Viking made light work of Brann in a dominant display at Stadion, securing a 2-0 win that keeps them firmly in the title hunt. Heggheim opened the scoring in the 11th minute with an assist from Bjørdal, then added a second assist just nine minutes later to set up Christiansen's strike on 20 minutes. Brann never really got going, and Viking's evening was complicated only by a red card to Askildsen on 39 minutes — a dismissal that came after the damage was already done.

Our model leaned Viking at 46% to win before kickoff and got the result direction right, though it backed the wrong scoreline. We'd predicted a 1-3 finish, expecting a tighter contest and goals at both ends. What actually unfolded was a more clinical performance from the visitors: they got their chances, they took them early, and then a man down they shut Brann out completely. The pre-match picture favoured Viking on form and motivation — they're chasing the title while Brann sat mid-table with little to play for — and that gap in stakes showed itself plainly in the opening half.

The match did break from our expectation of a higher-scoring affair, which hinged partly on the assumption that Brann would get at least one past a Viking defence that'd previously conceded freely. That didn't happen. Sometimes a side plays well on the road, takes its chances, and stifles the opposition. This was one of those nights for Viking.