Fifteen years have passed since Aalesund FK and SK Brann met in the Cup Final at Ullevaal. Both teams now want to secure a new trip to Ullevaal to bounce back after a slow start to the season. After five matches, Aalesund FK is last in the table, winless and with two points. Aalesund FK has had a tough reunion with the Eliteserien. The Aalesund FK coach explained that a young and newly promoted team has learned a lesson in the league start. After five matches, Brann is in 14th place with one win and four losses. Brann also struggles to get properly started with the league further south.
Brann lifted themselves after the setback in the Eliteserie opening and won 2-1 in the cup quarterfinal over Bryne. Bryne, who came from a 4-2 victory over Rosenborg in the previous round, scored first, despite a large Brann pressure. Paya Pichkah was brought down by Jacob Lungi Sørensen about at the 16-meter mark. The referee believed the foul happened inside the box and awarded a penalty. Nicklas Strunck was sure and scored 1-0. Lungi Sørensen made up for it well after 22 minutes. A corner kick from the right was deflected into the far corner by the Dane. 1-1 was also the score at halftime. Noah Holm, who has had to endure criticism for lack of goals in the Brann jersey, corrected the impression when he used the same body part as teammate Sørensen to turn the match after over an hour. That also became the decision.
Bergen's team is thus ready for the semifinal. Who Brann meets in the semifinal will be clear on Sunday.
In other sports news, Sander Sagosen is up to 941 goals and is the top scorer for the Norwegian men's national handball team. Before the match, the Trønder was three goals behind the national team record of Roger Kjendalen before the duel against Denmark on Thursday. Sagosen could celebrate five net touches in the match, and thus he is alone at the top. Kjendalen used 246 matches to score 939 goals in his career. Sagosen used 194 to surpass it. Kjendalen's record had stood for 28 years.
The match between Denmark and Norway ended in a big loss for Norway. They lost 30-39.