Tonight: Watch the return match Ferencvaros-Molde (3-3) from kl. 20.30
Apart from Rosenborg, there are no other Norwegian teams than Molde that have played Champions League football. It happened in the 1999/00 season. Then the Moldans went to group games in the Champions League after beating teams like CSKA Moscow and Mallorca on the road.
At the time, Mallorca was one of Spain’s best teams. A few months before the double settlement against Molde, the island team had become number three in the series and lost 1-2 in the cup winners’ cup final against Lazio.
True, the religious star goalkeeper Carlos Roa had lined up in anticipation of doomsday, but with players like Miquel Soler, Vincente Engonga, Lauren, Ariel Ibagaza, Jovan Stanković and a young Diego Tristan in the stable, few expected Molde to move on after 0 -0 in the first settlement at Røkkeløkka. That the Moldans had sold important Trond Andersen to Wimbledon between the two qualifying rounds did not help either.
– Unbearably exciting
There was a witch’s pot waiting on the holiday island.
– I remember it was damn hot. The humidity meant that it was almost 40 degrees, says Erik Brakstad, Molde’s coach at the time.
– It boiled in all possible ways. It was a shock for us to get there. We just managed to get a little used to the heat before we were going to play a game. I didn’t even manage to get really nervous, says Knut Anders Fostervold. He was the team captain in the decisive return match.
Stanković’s penalty goal 21 minutes into the match seemed to be the only one of the match for a long time. Then Molde got a penalty kick six minutes before the end.
– What is left was that we got a goal canceled in advance of the penalty kick. Nobody understood what had happened, but luckily we got the penalty kick. It was unbearably exciting. Andreas was a cold fish, Brakstad recalls.
– THE DAY THEN: Molde coaches Erik Brakstad (center) and Reidar Vågnes (left) received good care at the hotel after the victory over Mallorca. Photo: Kjell Herskedal, SCANPIX Photo: Kjell Herskedal
–
– I remember it was an even and close match. In the situation that ended with a penalty kick, Thomas Mork put the ball in goal first. Then the referee blew and canceled. Then I thought, “Oh yes, we are there. It’s that kind of away game ». We were sure we were convicted, but instead we were punished. Hopelessness was turned into joy, Fostervold adds.
Smoke celebration in the wardrobe
After a few nerve-wracking minutes, the Molde gang was able to let go of the cheers. In the stands, Kjell Inge Røkke and Celina Midelfart waved the Molde scarves before joining the players at the celebration in the locker room.
– I remember the scenes with Kjell Inge Røkke and Celina Midelfart who came storming and cheering into the locker room when we changed. It was amazing. Everyone ran around naked when they came rushing in. They were so happy – really happy. It was one of the strongest – the jubilation scenes in the wardrobe with Røkke, Celina Midelfart and the whole package. I think we all remember that. I think Kjell Inge thinks it was big too, chuckles the former Molde captain.
SUPER COUPLE: Kjell Inge Røkke and Celina Midelfart were one of Norway’s biggest celebrity couples in 1999 and the early 2000s. Photo: Thomas Bjørnflaten
–
–
– It was a special feeling. I remember lying in the pool with the team doctor, Kjell Erik Strømskag, and looking at the starry sky that night. It was a special experience. It was only when it sank in, he continues.
Replaced at break due to birth
The Champions League adventure itself stopped after six group games. Five losses and one victory was the deciding factor after matches against Porto, Olympiakos and Real Madrid. Both Brakstad and Fostervold believe the sale of Andersen was unfortunate in terms of the opportunities to advance from the group stage.
– Internally, of course, we were not happy with it. He was an important building block in our team. We players were not happy that he was sold, but we understood why it happened. It was a lot of money at the time, says Fostervold.
– Had Trond played for us in the group game, we would have taken points at home against Porto and Real Madrid. In retrospect, I have seen the Olympiakos match again. I do not think there have been better matches played at Molde Stadium than the second round we had against Olympiakos, says Brakstad.
Fostervold started the first four matches in the Champions League. He did not leave for Porto due to his impending birth. The baby waited, so Fostervold took the chance to play the home game against Real Madrid a week later.
– I had to leave after 45 minutes. I later learned that we lost 0-1. It was a bit awkward to be so close, but that’s just the way it is. Real Madrid won the Champions League that season, so it was no nonsense. It was a special evening in many ways. It was a wonderful day, I will never forget it. He (the baby) came just after midnight, so I managed to attend the birth, says Fostervold.
Optimists
Molde is now on the threshold of a new Champions League adventure. After 3-3 in the first match, Molde must win in Budapest. The 1999 Champions League heroes are strong in the faith.
– It must be played for empty stands. Then away does not mean much. The referees are not affected in the same way as they can be in normal away games. I think it is entirely possible. What Molde showed the first half hour in the second half last is at such a high level that I feel it is entirely possible. I am much more optimistic than the result in the first settlement would indicate. At the maximum level, Molde is better than Ferencvaros. It was very unfair that Molde did not win the previous settlement, Fostervold analyzes.
Brakstad believes Molde would have been stronger if a clear first student had been drilled from the start of the season.
– Everything depends. It’s a little more twisted with 3-3. That means the battle must be won. Molde’s away form in the series has been very weak. Molde has changed a lot on which players start, and I do not think that is an advantage. Against Ferencvaros today we naturally see the best crew. In 1999, it was the eleven best who played. You can also see it on Bodø / Glimt. They play match after match with the same team. It is incomprehensible that they do not do it here in Molde as well, says Brakstad, who adds that injuries are partly to blame.
The ex-coach believes that the Champions League showcase means that the money you get for participation, up to NOK 250 million, comes in handy.
– It is a huge achievement if they manage it. It generates a lot of money as well. When Molde gets into such situations, players are usually bought up, and then it can be okay with a few extra crowns in the box office, he says.
–
