Sandefjord And HamKam Share Points In Jotun Return

Top-flight football returned to Jotun Arena with a hard-fought draw between Sandefjord and HamKam. The match marked the end of the stadium’s summer lull and gave fans a first look at a reshaped home side after key departures.

Jotun Arena shook off its summer silence as Sandefjord Football and HamKam battled to a tense draw in the first Eliteserien fixture back at Nygårdsveien. After weeks of friendlies, show matches and training-ground work, this was the night the stadium returned to its primary purpose: hosting top-tier league drama. Sandefjord came into the match under an unusual spotlight. In the days leading up to kick-off, the club confirmed the sale of central defender Zinedin Smajlovic to Olympiakos and the loan exit of midfielder Robin Dzabic to Degerfors, leaving the coaching staff to reshuffle both the back line and the engine room before the league restart. Those changes were closely watched by a home crowd eager to see whether their team’s strong spring form at Jotun Arena could survive the summer break. On the pitch, the contest delivered exactly the kind of edge that had been billed beforehand: a key test of Sandefjord’s home strength. The hosts pushed to reassert the stadium’s growing ‘fortress’ reputation, but HamKam proved stubborn opponents, keeping the game tight and forcing Sandefjord to work for every half-chance. The shared points at full time meant no celebratory surge in the table, but also no dent in the team’s impressive run of recent home performances. In the stands, the evening felt like a reunion. Season-ticket holders returned to familiar routines, vocal sections reoccupied their corners of the arena and families filled the lower rows, many seeing Sandefjord in league action for the first time since the summer pause. Chants rolled around the compact 6,582-capacity bowl, underlining how quickly the stadium’s matchday atmosphere can jump from quiet to electric. While a win would have been the perfect restart, the draw still leaves Sandefjord with a platform to build on. The new-look defensive structure showed resilience despite the loss of a key centre-back, and the midfield adjusted to life without Dzabic as the game wore on. For Jotun Arena itself, the night marked an important transition: from weeks of off-field activity back to the rhythm of league fixtures. With more home dates looming on the calendar and the club’s home form still intact, supporters left with a clear sense that the stadium’s role as Sandefjord’s battleground is fully back in motion.