StabaekFotball

We have missed you!

IPlaying monopoly you sometimes need a ”pass by start” card. All we needed was Daniel.

Before the match it was questioned whether Daniel would be ready to play after a prolonged period on the injured reserve list. Would we again see Veigar and Daniel together again as Stabæk’s two strikers – a combination we have not seen since the season opening victory against Odd?

We did – and the combination proved again to be lethal – for the opposition.

8382 spectators at Ullevaal were witnesses to a match that was dominated by the yellow visitors from Kristiansand. Start orchestrated one attack after another - in the opening minutes of the match. The Blues had their hands(!) full defending themselves the first fifteen minutes.

The exception was a Daniel header in the left post after seven minutes. A header that was a signal of better things to come …

First with a precise Veigar pass after in the 27th minutes that was millimeters from reaching Daniel alone before Høie in the Start goal. And only four minutes later – Johan Andersson chases down a loose ball on the Start half of the field. Flat on his back, he is able to pass the ball to an advancing Bjarni, The defender fires away a precise and powerful cross that finds a Daniel who has thrown himself behind the yellow defensive line and he punches the ball into the back of the net with his left foot, behind a shocked Høie. Daniel’s 100th goal for the Blues - the first foreigner ever to attain this impressive number of goals in Norway.

Assistant coach Geit Bakke wanted to see a more aggressive Stabæk in the second half – and he got his wish. The Blues dominated the field from the first kick of the ball of the second half – and never let go of their advantage. The domination of the field did yield results and in the 61st minute Daniel gets his 101st – his second for the day. The goal was yet another one for the ”highlights” reel – receiving the ball on 18 meters, he fires it directly into the left corner of the goal – this time with his seldom used right foot. Høie did not even have to react and was left admiring the ball as it flew past on his right.

Janne Jönsson’s birthday party was well on the way – the evening completed in the 86th minute as Høiland was able to profit from a Jan Banan lay up to set the final result at 3 – 0 to the Blues. And as the final whistle blew Stabæk Support sung “Happy Birthday” to a coach that got exactly what he wanted on his 50th birthday.

Kampfakta: Stabæk - Start 3-0

Foto: Ole Walter Sundlo