Bayern Munich did not drop a single European match point against teams from Cyprus, Poland, Albania, and Luxembourg. It is not particularly surprising against some of Europe’s ‘football minnows.’ With all due respect.
You cannot call Norway a ‘minnow’ in a football context, especially when you look at the development over the last couple of years.
Historic games on Norwegian soil
The youth academies are innovative and have produced players such as Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard. Also, clubs from the land of the fjords have achieved significant results in European competitions over the last decade.
But Bayern never lost a single match to a Norwegian squad. In nine games against the Scandinavian country, there were seven victories and two draws.
The two surprising results occurred in less than two years. Bayern visited Rosenborg BK at home during the Champions League campaigns of 1999/00 and 2000/01. In the 1999 match, Ottmar Hitzfeld’s side opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Carsten Jancker.
Goalkeeper Jørn Jamtfall conceded a well-placed shot. An equally surprising volley from Bent Skammelsrud earned the home side a deserved point.
A season later, Bayern returned to the home of the Troillongans. Again, Bayern drew in central Norway. On matchday six of the group stage, it even seemed that Hitzfeld's side would be beaten. Just two minutes before the final whistle, Jens Jermies produced the equalizer. Icelandic goalkeeper Árni Arason could not save the shot toward the far post.
But there are examples of more predictable results. For instance, in 1977, Bayern faced Mjøndalen IF in the European Cup. The South Germans, coached by Dettmar Cramer, had already won 8-0 in Munich.
In Drammen, Arild Mathisen’s side showed no mercy, as Wolfgang Rausch, Peter Gruber, Rainer Künkel, and Kurt Niedermayer secured a 12-0 aggregate victory.
Viking- Relegated in 2018, playing Champions League in 2026
Now back to the current era of Norwegian football. As mentioned before, the ‘Football Vikings’ are working toward a comeback on the international stage, thanks in no small part to the real Vikings from Stavanger. They were crowned champions last year after a 35-year wait. Some Scandinavian clubs used the ‘Moneyball method’ to raise funds and be successful again.
But not Viking. They relied on a solid youth academy, a responsible transfer strategy, and some revolutionary approaches. Viking is the first European top team to have two coaches leading the squad.
In 2020, the head coach was dismissed. The board had to choose between assistants Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen. Instead, both trainers offered to share the job as a ‘Siamese twin’.
The arrangement has earned widespread praise in the football world. More importantly, Viking's results speak for themselves. You must imagine Viking being relegated in 2018.
Viking are brave with their style of football
From there, the club had to take a long road back to the top, culminating in their first Champions League appearance. To qualify for that competition, they beat Dinamo Zagreb in the play-offs.
Attacking with flair. Solid scouting. Use improvisation and cheekiness. All the modern ‘Scandinavian football ingredients’ are present. At official press conferences, the coaches said they want ‘seven or eight players’ to commit to attacking, rather than relying on counterattacks.
This was evident in their first Champions League match against Stuttgart. At the MHPArena, Norway's current number one lost 3-1. But they did not just park the bus.
Player to watch out
Zlatko Tripić is the 'player to watch' at Viking Stadion on Tuesday. The Norwegian has Croatian roots. In 2024. he was named player of the year in Norway. He also played several international futsal matches for the national team. This was between 2017 and 2019.
Scandinavian athletes are therefore widely recognized as the ‘Viking kings’ of indoor sports. Yet they have also shown the football world that they can be inventive outdoors—as Stavanger should show once again on Tuesday.
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