Zlatko Tripić delivered the first blow to Bayern Munich, then supplied the ball that denied them victory. His corner gave Viking FK an early lead; his cross in the 90th minute set up Herman Haugen’s equalizer. Between those moments, the Norwegian champions turned a 2-0 advantage into a 3-2 deficit before recovering for a 3-3 Champions League draw in Stavanger.
For a club that played in Norway’s second tier in 2018, the night marked another step in Viking’s route from relegation to the Champions League. This was their first home match in the competition’s new league phase, against a Bayern team that had beaten fellow Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt 5-0 in its opener. Viking were within reach of a famous win, but their first league-phase point would have to be earned twice.
It took less than two minutes to unsettle the visitors. Tripić’s corner found Gianni Stensness, who headed past Jonas Urbig. Bayern had plenty of the ball in response, but the home side was prepared to attack the space their opponents left behind.
That approach produced Viking’s second goal in the 38th minute. Erik Botheim sent Peter Christiansen away on a counterattack, and the Danish forward finished beyond Urbig. Bayern had dominated the first-half shot count, 13 to three, yet went into the interval two goals down. The score reflected Viking’s efficiency far more than the balance of possession.
Vincent Kompany responded by changing three players at halftime, introducing Alphonso Davies, Dayot Upamecano and Ismael Saibari. Bayern’s attacking pressure was about to become goals, and Viking’s biggest night in years threatened to turn into a painful reminder of the gulf between the teams.
Bayern came back, but Viking had another answer
A foul on Konrad Laimer resulted in a penalty after a VAR review, and Harry Kane converted in the 54th minute. Six minutes later, Kane met a Joshua Kimmich cross with a header to make it 2-2. The England captain had wiped out Viking’s lead in the space of six minutes.
Bayern completed the turnaround in the 71st minute. Kane found Laimer on the right, and Laimer’s ball across goal gave Luis Díaz the finish. Three Bayern goals in 17 minutes had reversed the contest, and Viking now needed a response simply to salvage a point.
Then Michael Olise was sent off. The Bayern winger received a second yellow card in the 74th minute after throwing the ball toward Viking captain Tripić, striking him in the face. It was a sharp reversal for a player whose two-goal Champions League performance against Bodø/Glimt had helped Bayern begin the league phase with a commanding win. Under UEFA’s suspension rules, Olise is set to miss next week’s home match against Arsenal, barring any subsequent disciplinary change.
Viking still had to exploit the extra man. Haugen, introduced in the 72nd minute, was waiting when the decisive opportunity arrived. Tripić sent in another cross, and the defender rose above Alphonso Davies to head home in the 90th minute. A captain who had created the opening goal had also helped deliver the last.
Bayern finished with four points from two Champions League games, while Viking collected their first after an opening defeat to Stuttgart. Both teams have another European test on October 21: Bayern host Arsenal, and Viking travel to Aston Villa.
Viking’s path to this stage, guided by joint coaches Bjarte Lunde Aarsheim and Morten Jensen, included relegation in 2017 and a Norwegian league title in 2025, their first since 1991. They didn’t complete the upset against Bayern. But after surrendering a two-goal lead and recovering from the visitors’ three-goal surge, they had given Stavanger a European night that didn’t need a victory to endure.
