September 29, 2012:
Round 26 of the premier league "effodeildin":
B68 Toftir - EB/Streymur 0-1 (0-0)
0-1 Pætur Dam Jacobsen
EB/Streymur is now only a win away from wrapping up the 2012 league title, but they had to work hard for their victory today against B68 who will now have to beat TB Tvøroyri 4-0 next Saturday to avoid relegation.
Only a super save from B68 goalkeeper Hans Jørgensen early in the game kept EB/Streymur from taking the lead through a clear Arnbjørn Hansen. EB/Streymur had the upper hand for most of the half but failed to penetrate the B68 defence.
However, a split second’s lapse of concentration in the first couple of minutes of the second half proved fatal for B68 after a corner where they forgot to mark Pætur Dam Jacobsen who headed home.
B68 had much of the possession in the second half and EB/Streymur were living dangerously, but held out to stay two points clear of ÍF Fuglafjørður, and will claim the tile if they beat NSÍ Runavík at home on Saturday 6 October.
FC Suðuroy - ÍF Fuglafjørður 1-4 (0-1)
0-1 Clayton Soares
1-1 John Tordar Poulsen
1-2 Jan Ellingsgaard
1-3 Bartal Eliasen
1-4 Ari Ellingsgaard
ÍF Fuglafjørður did the necessary against FC Suðuroy to keep their title hopes alive, but will have to rely on NSÍ Runavík getting a result against EB/Streymur in the last round next Saturday.
ÍF took the lead within five minutes when Nenad Saric set up Brazilian top scorer Clayton Soares to score his 22nd goal of season (his first wasn’t before round 8!).
After the goal, ÍF took a breather and FC Suðuroy saw much of the possession and looked the more likely team to score. And they did, within five minutes from the start of the second half, through John Tordar Poulsen.
At this stage, ÍF chances for the title were outplayed as EB/Streymur had just taken the lead against B68 in the other match, but ÍF upped the tempo again and regained the lead just before the hour-mark through Jan Ellingsgaard before Bartal Eliasen and Ari Ellingsgaard it 3-1 and 4-1.
FC Suðuroy had two men sent off; Dan Djurhuus (2nd yellow) in-between ÍF’s 3rd and 4th goal and Heini Vatnsdal directly red in the 90th minute.
HB Tórshavn – TB Tvøroyri 3-1 (2-0)
1-0 Símun Samuelsen
2-0 Christian R. Mouritsen
3-0 Christian R. Mouritsen
3-1 Milan Kuljic
After an even 15 minutes, HB took control of the game against a tame TB team which was without six of their normal first eleven – victim of their own successful youth program, you could say, as four of them were away with the Faroese U19 team in Estonia where they are competing in the qualification tournament for the European championships. Two of the others were away on a study trip with their school.
HB broke the deadlock after 34 minutes when Rókur av Fløtum Jespersen played Símun Samuelsen clear in the penalty area, a bit to the left where he finished brilliantly into the far top corner.
Samuelsen turned provider five minutes later as he sneaked the ball behind the TB defence where Christian R. Mouritsen got clear to slip the ball past TB goalkeeper Ivan Stojkovic for a 2-0 lead.
Rógvi Poulsen also had a fine opportunity as he had a clear side of goal, but Stojkovic made a fine save to deny the shot from just within the penalty area.
In one episode, the TB defender was lucky to stay on the pitch as he floored Símun Samuelsen who was about to get clear on goal.
HB continued to cruse in the second half and increased to 3-0 after five minutes from Mouritsen’s perfectly placed header after the equally perfect cross from Samuelsen.
Ten minutes through the second half, Fróði Benjaminsen and Símun Samuelsen were substituted as they were both just one card away from a suspension, and that had a obvious effect on HB’s play for the rest of the match which more or less died at that stage. Lucky for TB maybe – not least considering they had Gunleif Olsen sent off after 70 minutes - because if TB had lost 5-0 today, then B68 would “only” have to beat TB 2-0 next Saturday to avoid relegation.
But that’s all speculation now, because in the 82nd minute, Milan Kuljic, who had come on in the 67th minute, reduced TB’s deficit with a flat crisp strike from long range.
That goal does have some significance as B68 will now have to beat TB 4-0 instead of 3-0 to avoid relegation.
As KÍ lost to Víkingur, HB climbed to 3rd spot in the table and a birth in the Europa League. A draw against ÍF next Saturday will keep them ahead of KÍ, but a loss would mean that KÍ reclaim the 3rd spot if they beat FC Suðuroy.
Víkingur – KÍ Klaksvík 4-3 (2-0)
1-0 Kaj Leo í Bartalsstovu
2-0 Kaj Leo Í Bartalsstovu
1-2 Andy Olsen
2-2 Páll Klettskarð
2-3 Andy Olsen
3-3 Kaj Leo í Bartalsstovu (pen)
4-3 Kaj Leo í Bartalsstovu
Víkingur were two goals up at half time with to swerving long range efforts from Kaj Leo í Bartalsstovu that in both cases made KÍ goalkeeper Andras Gango look silly.
But KÍ must have been given the hairdryer speech from Icelandic coach Páll Guðlaugsson during halftime – and few reach his temperature – because within 10 minutes from the restart, KÍ had turned the two-goal deficit into a 3-2 lead. First Andy Olsen was played clear for a side-foot finish before Páll Klettskarð equalized moments later with another easy goal. An when the clock showed 55 minutes, Olsen had scored his second goal of the game to bring KÍ in front.
But í Bartalsstovu was far from finished with his scoring yet – and with KÍ’s Jógvan Isaksen was sent off in the 73rd minute, í Bartalsstovu’s working conditions improved and a couple of minutes later he equalized from the penalty spot before he scored the winning goal for Víkingur a couple of minutes from time.
With the loss, KÍ dropped below HB which means that HB is currently qualified for Europe next season. But all that can still change if HB are beaten by ÍF Fuglafjørður next Saturday while KÍ beat FC Suðuroy.
NSÍ Runavík – B36 Tórshavn 0-0
Let’s just make is swift and say it was the 7th stalemate of the season. In the 90th minute NSÍ’s goalkeeper Kristian Joensen was shown the red card.
Will that have any bearing on the championship title as NSÍ will be without their goalkeeper in the match away to EB/Streymur who will wrap up the title with a win? And could bobble hat goalkeeper Jens Martin Knudsen play a role in where the title ends as he as sometimes been on NSÍ’s bench as reserve keeper this season. Or will they use another goalkeeper?
Update: NSÍ have said on their website that it will be 18-year old Pætur Høj, who also came on in the dying minutes on Saturday, who will be between the sticks next Sunday. His action in the top division apart from the couple of minutes he got against B36. He does have 55 minutes of experience from NSÍ's Europa League match against Differdange this summer where he came on to replace the injured Joensen.
Stay tuned and everything will be revealed on Saturday 6 October in a fascinating finale to the season.