In Toppserien, the top two were confirmed when Klepp registered a historic over LSK with Sandviken held by Avaldsnes and AB’s win over Røa counting for little on the day. Elsewhere, Kolbotn claimed a narrow win over Grand to keep their hopes of a strong finish alive with Lyn falling to Stabæk and VIF seeing off TØ.
Arna-Bjørnar 2-0 Røa
In one of the more low scoring matches of the weekend, AB’s win over the Dynamite Girls wasn’t enough to see them keep their Champions League hopes alive as Klepp won elsewhere. A goal to the good ten minutes before the break when Maria Dybwad Brochmann nodded Amalie Eikeland’s cross back across goal to leave the net rippling. The hosts finding a cushion in the match just after the hour when Vilde Bøe Risa volleyed the ball beyond Kirvil Odden.
Avaldsnes 0-0 Sandviken
Having a season to forget and still not safe from the relegation play-off, Avaldsnes did well to dig in in wintery conditions when they hosted Sandviken. Drawing a blank in Rogaland, Sandviken saw their chances of claiming a European berth slip away with their shooting boots left 150km up the North Sea coast.
Lyn 2-3 Stabæk
Still fighting for their safety and most likely heading into the relegation play-off, Lyn took an early lead through Jenny Røsholm Olsen only to be pegged back a minute later by Melissa Bjånesøy – Bjånesøy rather leading the second-half of the season rival for Stabæk. The striker involved again just before the break to send Andrea Wilmann’s deft cross beyond Oda Bogstad.
In what could easily be thought of as a derby, there was scant little to separate the two sides and Vilde Hasund’s strike the other side of the break had the two tied up once again. Denied several times by Bogstad throughout the match, Bjånesøy had the last word when she nodded a corner beyond the young ‘keeper late in the game.
Trondheims-Ørn 1-3 Vålerenga
A goal to the good 38 minutes in when Elin Åhgren Sørum found the back of the net by way of the post from 20-yards, there was little Trondheim could do as VIF found their goalscoring touch.
A ludicrous strike from Sherida Spitse just before half time, enough to start the comeback with Marte Berget’s driven effort on the other side of the break leaving the hosts on the back-foot. The match wrapped up four minutes later when Marie Dølvik Markussen added a third for the visitors, securing all three points in the process.
LSK 2-3 Klepp
Elisabeth Terland’s cleanly struck seventh minute volley set the tone as the LSK Hallen as the hosts looked to keep their 100% record in tact with the visitors vying to wrap up a second-place finish with matches to spare. The lead stood until the 42-minute when Ingrid Kvernvolden hammered Synne Skinnes Hansen’s cut-back home from close range. The hosts not wasting any time, taking the lead three minutes later, Skinnes Hansen down the right again, this time teeing up Guro Reiten.
Talismanic for the Tractor Girls since signing for the 2017 season, Tameka Butt came up trumps for Klepp once again after the break, sending the ball home to restore parity. The match decided not long after the hour when Kirsty Yallop quite exceptionally volleyed the ball into the top left corner from outside the box, writing her name in Klepp’s history.
Kolbotn 3-2 Grand Bodø
In probably the most dramatic of the 3-2 matches in Norway last weekend, Kolbotn snatched all three points in the dying minutes to further Grand’s misery. On the scoreboard three minutes in when Eline Hegg pounced on the loose ball in the box to poke it into the unguarded net. The hosts were pinned back 25 minutes later as Stephanie Ribeiro raced in behind and fired home before she added a second two minutes before the break with a low drive that snuck in at the near post.
With the pendulum swinging back in favour of the hosts, Julie Klæboe restored parity on the stroke of half time with a header that bounced behind Siiri Välimaa. The decisive moment in the match saved for the 88-minute when Marit Lund grabbed her fourth league goal of the season, firing low to get the better of Välimaa.
