HB pencil in champion status again

Morning games in progress on both lower and upper pitches at Gundadalur.
The grassed national stadium is adjacent too.

Groundsharers HB (L) and B36 (R) have a stand each for the upper pitch

Hopperational details
Date & Venue: Saturday 16 April at Gundadalur, Tórshavn
Results and Competitions:
Lower pitch (1300):  FC Hoyvík II 1  FC Suðuroy II 7
in the 2.deild (third tier)
Upper pitch (1500):  HB Tórshavn 5  07 Vestur 0
in the Meistaradeildin (top tier)
Hopping:
These two pitches (adjacent to a third, the grass arena of the national stadium) are distinct entities so qualify as two entries on my lifetime list.  A hop to a possible third fixture at nearby Argir was thwarted - the fixture information for this 3.deild (fourth tier) game turned out to be spurious.


These matches in one sentence each
It made no difference when all the Hoyvík players turned up as they were soundly beaten by Suðuroy.
07 Vestur learned their second lesson of the week as their spirited start was brushed aside in no uncertain terms by the reigning champions.


So what?
This was one of the first round of games in the 2.deild, so Suðuroy are top and Hoyvík are bottom, as no other team had the same margin of victory or defeat.
HB are up to second in the table until tomorrow afternoon, but they are bound to be overtaken by one, two or three teams as the second round of games is completed with three fixtures tomorrow.


The drama unfolds 
The game on the lower pitch kicked off ten minutes later than advertised.  The team in black (which turned out to be Hoyvík) started the game with nine men and a 4-3-1 formation, with a long distance between the 3 and the 1.  They kept a clean sheet for 20 minutes while other players were arriving.  The ball broke kindly in the penalty area for the opening goal, and Hoyvík gifted a comedy second as they tried to play out from the back five minutes later.  Their 11th player was waved on in the 35th minute just in time to admire a splendid shot from distance putting Suðuroy three up.  Hoyvík got one back almost immediately and the half-time whistle was blown with a glimmer of hope for the home side.  Half-time 1-3

The national stadium in the background

This was extinguished within a minute of the restart as a thumping header from a corner bulged the net, and Suðuroy went on to get three more before the end of the game.  Final score 1-7


Brian Kerr, manager of the Faroe Islands national side, walked past to take a seat at the upper pitch in readiness for HB’s game against 07 Vestur.

He presumably slumbered like the rest of us for the first 20 minutes where the most notable incident was the referee having to have a word with the HB physio.  The spongebearer said something to an 07 Vestur player as Paeter Jørgensen was stretchered off, and the ref saw fit to intervene.  The player was back on the pitch two minutes later.

07 Vestur competed well in this first phase of the game.  The newly-promoted team showed the champions scant respect as they did their share of attacking.  My first clip is a scene-setter culminating in a booking for Hanus Thornleifsson for diving.  Good call from where I was standing.

A few minutes later a fast break by Badara Diedhiou put Clayton Nascimento in on goal, and it needed a sharp intervention by the home defence.  However, the champions have character of their own, and this happened.

Hendrik Rubeksen was the scorer.  1-0


07 Vestur were still positive.  Sigtór Petersen combined with Nascimento, who put Jovan Panic in for a shooting chance on 43 minutes, but then the champions delivered a killer blow.  Their next attack immediate and incisive and Jón Poulsen had plenty of time to smack home a shot.  HB never relinquished any element of control again.  2-0 at half-time


The third goal came from the penalty spot after 56 minutes.  Fróði Benjaminsen did the honours after 07 Vestur’s keeper Hans Jørgensen was deemed to have brought down an attacker.  I am really not sure why the card was only yellow, especially given subsequent card-flashing events.  3-0

Benjaminsen's penalty to make the score 3-0

I remain as bemused as the players by the double red card moment that reduced both teams to ten men on the hour mark. HB’s Røgvi Holm and 07 Vestur’s Panic were sent off.  Ten minutes later the visitors’ day got worse as Sigtór Petersen picked up his second yellow card and HB added two more goals.


Firstly, a neat routine from a corner saw the ball played to the edge of the area rather than crossed into the box and Simon Samuelsen found the net.  4-0  In stoppage time, Rubeksen got his second of the match from a direct (deflected?) free-kick. The third clip is typical of the second half pressure exerted by HB once they had the numerical advantage.   Final score 5-0

Rubeksen's second goal hits the back of the net

What I learned today
Here is the result of my survey on players’ nationalities.  I looked at the starting eleven for all ten top-tier sides in the first round of games.


The Faroe Islands supplied exactly 80% (88) of the players.  10% (11) are from other European countries, of which Serbia supplied three, Denmark, Iceland and Hungary two each, and one each from Poland and Georgia.  Just over 8% (9) are from five of the African nations, Senegal supplying the most (4) with Ivory Coast (2) and one each from Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.  Finally, there were two Brazilians to complete the starting 110.


Learn Faroese through football
Miðja  Midfield
Gult kort  Yellow card
Reytt kort  Red card
Regn  Rain


Something random

When I saw this, I thought about how the sentence might be completed ...


a) Liverpool accent
b) promising career as a pundit
c) tough job at Ipswich


What Next?
Table-topping KÍ are at home to B68 on Sunday afternoon.