Viking North Utsire shocked themselves this Monday by securing Division 1a survival on the last day thanks to a fine home win over title-challenging Ichnusa, with 22-year-old striker Viktor Austrheim finally breaking his duck for the season three minutes from his end for the only goal of the game. With Coimbra FC defeating already-down Celta de Vigo to end up just two points behind the Utsirans, the survival of both was confirmed by Sporting Mancunia losing a lead at home to Cardiff Dragons to go down 2-1 and slip through the trapdoor in Coimbra's place.

Viking's win also handed the title to Partizan Belgretna, though former Champions League winners Ichnusa would outlast former Ultimate League champions House of Stark in a playoff shootout on Christmas Day to return to the top flight as well. VNU for their part will look forward to a sixth campaign in Division 1 and an eighth straight season in the top two tiers, though they must go forward without their two most senior midfielders after both Toralf Austrheim and Cezary Hajdas bowed out at 38 and 35 respectively. More troubling, the Norsemen are now awaiting the retirement at the end of the coming campaign of their one truly world-class player, Birger Klovning, after the defensive superstar -- only just turned 34 -- announced his shock decision to quit soon as well, perhaps hastened by a bad injury against Belgretna earlier this month.