Roar Strand ignored the inguinal pains and continued to play in the second half. That payed off.

"Early in the first half he said, 'I can't play more.' But he continued, and that wasn't a bad thing to do," Ola By Rise smiled.

Massage did it
"I really felt like stopping during the break. But after having gotten some massage in the dressing room during the break, I decided to try some more," Strand confirms.

Even tough the painful injury, the midfield veteran delivered a very good first half. After the break, it was full success.

"I won the ball on the midfield, and passed to Fredrik (Winsnes). He played Øyvind (Storflor), who served the ball on a silver plate to me," Strand berefts.

The rest is already football history at Lerkendal. The shot from 14 metres punched into the net in front of Rosenborg supporter group Kjernen, and Strand celebrated wildly with the faithful followers.

"I wanted to give something back to those that support us all the time, and wanted to cheer with them," Strand ascertained, which minutes later gave in and left the pitch to standing ovations.

Splendid!
Ola By Rise was full of praise for the player, who was his team mate for the first half of the 90s.

"Splendid! Impressing! Stunning! Amazing!" were the words used by By Rise during the English part of the press conference.

The man of the day was pleased himself.

"I have some respect for Arsenal, so this was fun. Many of my best games have been in the Champions League, and this was no exception. It is a special feeling to play for a full house with dew in the grass," Roar Strand says.

No to the national team
Earlier today, Strand was picked for the National team squad for the Scotland and Slovenia matches. It is likely that he will have to pass due to his inguinal injury.

"We'll see how it looks in the weekend. But I am not going to sacrifice my body," Strand says.

He does not rule out that this is a definite farewell to the national team.

"I had a talk with Åge (Hareide) today, and told him how I feel and what shape my body is in. The motivation is still there, but I just can't handle as much as earlier. Åge agreed that he shouldn't use a worn-out Roar," the 34-year old tells.

The next autumn is the last
Roar Strand has prolonged his Rosenborg contract with one year, but after that it is most likely over.

"Yes, it looks like it. But I said that last year too. We'll see what my body can handle, but it certainly looks like next season will be the last," the hero ends.