Linfield 0-2 Rosenborg

Linfield 0-2 Rosenborg
UEFA Champions League Qualifying First Round, First Leg
Windsor Park
Wednesday 10th July 2019

Despite it being only a matter of weeks since Liverpool lifted the famous ‘big ears’ trophy after beating Spurs in the Spanish sunset, the UEFA Champions League is back for another season of total predictability.

Whilst the qualifying rounds might not produce ‘exciting’ ties - it’s more Pyunik, Flora Tallinn or BATE Borisov than Juventus, Real Madrid or Barcelona at this stage, you are quite likely to get actual champions of European countries locking horns with one another.

This was the case at Windsor Park as Linfield took on Rosenborg - Northern Ireland versus Norway - and an underdog in the hosts, against opposition who are relatively well-known across the continent having been regulars in the group stages throughout the 1990s.

This trip was too good to turn down due to £15 flights each way from Manchester and several hostels (with breakfast included - always a bonus) in the region of £10 per night. It also represented a chance for me to visit a new country and simultaneously see a game at the country’s National Stadium.

I was quite impressed with Windsor Park even though it fits perfectly into the category of being one of those stadiums which has undergone extensive redevelopment work to turn it into an all-seater bowl. Capacity seems just about right - not too big for ‘small’ games nor too small for ‘big’ games - and the area it’s located in definitely adds a touch of nostalgia and unique charm to a visit.

The Titanic was built only a couple of miles down the road from Windsor Park close to the Harland & Wolff shipyard, and on this wettest of summer nights David Healy’s side were certainly left with a sinking feeling as Rosenborg dominated events on the pitch to put themselves in a commanding position ahead of next week’s second leg.

It was plain sailing for the Norwegians, who navigated their way well and ultimately cruised to a comfortable win with goals either side of the interval. Although Linfield did threaten sporadically, they rarely looked capable of scoring as the gulf in class was very obvious to even the most biased and blinkered of daft football fans.

Around 30 or so folk from Trondheim made up the overall attendance of 2,700 and they’ll no doubt be drowning their sorrows if their team somehow screw things up in the second leg.