Ravn-Haren double sinks Brann as Intility Arena sees 3-1 home win

Vålerenga beat Brann 3-1 at Intility Arena on Sunday evening, with Ravn-Haren scoring twice in the second half. The teams were level at 1-1 at the break after goals from Sebastian Jarl and Kristian Eriksen. The win is the latest chapter in a busy autumn of home fixtures at the stadium.

A lively first half

Vålerenga took the lead at Intility Arena after 36 minutes, when Sebastian Jarl put the home side in front. TV 2 described the opening 45 minutes as hectic and entertaining.

Brann hit back before the break. Kristian Eriksen fought in the equaliser in the 44th minute, and the teams went into the interval level at 1-1. The visitors had brought a big following to the stadium, and the atmosphere was described as boiling as the goal went in.

Ravn-Haren settles it

The second half belonged to Vålerenga. Ravn-Haren put the hosts back in front in the 63rd minute. He added his second of the afternoon in the 82nd minute to seal a 3-1 win.

The final score gave Vålerenga a home victory in a fixture that had been one of the big dates of the autumn at Intility Arena. It came in Eliteserien round 24 and was shown live on TV 2 Play.

The build-up

Brann had been expected to bring more than 2,500 supporters to the away section. The visiting club's own match preview said tickets were still available in the days before the game. Its supporters were housed in the dedicated away section, sections 201 and 202, the only part of the arena where away-team items are permitted.

Both sides were short of players. Brann were without the suspended Kristall Máni Ingason. Vålerenga also had absences, as reported in our earlier coverage of the build-up. More than 11,500 tickets had been sold before kickoff.

The match was played on the artificial surface at Intility Arena, which has a capacity of 16,556. Kickoff was at 17:00 local time on Sunday evening.

What comes next

The next first-team home fixture is against Tromsø on Sunday, 1 November, with kickoff at 19:15. Before that, Vålerenga II are due to host KFUM II at the arena on Monday, 26 October, kicking off at 19:00.

Intility Arena has had a busy autumn schedule. It has hosted several matches in recent weeks, among them the Eliteserien game with Fredrikstad and Vålerenga II's 4-1 win over Frigg on 10 October. Sunday's victory over Brann added another full evening to that run, and the stadium now turns its attention to the next round of home fixtures.

Sources: tv2.no, fotmob.com, brann.no