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Atlantic Cup 2008April 12, 2008: Atlantic Cup 2008:
In the 2nd half, Valur made it 5-1 before Hjalgrím Elttør got a consolation for NSÍ just before the final whistle. But the Atlantic Cup doesn't draw the big headlines in Icelandic media. Iceland's biggest newspaper, Frettablaðið, writes a few words about it on their website, while the 2nd biggest newspaper, Morgunblaðið, doesn't even mention the result today. A couple of years ago, it seemed like the gap between Faroese and Icelandic football was decreasing, but some suggestions are now that the gap is growing again. Today, the Faroese champions lost by 3 goals to the Icelandic champions, and last month, the Faroese national team also lost by 3 goals to the Icelandic national team in the friendly match played at the same place as today’s Atlantic Cup match. How the Atlantic Cup startedIn 1999 the Icelandic Champions from 1998, IBV Vestmannaeyar, visited the Faroe Islands to play a match against the Faroese champions from 1998, HB Tórshavn. The match ended in a 2-2 draw, but because it was a cup game, it was decided on penalties (no extra time was played). The Icelandic team scored on all their attempts, while the Faroese Champions missed their first, and therefore IBV Vestmannaeyar won the penalty shootout 5-3. But it was HB who probably should have won the game, as they were leading both 1-0 and 2-1, but allowed IBV to equalize twice, he second time, just 2 minutes from time. HB had taken the lead through a Andrew á Fløtum goal after 27 minutes. The second half was only 1 minute old before the teams were level again because of a HB owngoal. However, HB took the lead again in the 70th minute, thanks to a Bjarki Mohr goal. But just 2 minutes from time, IBV were awarded a penalty, which Sindri Grétarsson converted for a 2-2 draw. And because IBV won the penalty shootout, they also took the cup. At this time, the cup had no name, but both clubs had enjoyed the match and people were talking about making this an annual meeting. But no match was played the next years, but in 2002 the Faroe Islands Soccer Association, the Iclandic Soccer Association and the fund FITUR (which provides support to the furthering of cooperation between The Faroe Islands and Iceland, in order to promote further relations between the countries), decided to make it an annual event, that the champions of Faroese and Icelandic soccer should meet in what became the Atlantic Cup. The match is to be played the last weekend in April, every other year in the Faroe Islands, and every other year in Iceland.
Atlantic Cup 2002Therefore, the first official match played in the Atlantic Cup was the one on April 28, 2002 between the Faroese champions in 2001, B36 Tórshavn and the Icelandic champions in 2001, Akranes. The match was played in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. And it was Akranes who took the Atlantic Cup with them to Iceland, because they beat B36 2-1. Akranes scored both their goals just before and after the whistle on either side of the interval. In the 44th minute, Ellert Jón Bjørnsson made it 1-0 and Greiter Rafn Steinsson made it 2-0 after 47 minutes. B36 reduced the deficit to 2-1 in the dying stages with a goal from John Petersen and B36 almost stole a last gasp equalizer, but the Akranes goalkeeper saved brilliantly. All inn all it was a quite even game, but Akranes just about deserved the victory. Atlantic Cup, Apríl 28, 2002: Atlantic Cup 2003In 2003, it was time for HB Tórshavn to travel to Iceland to play against KR Reykjavík. Again, the Icelandic champions were too strong for the Faroese champions as KR Reykjavík won 2-0 with one goal in each half. The first came after 28 minutes, when the referee awarded KR a penalty for handball. Arnar Gunnlaugsson made no mistake from the spot. In the 60th minute, Sigurvin Ólafsson increased the lead to 2-0 when he was played clear in the HB penalty area. HB never really managed to put pressure on the KR defence. KR won a deserved 2-0 victory. Atantic Cup, Apríl 27, 2003 Atlantic Cup 2004
But this time it was HB who came out victorious. The match ended 3-1. HB got the first goal after 13 minutes when Rúni Nolsøe beat the goalkeeper after some slack defending in the KR defense. Eleven minutes later HB made it 2-0, when the referee judged Hendrik Rubeksen to have been fouled in the KR penalty area. Vagnur M. Mortensen coolly converted the spot kick. Hendrik Rubeksen made it 3-0 5 minutes from the half time whistle thanks to another mistake in the KR defense. KR had shown remarkably little in the first half and even if they improved a little bit in the second half, HB was never in danger of losing the match. KR did create some chances in the second half, but their finishing was lackluster. In the last minute of the match, Henning Jónasson got a late consolation goal for KR, when he headed the ball over the HB goalkeeper. That meant that for the first time the champions of the Faroe Islands had beaten the champions from Iceland in the Atlantic Cup. Maybe this is not quite fair to HB Tórshavn, but neither will it be fair to KR Reykjavík if it’s not said, but the lacklustre performance from the Icelandic almost had to have a reason or explanation, because normally a Faroese team shouldn’t this easily beat the Icelandic Champions. But the match was played on Saturday and the team from Iceland was supposed to land in the Faroe Islands on Friday. But when they approached the airport, it was too foggy to land, so they had to fly back to Iceland. They were not able to land before noon on Saturday, and it was evident for everybody to see, that the long journey was still in their body when they played the match, just a few hours after they had stepped out of the plain.
