Kristoffer Askildsen, Viking’s central midfielder, mocked Michael Olise’s actions that led to his sending-off during a thrilling 3-3 draw with Bayern Munich, while Vincent Kompany blamed his French star for harming the team.
The incident occurred in the 73rd minute, just seconds after Olise received a yellow card for stopping a counter-attack, before losing his cool and throwing the ball into the face of Viking captain Zlatko Tripić to receive a second yellow card and be sent off.
In remarks reported by the Norwegian network “TV2,” Askildsen said: “When he threw the ball, I thought to myself: What an idiot,” offering a direct description of the moment that brought the Norwegian side back into the game.
As for Tripić, he admitted that he intentionally provoked the Bayern player, saying: “I managed to get him off balance. You cannot play completely fair against a team like Bayern,” considering that he won the mental battle between them.
Kompany did not look for any excuses for his player, stating: “This red card was very foolish. We spoke to him clearly, and Michael needs to control himself better, and he knows that.”
The Bayern manager added: “I told Michael that number 10 was smarter than him,” before stressing that such details could prove decisive over the course of a full season, expressing his hope that Olise learns from the mistake and returns stronger.
Bayern had overturned a two-goal deficit to lead 3-2 thanks to a brace from Harry Kane and a goal by Luis Díaz, but the numerical disadvantage gave Viking the chance to press until substitute Herman Haugen scored the equalizer in the final minute.
Olise will miss the Champions League match against Arsenal on Wednesday, October 21 due to an automatic suspension, and will be available for the following European fixture unless UEFA decides to tighten the punishment. Meanwhile, Kane described his teammate as “devastated” and urged him to take responsibility and learn from what happened.
