August 06, 2008: Round 16 of the Formula Division:
EB/Streymur - NSÍ Runavík 2-0 (0-0) 1-0 Arnbjørn Hansen 2-0 Hans Pauli Samuelsen
Having lost 3 matches in a row, EB/Streymur got back on track and beat their closest followers NSÍ Runavík 2-0, and expanded their lead at the top of the table to 8 points. – A lead that had been cut down to only 5 points before the summer break. And that lead could have shrunken to only 2 points, had NSÍ won today.
After an even first half, EB/Streymur turned on the gas in the 2nd half, scoring twice with goals from the dynamic duo, Arnbjørn Hansen and Hans Pauli Samuelsen.
Hansen made it 1-0 around the hour-mark when he took full advantage of a blunder in the NSÍ defence. A few minutes later, Hansen turned provider for Samuelsen who had the easiest of tasks doubling the lead.
With a commanding 8-point lead, it's difficult to see EB/Streymur trowing it away in the last 11 rounds. In those 11 rounds, EB/Streymur have 7 home matches. Their statistics at home so far this season: played 7, won 7!
(A correction: in our latest transfer round-up, we wrote that NSÍ's Serbian forward Dejan Stojkovic had returned home to Serbia, but on Tuesday he scored for NSÍ's 2nd team, so he’s obviously still with NSÍ).
Maybe HB had a slide edge in the 1st half an hour, but that was about it.
After 7 minutes, Milan Kuljic had a try with a freekick which Víkingur goalkeeper Geza Turi failed to hold on to, but the ball was cleared to safety.
Kuljic had another chance later in the first half after a long solo run into Víkingur's penalty area, but in the end, he failed to get a proper shot in.
The best chance maybe fell to Páll Mohr Joensen after the referee (!) deflected a Víkingur-pass to him, but Joensen's shot from the edge of the penalty area went just wide the upright.
At the other end, Víkingur didn't have much, but an uncertain-looking HB-defence was maybe HB's biggest threat.
However, the best Víkingur scoring opportunity fell to right back Hans Jørgen Djurhuus late in the 1st half when he broke in to the penalty area on the right, but his shot was straight on goalkeeper Marcin Dawid, and the rebound was off target.
Just a minute into the 2nd half, Víkingur took the lead almost out of nothing. The ball was on Víkingur's right hand side, bouncing a bit, and from outside the corner of the penalty area, Zoltan Bukszegi half-volleyed the ball in a looping curve over the goalkeeper into the far corner. A spectacular finish from the Hungarian!
Only about 6 minutes later, Víkingur's Hans Jørgen Djurhuus was shown off after his 2nd yellow card. HB then moved left back Vagnur Mohr Mortensen (who had substituted injured Poul Thomas Dam shortly before half time) forward, and this was to pay dividend in the end.
With the man in advantage, HB did put some pressure on Víkingur, but they didn’t create a ton of chances, however.
But HB got their goal 10 minutes from time - 7 seconds after Víkingur were a whisker from making it 2-0. Andreas Lava Olsen fired a shot on the underside of the crossbar. The ball stayed out; HB countered, and Pætur Jørgensen played a perfect cross in front of goal to a clear Vagnur Mohr Mortensen who steered the ball into the goal.
HB had a couple of chances to get the winning goal, but in both cases, the shot was blocked either by the goalkeeper or by a defender.
However, Víkingur could also have snatched victory as they also had a couple of chances.
All in all, a draw seemed a justified result in the end.
Neither of the Mouritsen brothers, Johan Ejvind and Christian, played for HB today and Rókur av Fløtum Jespersen didn't come on until a few minutes into the 2nd half.
For HB, the lone point means that they trail leaders EB/Streymur by 9 points, and that will be impossible to make up in just 11 rounds.
Víkingur stay 5th, but only trail 2nd placed B36 by 2 points.
B71 couldn’t match B36 who were in full control throughout most of the match. Although B71 improved slightly in the 2nd half, they didn’t have the resources to match B36.
However, B36 still needed a penalty before they could break the deadlock about 8 minutes before half time. The referee judged that B71’s Símun Hansen had handled in the area. B71 claimed it was the ball that hit the arm, and not vice versa. However, B36’s captain, Klæmint Matras made no mistake from the spot, and as B36 kept their 8th clean sheet of the season, it was enough for the 3 points which lift B36 to 2nd position in the table (equal with NSÍ, but B36 have a superior goal difference), 8 points adrift of EB/Streymur.
B71, who just moved above the relegation line in the last match before the summer break, have now dropped below the line again, where they are equal with Skála, both trailing B68 Toftir and KÍ Klaksvík by 3 points. And with B71 difficult schedule in mind, it could take some time until they’ll get over that line again. 4 of B71´s next 5 matches are against the top-5 teams: Víkingur (a), ÍF (h), NSÍ (a), EB/Streymur (h), HB (a).
Helgi L. Petersen, who just recently signed for ÍF, was quick to reward ÍF for their ink as he put ÍF in front after only 6 minutes.
However, the joy was short-lived, as newly returned Bogi Gregersen netted twice to give Skála the lead before the first quarter of an hour was played. Gregersen, who had taken a break from football this season, just recently started playing again).
A quarter of an hour into the 2nd half, ÍF levelled the score with a direct free kick from Bartal Eliasen.
But again ÍF joy of scoring was short-lived as Skála restored their lead just 5 minutes later with a header from Arnold Berg.
The 3 points for Skála were absolutely vital, but they still have a long way to go. And as we mention last time also, they have a very difficult schedule in front of them: EB/Streymur (a), NSÍ (h), HB (a) and B36 (a).
KÍ had most of the possession in the first half, but found it difficult creating scoring opportunities against a very defensive minded B68 team.
But in the 2nd half, B68 took a more offensive approach and was the dominating team. In the dying minutes of the match, youngster Jóhan Símun Edmundsson got the winner for B68 with a header in connection with a free kick.
Edmundsson (who just turned 17) had just recently been the top scorer for the Faroe Islands U-19 team in a friendly tournament in Lyngby, Denmark, and after the tournament B68 wrote on their website; “Then we’ll just hope that Edmundsson will be as sharp for B68 when the Formula Division resumes on Wednesday”.
- Well, their wish was fulfilled today.
With the 3 points, B68 moved 3 points above the relegation line, where they now are equal on points with KÍ, who can’t escape the fact that also they are in real danger of relegation now.