Odd secured a narrow victory away to Notodden in the Norwegian Cup Round of 64 on Wednesday evening. The visitors ran out 3-2 winners at Idrettsparken KG Notodden in a match that swung between the two sides before Odd's superior quality showed through.
Notodden struck first through B. Bjerkan in the twelfth minute, taking an early advantage at home. Odd responded well, with S. Aas finding the net at the twenty-third minute to level the scores before half-time. The second half saw more end-to-end action as D. Soderberg restored Odd's lead at the forty-ninth minute, only for K. Andersen to bring Notodden back into contention at the seventy-second minute.
Odd then took control of the decisive moments. T. Nordbo scored in the fifty-second minute to put the visitors ahead once more, and despite Notodden's efforts to find an equaliser, Odd held firm. The match was further complicated when Notodden's J. Hammerli received a red card in the seventy-ninth minute, reducing his side to ten men.
Odd's dominance was reflected in the statistics. The visitors controlled 66 per cent of possession and created significantly more chances with ninety-five attacks compared to Notodden's seventy-seven. Odd registered ten shots on target against five for the hosts, while also winning ten corners to three.
This result confirms our prediction of an Odd victory, which we backed at 51 per cent confidence. The visitors' experience proved decisive in a match where they showed greater composure in key moments and made better use of their opportunities.
Notodden will take heart from their recent form, having won four of their last five matches including a convincing 4-0 victory over Ossiden. However, they must now regroup and focus on their league campaign after this cup exit.
Odd progress to the next round of the Norwegian Cup, extending their unbeaten run in the competition. The victory comes despite a mixed run of form, with the visitors having lost their most recent league match 1-2 to Raufoss.