July 01, 2010: UEFA Europa League, 1st qualifying round, 1st leg:
NSÍ Runavík - Gefle IF 0-2 (0-1) 34' 0-1 Alexander Gerndt 65' 0-2 Alexander Gerndt
With a 2-0 defeat at home to Swedish team Gefle IF, NSÍ’s chances of progress in the Europa Leage must be considered very slim.
Although there wasn’t much to choose between the two sides for most of the match, the Swedes relentlessly punished NSÍ’s mistakes when the chances arose.
NSÍ started brightly and had a decent opportunity after a quarter of an hour, but 34 minutes through the match NSÍ were caught on the break and Alexander Gernt put the visitors in front.
NSÍ nearly found an equalizer as the first half was drawing to a close when Jústimus Hansen hit the underside of the crossbar, but the ball stayed outside the line, the referee decided.
The second half was similar to the first, and again NSÍ were punished on a counterattack, and again it was Gerndt who was the goalscorer on 20 minutes through the half.
NSÍ's best effort in the second half was a long range effort from Hungarian Karoly Potemkin 15 minutes from the end.
But it’s questionable how many more goals Gerndt will score for Gefle as the striker is reportedly very close to signing for a Dutch club. Gerndt is in second place on the topscorer list in the Swedish league with 8 goals in 14 matches.
A well organized EB/Streymur team managed to keep Kalmar at bay for 78 minutes when Ricardo Santos finally managed to penetrate EB/Streymur’s stubborn defence to give them a slender 1-0 lead before the return leg in the Faroe Islands next Thursday.
EB/Streymur’s best chance fell to Arnbjørn Hansen who got clear, but the opportunity was squandered.
July 08, 2010: UEFA Europa League, 1st qualifying round, 2nd leg:
Gefle IF - NSÍ Runavík 2-1 (1-0) 22' 1-0 Daniel Bernhardsson 63' 2-0 Hans Berggren 90'+4 2-1 Karoly Potemkin
As NSÍ had chosen to rest their best player, striker Christian Høgni Jacobsen, they strongly indicated that they weren’t going all-in for a European shocker. Having lost 2-0 at home in the first leg, progress was of course unthinkable, and for NSÍ it has higher priority to have the league’s topscorer fit when the title quest resumes in late July.
Gefle took the lead some 20 minutes through the first half when goalkeeper Andras Gango couldn’t hold on to a free kick which rebounded to Daniel Bernhardsson, Gefle’s captain, who had an easy task making it 1-0.
Another free kick from Alexander Gerndt nearly cost another goal 10 minutes through the second half, but this time NSÍ were save by the crossbar.
Seven minutes later Gefle doubled their lead when Hasse Berggren, who had just been on the field for 4 minutes, cut inside and scored with a well placed low drive from outside.
NSÍ created some opportunities in the last quarter of an hour and Karoly Potemkin should have done better when he was played clear by Jústinus Hansen, but the Hungarian blasted the ball over the bar.
But almost 4 minutes into added time, Debes Danielsen and Árni Frederiksberg combined well to set up Potemking for a consolation goal for NSÍ.
EB/Streymur's not un-realistic hope of staging an upset and qualifying for the second qualifying round of the Europa League was shattered after only 8 minutes when Erik Israelsson put the visitors in front. - And with the crucial away goal, the tie was effectively over as EB/Streymur now had to score three times.
EB/Streymur's best effort in the first half was from a corner from Daniel Udsen that almost went straight into the goal, but was saved off the line.
Although all hope of progress for the second round was lost for EB/Streymur at half time, a result on the day would still have been very much on their mind, but also that hope was quickly destroyed with a disastrous start to the second half where Kalmar scored twice in the first five minutes. Tobias Eriksson scored within two minutes of the second half before Ricardo Santos was played clear to make it 3-0 for the Sweedes three minutes later on a counterattack.
July 15, 2010: UEFA Europa League, 2nd qualifying round, 1st leg:
A heroic effort is probably too big a word to use when you lose, but Víkingur’s 1st half performance almost justifies that word as they conceded only one goal during the first 45 minutes and held out for an hour before they conceded the second goal.
Víkingur were under constant pressure throughout the first half and goalkeeper Geza Turi was called into action after only two and a half minute when he had to make a diving save to block a low shot from outside the penalty area.
Besiktas threatened again after 5 minutes, but the shot this time went into the side-netting, although Turi probably had it covered.
10 minutes through the half Ricardo Quaresma impressed with his dribbling skills on the right to get clear of his defender, but Turi in the Víkingur goal was again up to the task and blocked the shot.
