October 17, 2010: Round 26 of the Vodafone Division:

ÍF Fuglafjørður - HB Tórshavn 1-2 (0-1)
0-1 Owngoal
0-2 Fróði Benjaminsen (pen)
1-2 Áki Petersen

In the early stages HB had threatened a couple of times through wingers Símun Samuelsen and Rógvi Poulsen, but it was ÍF who had the first shot on target when they combined well around the penalty area to set up Øssur Dalbúð for a shot which Marcin Dawid in the HB goal blocked for a corner.

And ÍF probably had more finishes during the first half, but it was HB who had the bigger opportunities.

In one case, Símun Samuelsen on the left had outpaced the ÍF defender and managed to slip the ball past the goalkeeper and cut inside, but the chance was squandered as his next touch let him down and he was caught by the defence before he had time to shoot.

But as the game progressed, more and more of the play went on in midfield and few chances were created.

But just as the teams were about to prepare for halftime, HB found the breakthrough. Rókur av Fløtum Jespersen had gotten past goalkeeper Jákup Mikkelsen and was close to the by-line when he tried to score from an acute angle. – And he succeeded as ÍF defender Høgni Zachariassen in front of goal turned the ball into his own net to give HB the halftime lead. Just before the goal, ÍF had lost a player through injury, and had not had time to make a substitution before HB had scored.

10 minutes into the second half, Andrew av Fløtum released Símun Samuelsen on the left and as he entered the penalty area, his legs were caught and HB were awarded a penalty. – Mikkelsen guessed right and got a touch, but it wasn’t enough to stop Fróði Benjaminsen’s spot kick from going in.

But HB’s two-goal cushion lasted shortly as ÍF pulled a goal back a couple of minutes later. Frank Poulsen on the right cut inside and with a sharp dribble got past Benjaminsen before he launched a low drive that was deflected off HB defender Vagnur Mohr Mortensen and went over the helpless goalkeeper and into the goal.

HB appeared to be nervous after the goal, and as they decided to sit back and defend, ÍF seized the initiative and had lot of possession. However, ÍF didn’t create clear-cut chances, but broke into the penalty area a couple of times to get a shot in. But the angles were tight and Dawid didn’t have too much trouble in making the saves.

With the win for HB, a draw is now enough to win the championship in the last match of the season in the local derby against B36 Tórshavn.

B71 Sandoy - EB/Streymur 0-4 (0-0)
0-1 Hans Pauli Samuelsen
0-2 Hans Pauli Samuelsen
0-3 Arnbjørn Hansen
0-4 Arnbjørn Hansen (pen)

B71 were stubborn in the first half and managed to hold EB/Streymur to 0-0 at half time, but when Hans Pauli Samuelsen 10 minutes through the second half broke the deadlock with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, the floodgates opened. Samuelsen added a second a quarter of an hour later before Arnbjørn Hansen scored a brace in three minutes inside the last 10 minutes of the match. Hansen’s second was on penalty.

With the two goals today, Hansen has gone 4 goals clear of Christian Høgni Jacobsen on top of the top scorer list and is virtually assure of the golden boot this season. He also won it in 2008.

EB/Streymur’s only chance of winning the title now relies on B36 beating HB on the last day of competition.

B36 Tórshavn - NSÍ Runavík 2-1 (1-0)
1-0 Hjalgrím Elttør
1-1 Klæmint Olsen
2-1 Klæmint Matras (pen)

NSÍ’s attack suffered under the absence of striker of Christian Høgni Jacobsen and the absence of centre back Jens Joensen, who was also suspended, didn’t make the situation better. However, this was not evident in the first quarter of an hour, but then B36 suddenly took the lead against the run of play with a cracking long range effort from Hjalgrím Elttør.

From then on, it was mostly B36 who were in control.

But NSÍ were back on level terms 10 minutes after the break when Klæmint Olsen scored in two attempts.

The match evened out after the equalizer, but with 8 minutes left, B36 were awarded a penalty for hands. Captain, Klæmint Matras, safely converted from the spot.

With the loss, NSÍ’s chances of winning the title disappeared. B36 are still in with a shout for a European place, but they are dependant of ÍF beating Víkingur, while B36 themselves must beat HB.

FC Suðuroy - Víkingur 0-2 (0-1)
0-1 Finnur Justinussen
0-2 Hans Jørgen Djurhuus

It was mostly one way traffic as Víkingur beat Suðuroy with a goal in each half. Finnur Justinussen opened the scoring with a header from a corner 15 minutes through the match. Hans Jørgen Djurhuus made it 2-0 from a corner midway through the second half.

Suðuroy will not consider the defeat as catastrophic as they will think they can beat rock bottom AB Argir in the last round on Saturday. If they do, then they will avoid relegation if B71 do not beat NSÍ Runavík!

One worry for Suðuroy however is that their Danish central defender Kasper Schultz was shown the red car with a quarter of an hour remaining and will therefore be suspended for the finale.

B68 Toftir - AB Argir 3-0 (2-0)
1-0 Ibrahima Camara (pen)
2-0 Jóhan Petur Poulsen
3-0 André Olsen

It was not deemed playable on the artificial pitch at Svangaskarð because of the strong wind, and the match was therefore moved to the other pitch with real grass near by, where the wind was marginally weaker. But really, it wasn’t playable there either. In addition to the wind, it was raining dog and cats.

B68 took the lead on a penalty from Senegalese Ibrahima Camara after his compatriot Ahmed Keita had been brought down. The third Senegalese, midfielder Ndende, was suspended for today’s match.

Shortly before the break, B68 doubled their lead thanks to Jóhan Petur Poulsen. André Olsen cemented the win with a goal 15 minutes from time.

39 year old B68 player Øssur Hansen announced his retirement from the highest level after an illustrious career where he mostly has played for B68. In addition he has played for B36 Tórshavn and GÍ Gøta as well as for a couple of Danish clubs. He appeared 51 times for the Faroe Islands and scored 2 goals. He retired at international level in 2002.