Atlantic Cup, April 24, 2004 Atlantic Cup 2005April 24, 2005: Atlantic Cup 2005: The Icelandic champions dominated the match throughout the 90 minutes and there was never any doubt about the result. The halftime score was 2-0. FH Hafnafjørður increased the lead to 4-0, before HB’s Emil Leivsson got a consolation goal with a good long range shot. The goal scorers for FH Hafnafjørður were Tryggvi Guðmundsson (2), Jónas Grani Garðarsson and Ásgeir Ásgeirsson Therefore, HB has now lost one of the three titles they won last season. However, the Atlantic Cup is still (will it ever change?) mostly a friendly match as there really isn’t that much prestige in it. For the other two titles, the domestic league and cup, HB is still in a good position. But there is a long way to go…
Atlantic Cup 2006April 29, 2006: Atlantic Cup 2006: B36 Tórshavn beat FH Hafnafjørður on penaltiesB36 took the lead only 12 minutes into the first half when the FH goalkeeper made a mess of a back-pass which was intercepted by Fróði Benjaminsen who accepted the offer with thanks. Just 5 later, FH equalized when FH's Venna broke through on the left flank and made a diagonal back-cross to Óli Palli on the other side, who surprised the ball-watching B36 defenders and sent the ball into the goal. B36 took the lead again just 4 minutes into the second half, when Sylla Ahmed Davy made FH pay for some sloppy defending again, when he rounded the goalkeeper and put the ball into the empty goal.
Photo above: FH Hafnafjørður has just equalized for 2-2 against B36 Tórshavn in the Atlantic Cup 2006 In the last 15 minutes of the second half, FH put a lot of pressure on B36 and had several good scoring opportunities and one of them paid off 10 minutes from the end. FH had a corner on the left, which Jákup Mikkelsen punched right back to an FH player who made a new cross in front of goal where an unmarked Atli Guðnason headed the ball into the B36 goal. FH were close to getting the winner in the dying moments, but B36 goalkeeper, Jákup Mikkelsen, made a super save from a clear Atli Viðar Björnsson. No extra time is played in the Atlantic Cup, but is decided on penalties. B36 soon got the psychological upper hand in the shoot-out, as Jákup Mikkselsen saved both of FH’s first efforts and B36 scored on both of theirs. But then B36 missed one and FH scored on theirs. But when Mikkelsen saved for the third time and B36 scored on their attempt, it meant that B36 had won the Atlantic Cup 2006. B36 Tórshavn – FH Hafnafjørður 2-2 (1-1) Penalties: B36 3 – FH 1 Fróði Benjaminsen scores for B36 Mikkjal Thomsaen scores for B36 Klæmint Matras misses for B36 Alex dos Santos scores for B36 On aggregate: B36 5 – FH 3
Atlantic Cup 2007In 2007, the match between FH Reykjavík and HB Tórshavn was cancelled (details in the January 2007 Round-up). | Home of Soccer and Equipment |
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