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(Qarabag – Molde 0-0, 5-6 after penalties) Etzaz Hussain (27) missed the penalty. Then the teammates did well again. Now Molde is one step away from the Champions League.
The drama of qualifying in Cyprus went all the way to the penalty shootout after Hussain failed his attempt during extra innings.
Ohi Omoijaunfo, Fredrik Aursnes, Eirik Hestad, Tobias Christensen, Martin Ellingsen and Kristoffer Haugen took responsibility and scored on six of the six penalties.
Andreas Linde saved Qarabag’s sixth penalty and Molde is ready for the Champions League play-off. There he awaits strong Norwegian Tokmac Nguen and his Ferencváros, who beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 on Wednesday night.
El Molde has already earned at least NOK 130 million in revenue, as they are guaranteed matches in the Europa League group stage, as well as a solidarity bonus in the event of a loss to Ferencváros.
A double deal win against the Hungarians will make Molde the first Norwegian team in the Champions League group stage match since the 2007/08 season when Rosenborg took part.
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A place in the most generous European company will also mean at least NOK 150 million in start-up bonuses, as well as significant TV revenue and any bonuses for a win or draw. In total, Molde can expect up to NOK 250 million for such an achievement.
– A fantastic achievement from Molde, says VGTV commentator Thomas Myhre.
Was pressed
There was no major football performance in Cyprus, where the settlement had been relocated as a result of Molde not being exempted from the quarantine obligation upon returning from Azerbaijan, which is not in Schengen / EEA.
But the opportunities that came, it was Qarabag who represented: Dribbling fan Abdellah Zoubir was the big concern for Molde’s defense in the first half, but he missed the first opportunity before the break.
After the break, the Moroccan got a double chance, but once again the coach showed that the shots are not his strongest side.
Later in the second half, Qarabag striker Maher Emreli was twice able to put his team ahead behind the posts on the right, but the Azerbaijani player was not clinical enough.
For Molde, it was above all about keeping a low profile, keeping opponents out of the greatest dangers and taking advantage of the counter-attack opportunities that appeared. At full time, Erling Moe’s men hadn’t created a single great scoring opportunity; Eirik Hestad was the closest with a header from an oblique angle that lacked power.
Missed penalty
After regulation time, Qarabag was 6-1 in goal. The Molde players were clearly tired and left Emreli in another great opportunity at the start of the first extra inning, but once again goalkeeper Andreas Linde was on the roster.
But then, as most of it seemed to be about weathering the storm and securing a decision on penalties, Ohi Omoijuanfo went to the ground on the field. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. Etzaz Hussain took the ball, put it on the chalk, stepped forward and sent the ball straight to the goalkeeper. He had to come back, right over Hussain, but the midfielder also took advantage of the bonus opportunity, which he sent over the goal.
But Hussain’s teammates learned from their mistake and threw six of six hits when it mattered most, before Andreas Linde became the big hero with his save.
The play-off matches against Ferencváros will be played on September 23 and 29.
See more Champions League stats on VG Live.
