Eidsvold and Kongsvinger met in the Round of 64 of the Norwegian Cup on Wednesday evening, with the visitors taking a 2:3 victory at Mjølker Stadion. The result sends Kongsvinger through to the next stage while ending Eidsvold's campaign at this level.
Chaminta opened the scoring in the 19th minute for the hosts before Ruud levelled from the spot in the 28th. Johnson then put Kongsvinger ahead in the 40th, and it looked as though the visitors might hold on until Chaminta found an equaliser in the 54th. That was when things turned — by then the momentum had shifted, and Bolso's goal in the 64th gave Kongsvinger the lead they would not surrender.
And here's the thing about cup football: you don't always see it coming. We had Kongsvinger to win this one, confidence at 74 per cent, and the match delivered exactly what we called. Not because the visitors were overwhelming, but because they took their moments when it mattered.
Eidsvold dominated possession at 61 per cent and registered 85 attacks against the visitors' 91, though the away side were more clinical. The hosts managed five shots on target and four off, while Kongsvinger found the net with four shots on target from five attempts. Eidsvold won seven corners to three, and the visitors collected three yellow cards while the hosts stayed clean.
Kongsvinger came into this match having drawn 1:1 with Egersund on Sunday, but before that they had beaten Raufoss 9:1 and shared points with Lin 4:4. Eidsvold's recent form included a 7:2 win over Ullvik-Lin and a 1:2 defeat to Ull/Kisa. The cup format means little separates these two sides on paper, but results on the day are what count.
The away end never stopped throughout, and Kongsvinger held their nerve after Chaminta's second goal should have levelled the tie. To be fair, Eidsvold gave themselves every chance to stay in the match, but they found no answer when Bolso stepped up. Cup football has its own rules, and tonight the visitors understood them better.