Joe Bell made his official debut in European football. The 21-year-old midfielder came from the bench in the clash between Viking FK and Bodø/Glimt in the first matchday of 2020 Eliteserien – the top-tier of Norwegian football.
Viking opened the scoreboard in the 21st minute but they saw Bodø/Glimt score the equalizer a few minutes later. Bell’s team scored a second goal before the half time to take the 2-1 lead to the lockroom.
Bodø/Glimt scored in the 57th and 69th to take the lead. Bell entered in the match in the 73rd minute – four minutes after Viking suffered the third goal – to replace Zymer Bytyqi. Despite all efforts, Bell and his teammates could not find the net again and suffered a fourth goal and lost by 4-2. The young player from New Zealand made 11 correct passes and stole a ball in 20 minutes on the pitch.
The young midfielder from New Zealand joined the Norwegian club in January after playing three seasons in the United States. He was one of the most important players of Virginia Cavaliers and he helped them to reach the NCAA College Cup Final last year. Viking’s next match is against SK Brann on Sunday.
Oceania Football Center 