It was a gigantic upturn for Molde when they managed to sign Per-Mathias Høgmo after sacking Erling Moe. – Moe, who is now assistant to Ole Gunnar Solskjær in Turkey, was unable to lead Molde to play in Europe.
On Sunday, it was ready for another downturn for Molde – Lost 3 – 0 against Sandefjord at Jontun Arena.
A lack of play in Europe is not acceptable to the bosses at Aker Stadion, but now, if nothing drastic happens, it can happen again. The festive mood is gone after Per-Mathias Høgmo started the Eliteserien season with two straight losses and not only that, Molde are awkward, disorganized and more reminiscent of an OBOS league team than someone who will fight out in Europe.
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Even before the game, TV 2 expert Simen Stamsø Møller believed that Per-Mathias Høgmo does not have very much time to convince the Molde supporters.
Molde continues their weak start to the elite series with another defeat, this time 0-3 against Sandefjord away from home. Icelandic Stefán Ingi Sigurdarson was the hero of the match with two goals before halftime, while Sandefjord celebrated their first win of the season after their opening loss to KFUM.
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After a disappointing 0-2 loss to Sarpsborg in the first round of the league, Molde hoped for a reaction – but the team was overrun by a dominant Sandefjord team.
The home side took control early on and opened the scoring after 23 minutes, when Sigurdarson nodded in a precise cross from Evangelos Patoulidis.
Molde got another bang when Mats Møller Dæhli had to be substituted after a hard duel, and before half-time Sigurdarson made it 2-0 with a perfect shot in the corner.
In the second half, Molde tried to reduce the deficit, but Sandefjord finished convincingly ten minutes before the end. A bad kick-off from Mads Enggård led to Elias Jemal being able to make it 3-0 after an assist from Sebastian Holm Mathisen.
It was a very happy Sandefjord coach Andreas Tegström who spoke to the fans after the game. Molde’s social media, on the other hand, has been silent…
Molde will face reigning champion and league leader Bodø/Glimt at home on April 21, but first a cup match against Elnesvågen awaits. Sandefjord plays Teie in the cup before they meet Fredrikstad in the series.
Per-Mathias Høgmo returned to Norway this autumn after leading the Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds for nine months.
