– I lost my head a little

(Tromsø – Brann 2–4) Brann defender Joachim Soltvedt was able to enjoy two goals in the series opener. However, he was not as proud of the goal celebration.

Because when the Bergen native blew in a beautiful long shot in the second half and made it 3-0, he chose to celebrate in front of Tromsø’s home fans.

After the match, he made an apology to the supporters.

– I did not mean. I wanted to run to my own fans, but it was a bit far, says Soltvedt to TV 2. The full-back gestured as if he was freezing – which may remind you of Chelsea star Cole Palmer’s signature celebration.

– It was stupid of me. I lost my head a little when I scored such a nice goal, says Soltvedt after the match.

Soltvedt also scored 1–0 from the penalty spot. In other words, he was one of the game’s protagonists, along with teammate Bård Finne and Tromsø striker Lasse Nordås.

Only Amahl Pellegrino scored more goals than Finne (16 goals) last season. Pellegrino has now made the trip to the USA – and that makes Finne a hot candidate to become top scorer in 2024.

However, the Bergen native has not fine-tuned his aim yet, because in the opening minutes he burned a number of fat chances.

Fortunately for Brann, he made up for it when he scored a penalty minutes later after a clear felling by Anders Jenssen. Dead ball specialist Soltvedt made no mistakes from the chalk mark.

Then Finne would finally get his score – admittedly one of the lucky kind. Ulrik Mathisen shook himself free on the edge and finished. The ball went via Finne, before it changed direction into the nets behind Haugaard.

– Brann have been very good and are clearly the best here, said TV 2 expert Jesper Mathisen in FotballExtra.

The message from Finne in the break was clear: Brann were full of energy and should maintain the pace for another 45 minutes. At least they opened the half well and increased to 3–0 after a lovely long shot by Soltvedt.

However, Tromsø had not given up and Lasse Nordås ensured a nerve-wracking finish. First he put in a rebound to make it 3–1. He then reduced for the second time after a great solo performance.

However, a small head mist by Anders Jenssen sabotaged the chances of a sensational comeback. Japhet Sery Larsen prevented an early start by Haugaard – which enraged Jenssen. For the outburst he received his second yellow card.

Brann thus gained more control of the match and just before the end it was punctuated when Aune Selland Heggebø headed in 4–2.