Despite continued struggles in Europe, Rosenborg won the Norwegian Cup at a canter.
The Norwegian champions put their Europa League struggles behind them to thrash Strømsgodset 4-1 in the Norwegian Cup Final to record their third domestic double in the past four seasons.
The only blemish on their domestic record since 2015 came at the hands of Oslo club Vålerenga, who knocked the Trondheim club out of the cup at the quarter-final stage in 2017.
Easy win for the champions
The result was in little doubt given the champions were facing a Strømsgodset side that struggled against relegation for much of the season, finishing just two points above the relegation play-off place. That said, the Drammen club managed to beat Vestfossen, Valdres, Bærum, Ranheim, Haugesund, and Lillestrøm to book their place in the final.
Rosenborg reached the Ullevål Stadion showpiece off the back of their fourth consecutive league title and a cup run that saw wins against Trygg/Lade, Steinkjer, Brattvåg, Odd, Vålerenga, and Start.
If a surprise were ever on the cards, it seemed more realistic after just 13 minutes when Mustafa Abdellaoue (Mos) fired Godset in front. But it took just five minutes for reality to return to the Ullevål as Mike Jensen drew Rosenborg level.
Anders Konradsen gave Rosenborg a half-time lead, while second-half goals from Nicklas Bendtner secured the 4-1 win for the men in white.
“It feels lovely”, the Danish international told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet after the match. We were clearly best today and deserved the win. It's good to see that even in a season where we do not always play at our best, we win the double”, he added.
European struggles continue
While Rosenborg celebrate domestic success once again, the gulf in quality of Norwegian football becomes ever more apparent in European competition.
The poor performance and 0-1 defeat to Scottish champions Celtic in front of a crowd well short of capacity last week highlighted the problems Rosenborg and Norwegian football face outside the country. The result was Rosenborg's fifth successive defeat in this season's Europa League.
Despite losing a two-goal lead against Besiktas last week, Sarpsborg still have the opportunity to progress from their group but they must win away at Genk on Thursday.
