Fire without victory in two months:

61 days. Or two months a day if you like. It was then that Brann won the Elite Series for the last time. Against Stabæk in Nadderud (2-0). In the soccer city of Bergen, it is considered a disaster. Kåre Ingebrigtsen was going to elevate the team, and even announced ambitions for league gold in the short term, when he was introduced in August.

Now it smells like Brann’s descent. It was a victory in nine games. Three have ended in a draw. And five have given losses. That is six points. Down to start in qualifying spot (lost to Sandefjord on Saturday 0-1) are five points.

– We are terribly inaccurate. The few times we move forward we become so careful. I’m disappointed. It will be a Hawaii game that we could never control, says Ingebrigtsen after the game to TV Norway.

He is a very disappointed coach Brann after the game. He says they have a lot to work with.

– We are too cautious and too afraid to break through. We will not bring enough people when we play in the future, says Ingebrigtsen.

It looked promising for Brann with the strong wind at the stadium Saturday night. They had taken over. And the biggest opportunity in the first half. Fredrik Haugen hit from a distance, hit the crossbar and sparked hope for the Reds.

– You must realize that we are at war.

Scorer Barmen smiled a bit after a point, like the coach using the word Hawaiian soccer.

– It took us a bit to get the ball into the net. Stabæk takes some initiative before launching a final sprint. But we must realize that we are at war, we need all the points, Kristoffer Barmen tells TV Norway.

Kåre Ingebrigtsen and his newly hired assistant Eirik Horneland, who, like Ingebrigtsen, was assigned the position at Rosenborg as head coach – joked and laughed on the bench – and probably had the feeling of a long-awaited triumph.

But doubts obviously gripped the famous coaching duo, and Brann’s selected eleven players, as Stabæk took the lead after 51 minutes played. Emil Bohinen hit a nifty pass, as he usually does, and when Jon-Helge Tveita helped out with a clumsy bunt, the way was open for Oliver Edvardsen, who easily scored on Håkon Opdal.

Four minutes later came the opportunity to double Stabæk’s lead. However, Marcus Antonsson decided he wanted to do his job and cleared it with a sure header.

Then Brann responded after a long period of pressure. Gilli Rolantsson swung into a corner where Petter Strand put his toe in and struck. Kristoffer Barmen put the tie with his head.

It has been a long time since Stabæk won in Bergen. Brann had four league champions in a row. That statistic, without loss, is five years old. But they are like three points that Brann needs now.

– a bit naive

Bearings that have proven strong at home in Nadderud have been messed up on foreign lawns this fall. Coach Jan Jönsson’s team had zero points in the last two, and 0-6 goal difference, but could have easily won.

– We are good in a strange way. Sometimes we are a bit naive. But we are probably the team with the most opportunities. And this match could have ended with three points, but we have to take one, Jan Jönsson tells TV Norway.

Opdal saved a great opportunity at the end of the match. While Brann “saw the ball in the goal” when Bamba was inches away seconds before the end.

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