– I’m from Bodø, you know. The 194-centimetre right-footed centre-back assures news’s broadcaster that he has no problems joining outside Aker Stadion – in shorts – to take some photos for this article. It is freezing cold in Molde this morning while we are visiting, the wind is bitter and blowing from all sides, but news’s photographer really wants to take some pictures out towards the sea gap, which is the stadium’s nearest neighbour. At least he is not afraid of freezing, this Øyvann, and goes out into the cold without hesitation. CHALLENGE: In the bitter cold, Øyvann had no problems taking pictures outdoors – in shorts. Photo: Erlend Havsgård Martinsen / news Øyvann has been anything but ice-cold on the football pitch this season, which has become his big breakthrough in Norwegian football. First, he contributed strongly to Tromsø’s excellent start to the season, and the good performances have only continued since he was bought by Molde in August for over NOK 15 million. – I think Ståle is looking extra In fact, the 24-year-old, who had his birthday as recently as two days before the cup final, has been so good over time that Molde coach Erling Moe says it bluntly: Øyvann can be the solution to the A national team’s stopper problem. – I have already launched him, and to be completely honest, I think Ståle (Solbakken) will take an extra look at him throughout the winter, says Moe to news. Video for the cup broadcast 2023 On Saturday, the national team manager can get a good opportunity to do just that, when Øyvann plays in the cup final against Bodø/Glimt, the club he supported and played for from 2004 until 2019. – That makes it extra special for me, says Øyvann itself. It was for his favorite club Bodø/Glimt that he envisioned success as a footballer. It didn’t work out that way. The wreck of Knutsen Towards the end of 2019, he received the heavy message that he was no longer wanted at the club. – I was weighed too lightly. That’s how it is sometimes. At the end of 2019, I was told that there was no place for me there in 2020, he says to news. THAT TIME: This picture was taken when he got a professional contract with Bodø/Glimt in June 2018. Photo: Privat It was Glimt’s success coach Kjetil Knutsen who didn’t want to bet on him at the time. The same coach he will face at Ullevaal on Saturday. – What do you think about the wreck today? – I didn’t agree, then. I see that I would not have been ready to go straight into an eleven and play a lot of matches. But I felt that I had the potential to eventually earn a place there. When I didn’t get it, it became a motivation for me to show that they are wrong and that I can still be a good player, he says. – No regrets at all To news, Knutsen answers momentarily when we ask if he regrets letting Øyvann go: – No, I have no regrets at all. There is a reason why Kasper has been successful as a footballer, begins the Glimt boss. – Like many other players, if you are not among the very, very best when you are 17, 18, 19 years old, then you often have to take a slightly longer route. Those players often end up being very good if they have the patience and the drive to do so. But then they are dependent on playing matches and having a position in a group. He was too far away from that when he was in Glimt, Knutsen believes. LET HIM GO: Kjetil Knutsen did not want to bet on Øyvann. On Saturday, they meet in the cup final. Photo: AFP The Glimt manager believes the choice was the right one for both parties. – It was important for me to be honest with him that he had to find his own way. Therefore he traveled a little further north, got to play for Tromsdalen, was very good there, went to Tromsø, took another step and was very good, and now he has gone to Molde. So it’s really classic player development, if you ask me, so I’m very happy that he has succeeded, says Knutsen. – Is a bit extra When asked by news what it would be like to win against Kjetil Knutsen and the team that did not want to bet on him, Øyvann replies: – Of course it would have been good. But that is probably primarily because there is a title at stake. It would have been good to beat Vålerenga too, if they had reached the final. It’s a little extra, but it’s not like I have any bad feelings towards them, he assures. And as Øyvann himself points out: – It is difficult to say that they have made so many mistakes when you see how they have done it since 2019, so in that sense it is difficult to say so much about it. But I felt myself that I had the potential to become a good player. So it’s good to be left with that feeling, he says. Kjetil Knutsen is in Bodø and has just celebrated the club’s third league gold in four years. – Do you wish you had Øyvann in your squad today? – I don’t think so. I am very happy with the players I have in the squad. But because Kasper is the great boy he is, I am incredibly happy that he has succeeded. But we will do everything we can to ensure that he does not have his best day on Saturday. Kick-off on Saturday is 16.00. Watch the cup final between Molde and Bodø/Glimt on Saturday on NRK1 or listen to the match on news Sport on the radio. This is how the cup final affects the European places of Norwegian teams If Glimt beats Molde in the cup final: 1st place Eliteserien (Glimt): Champions League qualification 2nd place Eliteserien (Brann): Europa League qualification 3rd place Eliteserien (Tromsø): Serie league qualification 4th place Eliteserien ( Viking): Series league qualification If Molde beats Glimt in the cup final: 1st place Eliteserien (Glimt): Champions league qualification 2nd place Eliteserien (Brann): Series league qualification 3rd place Eliteserien (Tromsø): Series league qualification 4th place Eliteserien (Viking): No place in European games 5th place Eliteserien (Molde): Europa League qualifier Johannes Kaste, developer of the website Fotcalc.com, which is devoted to making it easier to follow the coefficient of Norwegian and foreign club teams and the prize money each team reaps from play in Europe, believes it is best for Norwegian football if Molde wins the final. This is because the chances are greater that Norwegian football’s so-called coefficient increases with Molde’s participation. – The coefficient is important for Norwegian football because it determines the quota of how many European places Norwegian football will have. It also governs which rounds the clubs start their qualification in. The higher Norwegian football is ranked, the easier it is for our clubs to achieve good results. Molde will be seeded in more qualifying rounds than Tromsø/Brann/Viking because Molde has far more of its own coefficient points than them. Coefficient points are also what determine the seeding in most qualifying rounds. Therefore, Molde will face easier opposition than any of the other three clubs, says Kaste to news. Norwegian football is currently in 16th place in this ranking. The position at the end of the season (around May 2024) determines our European places for the Eliteserien/Cup 2024. All European quotas can be found by following this link. – There you can see that 15th place is considerably better than 16th place. Therefore, it is very beneficial for Norwegian football if we manage to stay within the top 15 until the end of the season, Kaste points out. Was called in to the boss after a Tiktok parody 01:07 Rumors that she has a biathlon boyfriend 01:08 Refuses to go if Russian athletes get the 2026 Olympics 00:34 Bodø/Glimt’s success – was there a mistake with « The Matrix”? 01:02 Show more
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– No regrets at all – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
