In the Eliteserien game on 20 September 2026, Sandefjord beat Start 3:0. Match numbers: shots on target 6:0, corners 5:4.
Match report
Sandefjord beat Start 3:0 in the Eliteserien on Saturday at Rilis Arena, a result that keeps the hosts in 14th place on 20 points while Start drop further to 16th with 16 points from 20 games. The match ended without incident after a red card shifted the balance early in the second half.
Ervin Gigovic opened the scoring in the 64th minute, and here's the thing — it came after Start had already played with 10 men since Ousmane Diallo Toure's dismissal in the 56th minute. Edvard Sundbö Pettersen doubled the lead in the 72nd, and Mathias Sauer added a third in the 80th. To be fair, Start's goalkeeper made three saves after that, but there was nothing else for him to do.
The statistics tell the story of a match where Sandefjord controlled the tempo. They held 58 per cent possession, took 13 shots to Start's six, and created one big chance against none for the visitors. Shots accuracy sat at 38 per cent for the hosts, which is decent when you consider they needed only three attempts to score.
We had called for a Sandefjord win in our preview, and it came through. Not because they dominated every phase — the data shows Start had more attacks (102 to 103) and more corners (four to five) — but because they punished the moment when Toure went off. By then, Start had already lost their defensive structure.
The result leaves Sandefjord four points above Start with two games remaining. Neither side is in danger of relegation, but Start's form has been inconsistent: they beat Brann 2:0 and Windbjart 3:2 in their last two, but they lost to Aalesund 2:0 and struggled against Kfum Oslo 4:1. Sandefjord have been more erratic — a 15:0 win against Egersund followed by a 2:3 loss to Bodø/Glimt — but this performance felt measured.
