A Víkingur Victory

Hopperational details
Date & Venue:  Friday 15 April 2011 at Sarpugerði, Norðragøta
Result:  Víkingur 3 NSÍ Runavík 2
Competition: Meistaradeildin
Hopping: Fourth game of the tour


Pre-match entertainment
A walk along the cliffs from Elduvík, part way towards Oyndarfjorður, with a pastry-based reward at the end.  If you look closely, you can see the path!  This used to be the Sunday morning route to church for the good citizens of Elduvík until they very sensibly built one of their own.

This match in one sentence
Víkingur, a goal down at half-time, hit three second-half goals and then restricted NSÍ to one further late consolation score.

So what?
Both teams have a win and a defeat for the season - this was the first match in the second round of games in the 2011 fixture list.  Víkingur are fifth and NSÍ are sixth (both have a GD of zero but the former have scored one more goal) but that will change over the weekend as the other matches of the round take place.


The drama unfolds 
Not a lot happened in the first twenty minutes, and the first clip duly shows not a lot happening, but the scenery is as nice as ever round here.  This match was played in relatively calm weather conditions.





The second clip reveals that Víkingur have been working on corners and set pieces this week, and my furtive excerpt will now become required watching for other coaches in the division.





They also had a goal disallowed when they caused confusion in the defence with a quickly-taken free-kick, and it took a great tackle from  NSÍ’s Jens Joensen to deny Símun Hansen a shooting chance.  Hansen had lost his marker on the half-way line and was bearing down on goal.  However, NSÍ had chances of their own and after 41 minutes they took one - Jann Martin Mortensen shot in from the right and the score stayed that way till the interval.  0-1 at half-time

The lead lasted only four minutes.  Sølvi Vatnhamar was in the right place at the right time to poke home his second goal of the season, and the home side took control of the game.  1-1


They took the lead with a cracking goal six minutes later, as Kaj Leo í Bartalsstovu’s long low shot found the net.  2-1  After only another four minutes, they scored again as Finnur Justinussen touched in a cross from the left.  3-1  A triple substitution soon followed for the visitors, perhaps a sign of some frustration from the bench.


The two-goal margin allowed Vikingur a degree of comfort but they had some defending to do as  NSÍ poured forward.  A deflected consolation goal for Jens Joensen came in the second of four added minutes and meant that there was a somewhat frantic finish.  Final score 3-2

Something random
An Englishman with a notebook at four different Faroese top-tier matches?  Well, I might have been an agent or a coach, and that has been the most common reaction from locals who realise that I am a visitor either when they see my WBA woolly hat or my camera.


This led to two conversations today which have helped me understand how the game is run and viewed over here, so thanks to Phil (a member of the coaching staff at B68 - I hope I heard his name correctly as he introduced himself!) and Martin (an EB/Streymur supporter).  I will share their insights in a future summative article in the blog nearer the end of the trip.


Learn Faroese through football
Friggjadagur  Friday
Verja  Defence
Trý stig  Three points


What Next?
Provisional plan for Saturday:
1300  2.deild menn (3rd tier) - FC Hoyvík II v FC Suðoroy II
1500  Meistaradeildin (Top tier) - HB v 07 Vestur
1910  3.deild menn (4th tier) - Giza v B36
The first two take place at the Gundadalur complex in Tórshavn, but on different pitches, and the last one is in nearby Argir.