Rosenborg moved up a place in the Eliteserien with a 2:0 win at Lillestrøm on Sunday. The visitors took the lead through Noa Donovan Sahsah in the 39th minute and sealed the result with an A. Chiakha strike just before the final whistle. Lillestrøm had dominated possession but could not find the net despite creating three big chances.
Sahsah marked his importance to Rosenborg's attack with the opening goal. He worked into space and finished clinically after a period of sustained pressure from the away side. Lillestrøm pushed back after the break but the visitors held their shape and absorbed the home side's attacks.
Chiakha made it two in the 90th minute, capitalising on a moment of indecision in the Lillestrøm defence. The academy graduate had been on the bench until the restart and his introduction changed the tempo. Lillestrøm's J. Svensson was brought off at 46 minutes but the hosts could not turn the game around.
The match grew increasingly physical as the minutes passed. Lillestrøm's Tomas Nemcik and David Duris both received bookings, while home captain Ponnus Dahl also went to the referee. Rosenborg made changes to see out the result, bringing on Adrian Pereira in the 71st minute and Emil Ceide late on.
And here's the thing about the statistics — Lillestrøm had 55 per cent possession and more attacks, but Rosenborg were more efficient. The visitors registered eight shots on target at 50 per cent accuracy compared to four for the hosts. Three big chances created against two does not tell the whole story of how the game unfolded.
The result takes Rosenborg to fifth on 30 points, three ahead of Lillestrøm in sixth. The Norwegian side had lost their previous two league games before this victory, while Lillestrøm's recent form has been inconsistent with two wins and two defeats in their last four.