Sarpsborg 08 FF dominated possession but lost 1-3 to KFUM Oslo at home in the Eliteserien. A penalty from Daniel Seland Karlsbakk just before half-time was cancelled out in added time, and the team's defence collapsed in the second half.
The short version
- Result: Sarpsborg 08 FF 1-3 KFUM Oslo
- Scorers: Daniel Seland Karlsbakk (penalty, 45+1') for Sarpsborg. Bjørn Martin Kristensen (24'), Håkon Helland Hoseth (45+2') and Julian Bakkeli Gonstad (73') for KFUM.
- The story: The home side had 57 per cent possession and 22 shots but failed to protect their own penalty area.
Bjørn Martin Kristensen put KFUM ahead after 24 minutes following a pass from Martin Tangen Vinjor. Sarpsborg got a chance to turn the game when they were awarded a penalty in first-half stoppage time. Daniel Seland Karlsbakk, the team's top scorer with six goals in 20 appearances this season, converted to equalise.
The celebration was short-lived. Almost immediately from the restart, Håkon Helland Hoseth scored for KFUM after an assist from Jonas Lange Hjorth. That killed the momentum for Sarpsborg 08, who sit ninth in the Eliteserien with 25 points from 20 games. This defeat marks a poor run of form for Sarpsborg, who have now lost their last two league matches. To reverse this trend, the team must rediscover defensive solidity.
In the second half, the home side continued to press and had eight shots on target. The KFUM goalkeeper made six saves, but Sarpsborg's defence faltered again. Julian Bakkeli Gonstad, who had just come on, sealed the win for the visitors after 73 minutes.
A frustrated team management said after the match that they had the ball and the shots but were not sharp enough in the boxes and made too many mistakes at the back.
Sarpsborg 08 made five substitutions during the match, including early changes at half-time for Claus Babo Niyukuri and Victor Emanuel Halvorsen. Bjørn Utvik received a yellow card in the first half.
The next challenge is away to Aalesund on October 11th, a team currently in 15th place in the table.
