Start 1:2 Flekkefjord — Norwegian Cup, Round 1
Start edged past Flekkefjord 2-1 in the first round of the Norwegian Cup on Saturday, with J. Cornelius doing most of the damage. The visitors carried that result into the next stage, though the margin was never comfortable.
And here's the thing — the opening goal arrived exactly at the twenty-minute mark. Cornelius found space where the defence had not yet settled, and that early strike set the tone for everything that followed. It felt less like a break and more like a statement.
By then Flekkefjord had dug in, but Start found a way through again in the seventy-third minute. Cornelius struck a second, this time from a tighter angle, and the visitors were effectively in control of the tie.
The away side still had to survive a late surge. D. Tjorhom pulled one back in the ninetieth minute, giving Flekkefjord a glimmer of hope, but the clock had run out on any comeback.
What stands out is not the volume of chances but the timing. Start did not dominate possession or territory, yet they took their moments when it mattered. Cup football has its own rules, and this was a match decided in three-40-minute fragments rather than sustained pressure.
For Start, the result extends a run that has been uneven at best. They lost 0-1 to Fredrikstad and 0-3 to Viking in their two most recent outings, but the 2-1 win over Kristiansund showed they can still score when required. This cup victory keeps them moving forward, even if the wider picture remains unresolved.
The next round will test whether this performance was a one-off or a sign of something more sustained. For now, the tie is over, and Start have advanced.