The Toppserien season kicked-off on Easter Monday and the winners of the round were LSK who cruised to a big win over ten-man Klepp, elsewhere Avaldsnes, Stabæk and Trondheims-Ørn grabbed second-half wins as both Medkila and Grand Bodø left it late to grab unexpected draws.
Medkila and Sandviken kicked the 2017 Toppserien off in the early kick-off on Monday, the two battling for dominance throughout though a lack of bite in front of goal kept the two deadlocked for all but the dying seconds of the first-half. When Camilla Ervik’s pin-point cross was well met by Sofie Skjelstad Jensen there was nothing Megan Kufeld could do to stop the bullet header from reaching the back of her net in the last action of the half.
The match followed the same flow form most of the second-half with Medkila keen to restore parity but having little luck until the last minutes of the 90. With time fast running out, Krystina Iourdanou whipped her corner in, the ball curling through the air and cresting all the way into the net.
The hosts took an early lead through a superb curled strike from Hanna Dahl from the top of the box, the lead only lasting until half hour however when Sofie Christiansen restored parity from the spot. Edging the match all the way through the hosts once more took the lead ten minutes after the break through Brazilian international Francielle and held onto their advantage, happy to take all three points from an improving Vålerenga team.
Grand Bodø 2-2 Arna-Bjørnar
Dominating from the off against recently promoted Grand Bodø, Arna-Bjørnar finally nudged themselves in front on the scores on the half hour when Amalie Eikeland struck the ball beyond Siiri Välimaa, the Finnish keeper well worked already. Despite their dominance the visitors struggled to find the right final touch to add to their lead but were happy to see their second goal arrive in whatever form. Kristin Risnes’ deep ball in caused enough panic in Amalie Lillevold Johnsen for the defender to volley the ball high over her keeper and into the waiting net.
With a huge slice of luck, Arna-Bjørnar had a deserved two goal cushion but began to take their foot off of the gas and were left shocked when the hosts cut the deficit in two, Trine Skjelstad with a clean header at a corner to send the ball beyond Alyssa Giannetti. The 290 strong crowd left delighted when Synnøve Rønquist Hafnor added a second six minutes later to bring the two level when the referee adjudged the ball to have crossed after the attacker smashed her shot into the top of the bar. The draw more than enough for Bodø as they start out life in Toppserien although Bjørnar will be asking themselves how they were unable to come away with all three points, chance after chance not taken throughout.
Having lost not just a number of influencial players from last year but their coach as well, LSK were in no mood to look like a lesser team as they kicked off their bid for a fourth consecutive Norwegian title.
Sophie Haug set the ball rolling for the hosts in the second minute when she nodded a long ball over the top over an over-committed Oda Bogstad to give LSK an early lead – and open the floodgates. Ingrid Kvernvolden added a second twenty minutes in, her shot from the edge of the box leaving the keeper with little hope as it arced through the air before dropping just under the bar. Synne Hansen made it three just seven minutes later as she nudged Guro Reiten’s low cross past Bogstad and into the far corner.
The day only got worse for Klepp as they were reduced to ten men, ten minutes before the break when Maria Thorisdottir was shown a straight red for protesting after an initial foul on Reiten as her international teammate tried to break into the box.
Still looking lively in attack, Klepp’s defence continued to wheeze and whimper, those in green scattered and not switched on, the flaws highlighted when Haug finished from a yard out, the away defence all around the ball but no one doing anything about it. Tameka Butt able to pounce on a sleepy moment in LSK’s defence as she poked the ball under Cecilie Fiskerstrand from close range, Hege Hansen’s hard work on the left enough to open up the chance.
The good time feelings for Klepp lasted just four minutes before LSK tore through their sloppy defence once more and Reiten got her goal, blasting the ball into the roof of the net in the afters at a corner. Reiten on hand to make it six five minutes after the break when she volleyed Hansen’s deft ball beyond Bogstad. The hosts happy to take their foot off of the pedal for the rest of the match, the game long over, their spot at the top of the tree far from being in doubt.
Stabæk edged their hosts in a tight game at the Røa Kunstgress, the visitors shaded the first-half and took the lead just before the half-hour through Melissa Bjånesøy. The attacker first to respond to Synne Jensen’s dangerous ball into the area which pulled both goalkeeper and defence out of position, Bjånesøy free to prod the ball into the empty net. The hosts got themselves right back into the match five minutes before the break when Lisa-Marie Utland raced onto a long ball and essentially chipped it out of Ingrid Hjelmseth’s gloves as the keeper went to claim on the bounce. The young Norwegian international already wheeling away in celebration as the ball lifted over the keeper and dropped like a stone inside of the near post.
If Stabæk had had the better of it in the first-half the second was a different affair with Røa the team just about on top, despite this, the visitors once more nudged themselves ahead through Bjånesøy when she nodded Cecilie Liane’s neat cross past Kirvil Odden at her near post. The goal five minutes from time enough to settle the tie.
Trondheim took an early lead at home to Kolbotn when Cesilie Andreassen blasted a shot from twenty yards beyond Aurora Mikalsen before Rakel Engesvik doubled the advantage two minutes later, her low ball able to evade the keeper. Two goals to the good and absolutely cruising less than ten minutes in, the hosts weren’t giving Kolbotn much to work with although the visitors were given a boost just after the half-hour courtesy of Juliette Kemppi. The Finnish attacker composed enough to roll the ball between Kristine Nøstmo’s ankles as she came out to close her down, the ball slipping just inside of the far post. Marit Lund completed the first-half turn around for Kolbotn on the stroke of half-time as she thumped her penalty beyond Nøstmo and into the roof of the net.
With the two tied up on the scores, the match was more open after the break but Trondheim continued to dominate, the hosts back on top just before the hour when Engesvik grabbed her brace. The attacker happy to pull the trigger from outside the area, her shot a knuckle ball that bent away from the diving keeper to slam into the back of the net. Continuing to lead the way, the hosts were unable to add to their tally for the day and will be glad to have grabbed all three points, after controlling the game.
