Sandefjord Cruise Past Start in Six-Game Home Run Opener
Sandefjord launched their pivotal six-game home run in emphatic fashion on Sunday, thrashing IK Start 3-0 at Jotun Arena in Round 22 of the Eliteserien. After a goalless first half, the hosts were devastating after the break, claiming all three points with a clean sheet. The result moves Sandefjord to 23 points and sends a statement of intent for the games ahead.
Dominant Second Half Seals the Points
Sandefjord controlled the contest from the first whistle, though the opening 45 minutes remained goalless as both sides cancelled each other out at Jotun Arena. The hosts came out with far greater intent after the break, and a clinical second-half performance delivered a commanding 3-0 victory — one of the most convincing home wins of the club's Eliteserien campaign so far.
The result moves Sandefjord to 23 points from 22 matches, while relegation-threatened Start remain deep in trouble at the foot of the table with just 16 points from the same number of games.
Six-Game Home Run Begins in Style
The match against Start was the first fixture in what Jotun Arena has billed as a six-game home run to close out the 2026 Eliteserien season. The stadium had been building anticipation for this extended run of home fixtures, and Sunday's result gave supporters exactly the platform they were hoping for.
With a capacity of just under 6,600, Jotun Arena's intimate atmosphere has long been considered one of Sandefjord's key advantages at home, and the energy inside the ground on Sunday evening was a testament to that.
Table Context and What It Means
For a Sandefjord side that had endured a difficult run of results — including a late Viking equaliser in the previous home match — Sunday's clean sheet and three-goal haul will have been a significant morale boost. The team now sits 11th in the Eliteserien standings, five points clear of the relegation zone, with five home matches still to come in this crucial autumn stretch.
Start, by contrast, find themselves in serious danger at the bottom of the table, and the defeat at Jotun Arena will only deepen concerns for the Kristiansand club as the season enters its final stages.