In the first quarter of an hour, Víkingur’s compact defence had managed quite well to force the Turks to finish from long range which suited Turi very well.
But on 16 minutes it nearly went wrong for Víkingur following a corner, but Turi again made a terrific save from the header which was aimed at the top corner.
But 18 minutes through the half, Turi didn’t stand a chance when an unmarked Nihat Kahveci headed home from 6 metres following a cross from the right.
Víkingur then had an excellent 5-minute spell where they came forward several times and on 27 minutes Besiktas goalkeeper Hakan Arıkan had to dive to save a volley from Páll Klettskarð from 18 meters.
Three minutes later Ankan had to come well outside his penalty area to clear right in front of Finnur Justinussen.
And a couple of minutes later Hans Jørgin Djurhuus got close to the byline to put in a low cross which didn´t bother Bisikta’s goalkeeper too much however. But it was a very positive period for Víkingur.
However, it nearly went wrong at the other end the minute after when a shot was fired between friends and foes, but it went just wide of the post.
Two minutes later Bobô should have doubled Besiktas’s lead as he had both space and time, and also the goal at his mercy, but he missed the target.
Two minutes from the end of the first half Besiktas were close again from an acute angle, but goalkeeper Turi made a “strange” one-handed save below his waist to deny the first effort before another header from close range went over the goal. – A lucky escape for Víkingur!
Besiktas piled on the pressure again right from the start of the second half and 4 minutes through the hald Geza Turi pulled off another excellent save as he dived to keep out a header following a corner.
Turi then made three more excellent saves to deny Besiktas another goal, but 64 minutes through the match Turi was finally beaten again with a diagonal shot from Nihat Kahveci into the far side of the goal from within the penalty area.
With a quarter of an hour remaining, Besiktas were awarded a penalty as the referee adjudged that a cut back from the byline had hit the sliding Víkingur defender in his arm. However, Ricardo Quaresma blasted the ball over the goal.
In the last 5-10 minutes of the match, Besiktas created chances in droves, but fine play from goalkeeper Turi and inefficient finishing from the Turks kept the deficit at two goals.
But with 1 minute remaining of normal time, Víkingur’s luck had run out when a cross from the left was headed back across to a clear Mert Nobre who headed in Besiktas’s third goal.
Víkingur will after all be quite satisfied to have escaped from the noisy Besiktas Inönü stadium in Istanbul with a 3-0 defeat, but will regret the late third goal, although chances were for several more. But all men gave their all. Especially Hungarian goalkeeper Geza Turi. Let’s name him man of the match.
Next Thursday, 22 July, Víkingur take on Besiktas in Svangaskarð stadium in Toftir.
1-0 goal
2-0 goal
3-0 goal
July 22, 2010: UEFA Europa League, 2nd qualifying round, 2nd leg:
Dreadful first half performance from Víkingur allows Besiktas to score four, but improvement in the second half saves Víkingur from further embarrassment as they hold the Turks from scoring.
If Víkingur had planned to keep Besiktas at bay in the opening quarter of an hour and then hope to spring a surprise, that plan was wrecked after only two and a half minute when Ekrem Dağ headed the visitors into the lead from close range after Víkingur’s defence was too sluggish, allowing a Besiktas man to get down the left hand side inside the penalty area to cross in front of goal where Dağ wasn’t pressured enough.
Besiktas should have score again after 10 minutes, but Geza Turi in Víkingur’s goal saved well.
But just before then minutes had elapsed, Besiktas doubled their lead. Víkingur were caught on the break, and Nihat Kahveci was played clear on the right in the penalty area where he from a tight angle caught Turi on the wrong foot with a surprising shot. But the goalkeeper ought to have done better.
Víkingur’s defence didn’t look as compact and well organized as it was in Istanbul a week ago and Besiktas constantly looked as they could score if they wanted to. They did want that again t after 21 minutes when Bobô dribbled his way through the defence, but Turi made a fine one-handed save to deny the Turk.
But just after the half-hour mark, Turi was helpless when Bobô got clear in the goal area to make it 3-0 as Víkingur’s defence again was indecisive, allowing Bobô to receive the ball, and screening it unchallenged before he made a simple turn to get clear.
Bobô scored again two minutes before the break as Ricardo Quaresma got to the by-line to cut back to Bobô who fired the ball into the back of the with a deflected shot from close range.
Víkingur seemed more compact defensively in the second half, and that combined with the fact that Besiktas had taken their foot off the accelerator, resulted in a much quieter second half. Besiktas had a couple of opportunities which they failed to capitalize on whereas Víkingur had no qualified scoring opportunity throughout the second half – and the entire match.