund struggle to create anything. Expect a thunderous team-talk in the AaFk dressing room in a few minutes.

41 minutes – Mame Biram Diouf rounds a defender elegantly on the left flank but then kicks the ball randomly into touch. Hmm. Sir Alex will be unimpressed.

40 minutes – Molde-captain Daniel Berg Hestad is booked for a tackle on Diego Silva.

39 minutes – Rekdal is prowling the touchline looking annoyed. Time for him to prove he’s more than just a big mouth.

36 minutes – Substitution Molde, stand-in left-back Øyvind Gjerde has picked up a knock and Marcus Andreasson comes on.

36 minutes – Mame Biram Diouf goes close again, he collects a long ball, the AaFk-defenders stand off but his shot goes wide.

33 minutes – Glenn Robers sends a dangerous ball into the Molde-box and the defender doesn’t get it, but there’s no orange striker on hand to capitalize. AaFk nearly score from the resulting corner with Khari Stephenson heading over. Much better this from Rekdal’s men.

32 minutes – Kjetil Rekdal has sent unrealistically tall striker Tor Hogne Aarøy to do some warm-ups. Well, he needs to do something.

29 minutes – The goal seems to have settled Molde’s nerves, they’re passing the ball around as comfortably as they have done all season and now it’s their fans who are making the noise.

28 minutes – That really is a blow for Aalesund, their plan of just containing Molde can now be well and truly scrapped, and it seemed a soft goal to give away too.

26 minutes – 1-0! And it’s Mame Biram Diouf! A free-kick is floated into the AaFk box, and for once their defending is a bit shoddy and the Manchester United-owned forward is on the spot to give his team the lead.

25 minutes – Kjetil Rekdal is giving everyone the stink-eye now. He should be reasonably pleased though, AaFk are doing a good job of containing Molde and they actually look dangerous when they counter.

24 minutes – Molde’s midfield maestro Makthar Thioune is tackled but the ref let’s the game play on, Thioune is very very annoyed. Molde really don’t need their best player to loose his cool or his focus here.

23 minutes – Ok, ok, we’ve never actually been on a date. Any of us.

22 minutes – Molde are still prodding and probing without getting anywhere, a bit like a member of the NFN editorial-staff on a date.

20 minutes – Aalesund-manager Kjetil Rekdal gives his opposite number Kjell Jonevret the stink-eye. This game needs a goal to shake things up, both on and off the pitch.

17 minutes – The delivery is awful, and even though Mame Biram Diouf falls over whilst trying to clear the thing nothing happens.

16 minutes – Magne Hoseth is booked for a push on Diego Silva, who was on his way into a dangerous position. Molde re-group to defend the free-kick..

14 minutes – The atmosphere at Ullevaal is good but not electric, there are nerves in the stands as well as on the pitch. This time it’s Thioune who needs some comforting from the physio and his teammate Magne Hoseth gives the ref some lip, the ref is predictably unimpressed.

12 minutes – Magne Hoseth puts a Molde free-kick dangerously into the area but neither Diouf can get to it. In the move afterwards Thioune is possibly fouled on the edge of Aalesund’s area but he did appear to go down a bit easily and the ref isn’t having it.

10 minutes – Molde are starting to get their passing-game on and they work their way down the right flank. The cross is blocked to a corner, but nothing comes of it.

8 minutes – Aalesund-striker Glenn Roberts gets roughed up a bit by Molde-defender Christian Steen, and needs some kind words from the physio.

5 minutes – The game looks to be panning out as expected, with Molde trying to get the ball down and pass it around while Aalesund are defending resolutely and look to break with pace.

4 minutes – Pape Pate Diouf is played through down Molde’s right flank but is flagged offside. Again, both sides look a bit nervy.

2 minutes – Aalesund really should have scored, and not doing so may cost them dearly. Nervy opening so far.

0 minutes – Molde free-kick in decent position for a cross, but nothing comes of it, at the other end there is a major mix-up in the Mode defense and Aafk really should have gone ahead, but the chances is wasted.

13:15 – The unreliable wireless is making this tricky, but teams emerge from the tunnel, there is much noise, national anthem has been sung and the game has kicked off.

End of Preamble

13:08 – The wireless here at Ullevaal aren’t doing us any favors and the touchpad on my mac is responding very reluctantly to my fingers, possibly because they are very cold indeed. This is blogging under duress, people.

13:05 – Remember Safri Duo? That vaguely catchy drum-techno nonsense the kids were wild about some ten years ago? Well, it’s making a comeback from the Ullevaal speakers and the crowd are clapping merrily along. Hopefully just to keep their hands warm.

13:02 – Nevermind that about the kinds looking like the players in question, Makthar Thioune was represented by a blonde white kid and Daniel Berg Hestad was a girl.

13:01 – Teams are being read out to the theme from Pirates of the caribbean and kids who look vaguely like the players are running out onto the pitch and taking up positions in appropriate formations. This is very strange.

12:58 – @gotvassli on twitter notes re. Aalesunds’ apparent fan-superiority that “there is a reason most survival-suits are orange”. He might be on to something. If you do the whole twitter thing you can get in touch by writing to @fjordball

12:54 – Aalesunds’ cup final song is by far the catchier. The question is, will all these advantages off the pitch negate the fact that Molde have the better team?

12:52 – This could be Mame Biram Diouf’s last game in Norway before he’s off to Manchester United, though there is of course a chance Sir. Alex will decide to give him another season in Norway. At any rate, big players produce in big games and the Senegalese forward will no doubt be keen to show that he belongs in that category.

12:48 – There is much singing and waving of scarves, currently a Molde-song is being blasted from the speakers and the AaFK bunch are looking a bit sheepish. As a neutral observer though, the AaFK-fans have been the liveliest in the streets of Oslo this weekend.

12:39 – It’s cold, but this is Norway in November so cold is the default position. The crowd are doing mexican waves to keep warm, the press-pack are drinking coffee.

Questions or comments below or to lars@nordicfootball.info

12:36 – The absence of Aarøy from AaFK’s starting lineup will no doubt be a talking-point, but the preposterously tall forward has only recently shrugged off an injury and AaFk-manager Kjetil Rekdal hinted in the week that it might be better to use that biggest of big men as an impact-sub. For Molde their outstanding left-back Knut Olav Rindarøy misses out through injury, heartbreaking for him but the veteran Øyvind Gjerde will no doubt prove a competent replacement.

12:31 – Good morning ladies and gents, the weather is cold and the teams are just in:

Molde: Lillebakk – Vatshaug, Steen, Forren, Gjerde – Thioune, Berg Hestad, Hoseth – Mostrøm, M.B. Diouf, P.P. Diouf

Bench: Larsen, Andreasson, Holm, Skjølsvik, Tomaz jr, Mota, Ertsås

AaFK: Lindegaard – Jalasto, Tollås, Skiri, Parr – Arneng, Carlsen, Fredriksen, Stephenson – Roberts, Silva

Bench: Grytebust, Aarøy, Herrera, Phillips, Orry Larsen, Fløtre, Mathiesen