The referee blew the whistle at exactly 7:00 PM and signaled the Rosenborg players to kick off the game. Nicki Nielsen, Rosenborg's center-forward, immediately raised his leg high and passed the ball back into the midfield.
Mike Jensen, one of Rosenborg's two central midfielders, received the ball close to the boundary of the defensive third. The midfielder only took a single touch on the ball before flicking it back to Tore Reginiussen, Rosenborg's center-back, who was in the backline at that moment. The Rosenborg players then started passing the ball around in the backfield.
