Viking finally have lift-off in the Champions League. Two goals from Erik Botheim and one extraordinary minute from Zlatko Tripić carried the Norwegian side to a 4-1 win over Sabah at the Lyse Arena on Wednesday night — their first victory of the league phase, and one that lifts them into the play-off places.
Viking began the night 33rd in the 36-team table with a single point, knowing another home slip would leave their debut league-phase campaign all but over. Sabah, the Azerbaijani champions also playing in the league phase for the first time, arrived a place outside the play-off spots and hunting a second win.
Sabah strike first in Stavanger
The visitors silenced the home crowd after just 11 minutes. Umarali Rakhmonaliev released Orphé Mbina, and the forward finished calmly to give Sabah a shock lead. It was the worst possible start for a Viking side that had already conceded early goals in defeats at Aston Villa and Stuttgart, and the frustration showed in a frantic opening — Kristoffer Haugen was booked inside two minutes, with Gianni Stensness following him into the book before the half-hour.
But this Viking team does not stop scoring at home, and the equaliser arrived on 27 minutes. Haugen made amends for his early caution by setting up Erik Botheim, who levelled at 1-1 and settled the nerves inside a relieved Lyse Arena. The sides went in level at the break, with the match — and both teams' campaigns — hanging in the balance.
Tripić's mad minute turns the game
The decisive moment came midway through the second half, and it belonged to Zlatko Tripić. On 69 minutes the winger stepped up to take a penalty that would have put Viking in front — and missed it. Remarkably, within the same minute, he had put the miss behind him and scored from open play to make it 2-1, sparking wild celebrations among the home fans.
Tripić was not finished. On 81 minutes he turned provider, delivering the ball for defender Henrik Falchener to head home Viking's third and kill off any Sabah hopes of a comeback. There was still time for a flourish deep into stoppage time, as Peter Christiansen set up Botheim to complete his brace at 90+4 minutes and round off a famous European night in Stavanger. The full match timeline is available via the Bundesliga's Champions League live ticker.
So what does it mean?
For Viking, this changes everything. Written off after three matchdays, they climb to 23rd with four points — inside the play-off places — and their home form is the reason: a thrilling 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich in Stavanger, and now this. If the Lyse Arena keeps producing nights like this, nobody will want to draw the Norwegians in the play-offs.
For Sabah, the picture darkens. A third defeat drops them to 31st on three points, and it does not get any easier: Barcelona visit Baku on Matchday 5 on 25 November. Their one win in this campaign came against Slavia Praha — who were beaten again tonight, Arsenal winning 2-1 in Prague — on a night of five-goal drama elsewhere too, as Manchester City edged RB Leipzig 3-2.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Viking's campaign looked dead a week ago; now the Norwegians are dreaming, and deservedly so. Any side that takes a point off Bayern and then scores four in a must-win game has earned the right to believe. Sabah, meanwhile, are learning the hardest lesson in this competition — at this level, one bad half-hour can end your season.
Can Viking hold on to a play-off place, or will reality bite over the final four matchdays? Let us know in the comments.
