Tvedten and Thorsnes calmed the nerves of the premiere when Vålerenga won

finally! Olaug Tvedten (No. 10) cheers with the Vålerenga players after taking a 1-0 lead against Stabæk. On the left, Dijana Stefanovic is a storm. Photo: Justin Magnussen

VALLE (VG) (Vålerenga-Stabæk 2-0) For more than 80 minutes, Stabæk moved away from Vålerenga. Then Olaug Tvedten appeared.

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After a slap in the face at Stabæk, Tvedten appeared and hit the ball into the net after Elise Thorsnes’ attempt was saved.

Five minutes later, Thorsnes increased to 2-0.

Goalkeeper Sunniva Skoglund maintained Stabæk in the match with a number of good saves. She is in the national team coach Martin Sjogren’s block. In the opening match against Vålerenga, the 19-year-old showed why.

– It stood like a wall. It was like that previous match, too. She “shoots” her really well, but she’s also really skilled, Elise Thorsens tells VG.

Skoglund, like Thorsnes, was in the Algarve national team squad in February and impressed with his game and grabbed most of what came from Vålerenga at the season premiere.

1 of 4Photo: jostein / NOT VG-BILDE

And Elise Thorsnes scored two goals in dress rehearsal against Bran. Skoglund stopped her best three attempts – before the goal – tonight, and two of those chances were fantastic.

A brilliant chance by Agnete Nielsen in the 31st minute was an amazing save by Stabæk goalkeeper.

Sunniva Skoglund then also had good help from the sacrificing Stabæk defense who defended bravely – especially in the second half where there was only one thrust towards goal.

In the end, Stabæk had to give up the upper hand.

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Many small clubs are afraid to play 18 “training matches” without sporting consequences.

– They were good at fending off both the outside and the inside for 16 metres. I was really ready to put that ball in the goal when I got it. It was just a tasty disease, says Olaug Tvedten, after sending Vålerenga up front.

And she doesn’t regret having taken the chance at Valringa when she left Avaldnes last summer.

– I felt it was time to take a new step. Vålerenga is a club that invests and has the same ambitions as me. It’s nice to be in a club that you know everyone wants to fight at the top. On a personal level, it was nice to come here and train with such good players every day, says Tvedten.

Nils Lexerød has taken over as Valerenga’s new coach in a season where he will improve to fourth place from last year. He’s had a defense that has barely conceded a goal in training matches.