Christiansen double sinks Fredrikstad as Viking equal home record
Viking came from 2-1 down at half-time to beat Fredrikstad 3-2 at Lyse Arena, with Peter Christiansen scoring twice in two minutes. It was the club's 17th straight home league win, equalling Bodø/Glimt's Eliteserien record. Viking stay second on 56 points, level with the leaders.
A first half to forget
Viking made the ideal start at Lyse Arena. Simen Kvia-Egeskog put the hosts ahead after seven minutes, set up by Peter Christiansen. Fredrikstad answered before the half-hour, with Bryan Fiabema equalising in the 27th minute after a pass from Gabriel Wesseh.
The visitors then took the lead. Wesseh scored in the 40th minute, with Eid providing the assist, and Viking went into the break 2-1 down. By the interval it was 1-2 on the scoreboard, and the home side had work to do.
Christiansen turns it around
Viking came out for the second half with a very different tempo. Reports from the match say they sometimes played the visitors off the pitch. The equaliser came in the 56th minute, when Christiansen finished after a pass from Kvia-Egeskog.
The winner followed a minute later. Tripic worked down the left flank and found Vetle Auklend, who cheekily back-heeled the ball on. Christiansen was there again to finish. That made it 3-2 and sent the home end into celebration.
The second goal was Christiansen's 14th of the season. It leaves him joint top scorer in the Eliteserien with Rosenborg's Amin Chakha.
Home record equals Glimt's
The result was Viking's 17th consecutive home league win. That equals Bodø/Glimt's record run on home soil in the Eliteserien. Lyse Arena has become a difficult place to visit this season, and the hosts again showed they can recover from a deficit in front of their own supporters.
Fredrikstad had drawn 1-1 in their previous three matches before the trip to Stavanger. They remain eighth in the table on 29 points after 23 games.
Title race stays tight
The three points keep Viking firmly in the title fight. After 23 games they are second on 56 points, level with leaders Bodø/Glimt. Glimt had won 2-0 earlier on the same Saturday, so Viking needed a response, and they produced one. Molde and Tromsø follow on 40 points each, so the top two have opened a clear gap.
Viking's next home fixtures come quickly. They host Tromsø on October 25 and KFUM Oslo on October 28, and the table leaves little room for slips. If they can keep the home record going, the pressure will stay on Glimt.
Sources: abcnyheter.no, flashscore.com
