Faroe Islands downed by Azerbaijan in 2017 qualifying opener
Faroe Islands - Azerbaijan 0-1 (0-0)
0-1 Azer Salahli
It was a very inexperienced Faroese team that faced Azerbaijan in the opening game of this qualifying campaign where only forward Poul Ingason has played on U-21 level earlier.
The first half was a quite even one, but with a slide edge to Azerbaijan who were close to taking the lead in the 9th minute after what would have been a bizarre own goal where the goalkeeper just managed to race back and save off the line with his feet from a back-pass.
On the half-hour the visitors went close again as a long range effort hit the upright.
With a tailwind, the Faroe islands were the better team in the second half and went close twice early on from long range; Patrik Johannesen's attempt hitting the woodwork after 50 minutes.
But after 74 minutes Faroese goalkeeper Elias Rasmussen had to make an outstanding diving save to save from a header.
Three minutes later it went wrong for the Faroes after a corner fell to the Azerbaijani captain Azer Salahli who slotted home from close range.
Shortly before the final whistle Andreas Eriksen was dismissed for a second bookable offence - where the first yellow had been ridicules decision from the referee who didn’t impress.
The Faroes went close in the dying moments, but were a couple of centimetres from connecting with the cross to salvage a draw.
The Faroese team that started the match was:
Elias Rasmussen - Leivur Joensen, Andrias Eriksen (C), Poul N. Mikkelsen Benjamin Heinesen, Haraldur R. Højgaard, Jonas Gejel Hansen, Jóannes Bjartalíð, Hákun Edmundsson, Patrik Johannesen og Poul Ingason.
On the bench were:
Fríði Sigurðsson, Bartal Wardum, Betuel Hansen, Gunnar Vatnhamar, Karstin Højgaard, Búi Egilsson, Meinhard E. Olsen.
This Faroese U21 team is maybe the weakest that have been since its inauguration in 2007, where there are no real profiles from the top division as it otherwise often used to be.
Home advantage against Azerbaijan was maybe the best chance for points, but Finland at home will not be an impossible task though and maybe Austira neither. The other two teams in the group are Germany and Russia, who famously were beaten in 2009.
Spirits remain high!
Finland - Faroe Islands 3-0 (3-0)
1-0 Moshtagh Yaghoubi (pen) '24
2-0 Simon Skrabb '31
3-0 Moshtagh Yaghoubi '39
Faroe Islands suffered a 3-0 defeat to Finland who scored three goals in 15 minutes from midway through the first half.
The Faroes were very much second best during the first half where Finland took advantage of sloppy and naive defending.
Defensively it was tighter in the second half and Finland found it more difficult to create scoring opportunities.
The Faroe Islands had few attempts during the 90 minutes; the best coming some ten minutes through the second half when Bethuel Hansen fired wide of the post after a low cross from the left.
Finland had taken the lead on a penalty in the 24th minute after Leivur Joensen had pulled down the forward and was maybe lucky to escape the red card. Finish captain Moshtagh Yaghoubi – a class player – safely converted from the spot.
Finland doubled their lead seven minutes later when Simon Skrabb headed into the empty goal after a rebound off the crossbar from a header following a counterattack and a long ball forward.
In the 39th minute the Faroese left back naively lost the challenge and allowed the Finn to make the cross for Yaghoubi to slot home.
Excuse or not, the fact is that quite many of the Faroese players are much younger that their Finnish counterpart, so there is hope for the future though although this could be the first time that the Faroe Islands don´t get a point since their first participation which was the qualifying competition for the European championships in 2009. Let’s hope they can ridicule this pessimism though, as there are still eight matches remaining against Austria, Azerbaijan, Germany, Russia and Finland.
The next task is a mighty encounter against Germany at Tórsvøllur on 12 October.
Faroe Islands - Germany 0-6 (0-4)
0-1 Max Meyer 8'
0-2 Maximilian Arnold 13'
0-3 Max Meyer 40'
0-4 Niklas Sule 45'
0-5 Leroy Sane 73'
0-6 Sergey Gnabry 76'
10-man Faroes Islands are overpowered by Germany who win 6-0The probably weakest Faroese U21 team since its inauguration in 2007, partially explained by a very young average age, were never expected to give Germany much resistance, and they were also thought a footballing lesson by the future German stars who took the lead after only seven minutes after an attack that lasted more than a minute and had 24 passes before Max Meyer was played clear in the goal area for an easy finish.
Germany doubled their lead in the 13th minute with a stunning long range effort from Maximiliam Arnold.
The Faroese defence had been very hesitance and only made screenings, but no tackles.
It became 3-0 after 39 minutes when Max Meyer headed in at the far post from a corner.
Within three minutes, Hákun Edmundsson was sent off for a second yellow card that did look a bit harsh, it must be said.
Germany made it 4-0 in 1st half´s added time as they were given much too much space and time before Niklas Sule fired low from just outside the penalty area.
The Faroes managed to hold the Germans from scoring 27 minutes through the second half when Leroy Sane from close range tapped in a rebound off the goalkeeper who had blocked the initial shot from the German who had managed to get a shot in despite being surrounded by four defenders.
Germany sealed 6-0 win three minutes later when Serge Gnabry too easily was allowed to dribble into the penalty area before he curled the ball beautifully into the far top corner.
Russia - Faroe Islands 2-0 (0-0)
1-0 Ramil Sheydaev 54'
2-0 Andrei Panyukov 77'
A much strengthened Faroese team with Sonne Ragnar Nattestad and Brandur Olsen, both established senior players, and also Ari Mohr Jónsson who has some senior experience coped well against the Russians in the first half and was just once really tested when goalkeeper Elias Rasmussen made a fine save to deny the clear Russian after 12 minutes. The rest of the half was a pretty even affair, with neither team producing big scoring opportunities.
But eight minutes into the second half, Russia took the lead from a set piece where Ramil Sheydaev headed home after a flick-on from a team-mate.
The Faroese were lucky just two minutes later when they were saved by the post after another header from a corner.
Russia sealed their victory with a quarter of an hour remaining when Ramil Sheydaev finished off the counterattack to make it 2-0.