Vålerenga Fotball took the lead but ultimately fell 4-3 to Molde in a wild goal-fest at Intility Arena. The match, broadcast on TV 2, featured seven goals before halftime and leaves Vålerenga with 21 points in the Eliteserien. This was the club's ninth loss of the season.
Molde opened the scoring. Martin Linnes found Emil Breivik, who laid the ball off for Eirik Hestad to make it 1-0. Vålerenga quickly turned it around. Henrik Bjørdal hit the far post with a header, and Lucas Haren tapped in the rebound for 1-1. Then, 15-year-old Gabriel Rajkovic won the ball in Molde's half. Bjørdal took over, his shot deflected off a defender, and the ball fell to Mathias Grundetjern who scored from an angle for a 2-1 lead.
Molde equalised just before the half-hour. Oscar Hedvall saved a shot from Oskar Spiten, but the rebound went back to Spiten who found Sondre Granaas. He curled the ball into the top corner for 2-2. Before halftime, a defensive error cost Vålerenga. Ivan Näsberg and Hedvall collided going for a cross, allowing Jalal Abdullai to score easily for a 3-2 Molde lead. Caleb Zady Sery extended the lead to 4-2 on a rebound. Just before the break, Carl Lange pulled one back for Vålerenga to 3-4 with a feint and shot into the far corner.
The second half was a more stable affair with no further goals. Both teams tightened up defensively. Vålerenga came close to an equaliser before the 60th minute when Aaron Kili Olsen headed a corner towards the far corner, but Daniel Daga cleared it off the line with his heel. In stoppage time, Ole Sæter hit the crossbar with a free kick. Molde manager Sindre Tjelmeland called the first half "helt sinnssykt". Vålerenga captain Henrik Bjørdal admitted defensive frailties. "Som lag står vi for dårlig defensivt og slipper til altfor lett," he told reporters.
The win consolidates Molde in fourth place, five points behind Tromsø. For Vålerenga, the situation is different. With 21 points, they are five points clear of Kristiansund, who occupy the relegation playoff spot. This was the team's second match in a row without a loss, following a 5-5 draw with Aalesund on August 16th. Their most recent result before this was a draw, giving them a form line of 0 wins, 1 draw and 0 losses from the last match.
Johannes Moesgaard's side now have time to process this defeat before their next challenge. Vålerenga's next fixture is away to Sarpsborg 08 FF on September 6th. It will be an important opportunity to pick up points and build on the defensive stability that was partly shown in the second half. For a full overview of upcoming matches, see our fixtures page. Player profiles and statistics are available on our squad and stats pages.
