June 17, 2009: Round 12 of the Vodafone Division:

HB Tórshavn – NSÍ Runavík 5-2 (1-0)
1-0 Bjarni Jørgensen
2-0 Rógvi Poulsen
3-0 Andrew av Fløtum
3-1 Hjalgrím Elttør
3-2 Hjalgrím Elttør
4-2 Andrew av Fløtum
5-2 Andrew av Fløtum

After an emphatic 5-2 win over NSÍ Runavík while Víkingur at the same time dropped 2 points against bottom team 07 Vestur, HB are now leading Víkingur by 5 points in the table, who again are one ahead of NSÍ. Conclusion: HB are looking very good for the title!

HB put pressure on the NSÍ goal immediately and the pressure paid off after 12 minutes when a terrific through-ball played Bjarni Jørgensen clear in the penalty area. Jørgensen then rounded the goalkeeper to put HB in the lead.

NSÍ were extremely poor throughout the first half and had no qualified finish during the entire half. HB on the other hand played some of their best football of the season – maybe also because NSÍ allowed them to.

HB created several other chances throughout the half, but didn’t make any of them count, however. Andrew av Fløtum went closest when he from an acute angle hammered the ball on the crossbar.

The expected reply from NSÍ in the second half didn’t happen as their extremely tame display continued, and a quarter of an hour into the half, Rógvi Poulsen made it 2-0 when he was played clear in the penalty area.

Midway through the half, NSÍ finally showed some will of getting back in the game and Óli Hansen went close with a header from a corner.

But a few minutes later, HB looked to have killed the game when they went 3 up. Bjarni Jørgensen on the right hand side did extremely well getting past two NSÍ defenders before he played the ball to Andrew av Fløtum who from the centre of goal from the edge of the penalty area fired the ball into the back of the net.

However, just 4 minutes later, NSÍ got some glimmer of hope when Hjalgrím Elttør pulled one back for NSÍ with a looping shot from inside the penalty area. - And there was still a quarter of an hour remaining.

And after 84 minutes, Elttør scored his second when he outpaced the HB-defence and beat Símun Rógvi Hansen in the HB goal to set up a grand stand finish.

NSÍ would have been well aware that HB don’t thrive too well when they are defending leads late in the game. In the reverse game in Runavík earlier in the season, NSÍ beat HB with a stoppage time goal. Two games ago, HB conceded twice late in the match against B68 Toftir and last Sunday HB only survived with the skin of their teeth in the last minutes against EB/Streymur.

However, that hope for NSÍ only lived for a couple of minutes as Andrew av Fløtum made the points safe for HB with his second goal of the evening. Á Fløtum received a long ball from Fróði Benjaminsen and got rid of his defender near the byline and scored from the acute angle.

In stoppage time, av Fløtum completed his hat trick with an almost replica of his 2nd; only on the other side this time.

HB were in control for almost the entire match, but for about 10 minutes in the second half, they lost concentration and allowed NSÍ back into the match, although NSÍ’s real hope only lasted for a couple of minutes. – But for most of the match, it looked like it was a match between top and bottom, and not between top and another title contender.

On Sunday, HB visit 2nd place Víkingur. IF HB get 3 points there, it will be really difficult to catch them again.

07 Vestur - Víkingur 0-0

It was a big surprise that 07 Vestur, second from bottom and who had conceded 34 goals in 11 matches before today’s match, should manage to hold 2nd placed Víkingur to a 0-0 draw.

Near the end of the match, Víkingur’s frustrations became evident when centre back Atli Gregersen made a reckless tackle which cost him the red card. He’ll therefore be suspended for the crucial match against HB on Sunday – and probably also for the match against EB/Streymur in a week (next Wednesday).

KÍ Klaksvík - B36 Tórshavn 2-2 (1-1)
0-1 Brima Koroma
1-1 Ivan Joensen
1-2 Róaldur Jacobsen
2-2 Jógvan Isaksen

KÍ still haven´t managed to win, but at least they can take some heart from twice equalizing B36’s lead.

B36 took the lead after just a couple of minutes when the Sierra Leonean Brima Koroma head home from a corner.

But Ivan Joensen equalized midway through the half after Kristoffur Jakobsen had set him up.

B36 took the lead again some 15 minutes into the second half with a goal from Róaldur Jacobsen after a corner. But KÍ once again equalized with a header from central defender Jógvan Isaksen from a corner.

But as ÍF Fuglafjørður won against AB Argir, KÍ are now trailing ÍF on the crucial 8th place by 7 points. A gap that KÍ will find extremely difficult to cut.

ÍF Fuglafjørður – AB Argir 3-0 (0-0)
1-0 Bartal Eliasen
2-0 Andy Olsen
3-0 Vincent Jacobsen

ÍF finally got some breathing space at the bottom of the table as they now lead 07 Vestur in 9th place by 5 points.

After a goalless first half, Bartal Eliasen broke the deadlock midway through the second half with a header.

ÍF added two goals to their tally in the dying minutes thanks to Andy Olsen and Vincent Jacobsen.

B68 Toftir – EB/Streymur 3-2 (3-2)
0-1 Egil á Bø
1-1 Ahmed Keita
2-1 Alex dos Santos (pen)
2-2 Ndende Adama Gueye
3-2 Jóan Símun Edmundsson

B68 continue to impress – and defending champions EB/Streymur the opposite maybe. Although EB/Streymur led twice, it was B68 who won the match.

Skipper Egil á Bø gave EB/Streymur a fine start when he put them ahead within the first 5 minutes of the match in connection with a corner.

But 10 minutes later the Senegalese Keita equalized for B68 with his 8tg goal of the season.

Towards the half-hour mark, EB/Streymur pulled ahead again with a penalty from Alex dos Santos.

But as the first half was drawing to a close, B68 first equalized with their other Senegalese player Ndende Adama Gueye before 17-year-old Jóan Símun Edmundsson put B68 on winning course with a fine shot from the distance. – Edmundsson is the one who scored the goal when the Faroe Islands U21 beat Russia a week ago.

B68 were in control for most of the second half, but were put under some pressure towards the end of the match. But they held out and are now only 3 points behind Víkingur in second place in the table.