Vålerenga show their fighting spirit

Vålerenga IF came from two goals down to earn a draw with SK Brann in the all-Norwegian clash in Royal League Group 2. After losing their opening fixture to IFK Göteborg in the second group stage, Brann got off to a great start with Morten Knudsen firing them ahead after just four minutes.

Fightback begins
When Charlie Miller increased their lead in the 30th minute, Brann looked on course for the win. But Vålerenga, despite their struggles in the first half, had other ideas and pulled a goal back 20 minutes into the second half through Stefan Ishizaki.

Berre's there
Vålerenga upped the tempo and pushed Brann further back. Despite continued pressure it looked as though Vålerenga would be frustrated, but three minutes from time Morten Berre got the better of the Brann goalkeeper to score a much-deserved equaliser.

Vålerenga's chance
The result means that IFK maintain their two-point lead but Vålerenga can overtake them when they come face to face on 2 April in the group’s postponed opening game.

Rosenberg shine
The latest Group 1 fixture provided a platform for Marcus Rosenberg to continue his excellent week. After winning a place in Sweden’s squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifying game against Bulgaria, the 22-year-old striker scored a fabulous goal to give Malmö FF a 1-0 win against FC København.

Chances aplenty
It came in the 14th minute when Rosenberg raced past the FCK defenders and blasted the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net. After that both sides created a number of chances and could easily have gone in at the break sharing a 2-2 scoreline. Rosenberg twice came close again for Malmö while FCK’s Peter Möller saw his header tipped over the bar.

Abelsson denied
The second half saw the tempo reside. Malmö eased off after Peter Abelsson hit the bar after 50 minutes and shortly after Niklas Skoog came close. Malmö’s defensive attitude made it hard for FCK to create any real chances but the equalising opportunity did arrive as Martin Silberbauer threatened but Jospeh Elanga was quick enough to clear away the danger. The win puts Malmö into second place, one point behind Rosenborg BK.