Brann secured an important 2-1 home win over Bodø/Glimt in the Eliteserien. The match at Brann Stadion on Saturday was decided by Kristall Mani Ingason, who scored the winner before later being sent off.
The visitors took the lead after 14 minutes when Andreas Helmersen found the net following a pass from Jens Petter Hauge. Brann responded quickly, with Eggert Aron Guðmundsson equalising just five minutes later from a Niklas Castro cross. The first half continued at a high tempo, and Brann's Neraysho Kasanwirjo received a yellow card for a challenge after 24 minutes.
After the break, Brann took control. In first-half stoppage time, Kristall Mani Ingason made it 2-1 with a fine finish from a Noah Jean Holm pass. The celebration was short-lived, however. After 68 minutes, Ingason was shown a straight red card for a serious foul, forcing Brann to play nearly half an hour with ten men. Manager Eirik Horneland also received a yellow card for dissent in the closing minutes.
It was a match full of emotion, said Eirik Horneland. We showed character and found the goals despite having to fight hard with fewer players towards the end.
The statistics show Bodø/Glimt dominated possession with 63 percent and had 17 shots to Brann's six. Still, Brann's defence held firm, with goalkeeper S. Nilsen making seven saves. The victory means Brann remain eighth in the Eliteserien with 26 points from 20 games. The team has now won two matches in a row, and Noah Jean Holm is the club's top scorer this season with six goals.
The win comes after a period of mixed results, and the team will now prepare for their next home match against Viking on October 9th. Viking currently sit second in the table, presenting another major challenge.
Manager Eirik Horneland said the club needed a wake-up call after poor performances. "We have been really weak the last three to four weeks. We have fallen asleep, it has been dead in the environment," he told reporters. He pointed to a 0-2 loss to Start as a catalyst. Captain Fredrik Pallesen Knudsen urged players to focus on effort. The team, sitting seventh with 29 points, has scored 39 goals this season.
Brann has banned a supporter for 15 matches after the individual threw objects at the opposition goalkeeper earlier in the summer, the club stated on its website on Sunday. After the match, tensions rose in the corridors of Brann Stadion as Bodø/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen and Brann assistant Erik Huseklepp argued loudly about Kristall Mani Ingason's red card. "I'm saying the rules state it's a red card," Huseklepp replied.
