Ham-Kam and Aalesund played out a 1:1 draw in the Eliteserien on Sunday evening. The result keeps both sides in the middle reaches of the table, with Ham-Kam sitting tenth and Aalesund fifteenth after nineteen games each. And here's the thing about matches like this — the scoreline rarely tells the full story.
E. Osenbroch opened the scoring for Ham-Kam in the forty-fifth minute, just before half-time. Aalesund responded quickly, with M. Gjone finding the net in the fifty-fifth minute to level matters. The game had its share of stoppages, with P. Aukland brought off for Aalesund in the twenty-fourth minute and M. Reed replaced in the fifty-fourth. To be fair, neither side managed to create much after that.
Ham-Kam dominated possession at 59 per cent and launched 109 attacks, compared with 79 for Aalesund. They registered six shots on target and created two big chances, while Aalesund could muster only two shots on target and generated none. The visitors made more clearances — 43 to 25 — and their goalkeeper had to make six saves against one for the home side. By then it was clear Aalesund would have to defend deep.
There were three substitutions for Ham-Kam — B. Isufi and K. Lonebu in the seventy-eighth minute, with P. Metcalfe coming on at ninety — while Aalesund made two changes, bringing on F. Sjolstad in the fifty-sixth. Yellow cards went to D. Benjamin for Ham-Kam in the twentieth, S. Haram for Aalesund in the twenty-eighth, and A. Trondsen late on in the eighty-ninth.
The points leave Ham-Kam on 23 and Aalesund on 18, a gap of five separating them in the table. Ham-Kam have won six and lost eight this season, while Aalesund have won three and lost seven. Neither side has much to play for at this stage, which might explain why the game lacked urgency in the final quarter.