20.00 Monday 17th April 2017
Venue: Viking Stadion, Stavanger.
Competition: Eliteserien, game round 4.
Viking went into this game in the worst possible shape: bottom, after a series of nightmare results from their first three Eliteserien games of 2017. However, in complete contrast, Rosenborg had secured three wins from their opening games and sat second in the table.
The team from Trondheim dominated the first half; they looked stronger, fitter and more talented than their Stavanger counterparts. And their dominance was rewarded as early as the 9th minute, when the talented wide man Pål Andre Helland got in behind the Viking left back, Haugen, before clinically dispatching the ball past Austbø from inside the area. The first half continued much in the same pattern, and Rosenborg went close on a number of occasions, both Helland and Bendtner having the best chances to double their lead.
Nicolas Bendtner ambled about up top for Rosenborg, only occasionally showing rare glimpses of his skill and ability that he still possesses. While Mike Jensen ran things in the middle for the industrious Trondheim men, constantly channeling the ball out wide for Helland to do his thing; meanwhile Viking struggled to contain him and often affording him too much space – in truth they were petrified of him.
The second half was much better for Viking, but particularly the last twenty minutes. They came alive, battled and went in desperate search of the equaliser; and they thought they had found it, only for it to be wrongly ruled out by the Assistant — Viking players and fans protested angrily. Shortly after that, André Hansen made several import saves for Rosenborg, most noticeably one that he athletically tipped onto the post before pouncing on the loose ball. Viking’s huffing and puffing continued right up to the final whistle but to no avail. This fourth defeat in a row confined them to more Elitesiren misery and piled early pressure on their new manager: Ian Burchnall. While for Rosenborg, it propelled them back into first place and they appear be looking more and more like champions by the game (even this early in the season).
(Full Time) Viking FK 0-1 Rosenborg BK
9’ Pål Andre Helland.
Attendance: 6,804
Viking FK: Austbø [GK], Mets, Ledger, Haugen, Kronberg, Danielsen [C], Ernemann, Adegbenro (76’ Michalsen), Ryerson, Bytyqi (83’ Bringaker), Appiah.
Rosenborg BK: Hansen [GK], Reniniussen, Skjelvik, Hedenstad, Gersbach, Konradsen, Jensen [C], Midtjsø, Jevtovic (66’ Vilh’on), Helland (90′ Bjørdal), Bendtner.
godfoten 
Bendtner! Wondered where he’d ended up. I remember he was at Notts Forest in the Championship for a while but it didn’t work out, bit like Kiko Macheda when he went there. Good to see he’s finally getting some game time.
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Yeah, you know Bendtner is a strange creature! 🙂 He is the biggest name in this league at the moment. He looked good but his work rate wasn’t too impressive, in my eyes anyway. I loved Macheda, really wished he’d succeeded at United.
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His work rate has never been too impressive haha, always had the quality tho. And yeah I used to like Macheda too, he will always have that goal against Villa. Shame his career has gone downhill, he’s in Serie B now I think.
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