AMSTERDAM – Cole Grossman ably went the full route in midfield as Stabæk set up a NM Cupen final four showdown against league-leading derby rivals Rosenborg by topping quarterfinal hosts Sandefjord 1-0 on Thursday night.
Bob Bradley's boys stumbled at the semifinal hurdle last year, but will have another shot at reaching the final thanks to their fourth shutout from a five-game unbeaten run across both league and cup play.
Thanks to Adama Diomande's 67th minute strike, the Blue Ones now move on to face nearby rivals Rosenborg on either September 23 or 24 with a place in the championship match on the line.
Elsewhere, Erik Hurtado worked 62 minutes up top in his Mjøndalen debut, a 4-0 quarterfinal loss at that same Rosenborg side.
The Vancouver Whitecaps loan striker saw a his dangerous cross into the box expertly punched away by Troll Kids netminder André Hansen after just three minutes of play and he would flash a volley wide in the 14th minute. However, a minute later, the hosts would bag the first of three goals in an 18-minute span to break open a scoreless contest.
