Úrvalsdeild (Icelandic Premier League)
Vodafonevöllurinn, Reykjavik
Admission: 1200 ISK(approx £6.50)
Programme: N/A
Attendance: 1157
Match Rating: 4
For the first game during my stay in Iceland, I took in the Icelandic Premier Division match between Valur Reykjavik, the second most successful team in Iceland of all time with a total of twenty league championships and who have had players of the quality of Eidur Gudjohnsen, Gudni Bergsson and Ivar Ingimarsson, against Fylkir, and who have yet to win a league title but did finish in third place last season and therefore will be playing in this season’s Europa League. With both clubs hailing from Reykjavik, this game could be considered a local derby, but considering that eight of the eleven clubs in the Icelandic Premier League are based in the Reykjavik suburbs and the remainder all within the south-west corner of Iceland, almost every game would be considered a local derby.
The Vodafonevollerinn stadium is located about a twenty minute walk from central Reykjavik, immediately adjacent to Reykjavik City Airport, which is hardly used. Having been completely redeveloped in recent years, the stadium is an impressive facility for the level of football. The stadium is entered somewhat unusually, by entering the adjacent sports hall, inside of which displays the rather impressive array of trophies won by Valur over the years. The ground itself has one modern all-seater stand from which almost all spectators watch the game. The other four sides of the ground has hard standing. No floodlights are present, which may be surprising for a top-flight ground, but becomes less surprising considering the short summer season when football is played in Iceland and the fact it barely gets dark during the summer months. No programmes are issued at Icelandic football games.
On a grey, damp evening , the game started with Valur very much in the ascendancy, and they duly took the lead on 12 minutes. It had all the signs of being a comfortable home victory, until, out of nothing, Fylkir won a penalty. Although this was saved, the rebound was tapped in from close range. Valur retook the lead six minutes later, although by the time half-time had arrived, the game had become much more balanced and with Fylkir still very much in the game. However, Valur extended their lead a couple of minutes after the break, and then to 4-1 on 55 minutes to put the game beyond any doubt. Against a by now deflated Fylkir team, Valur were now rampant, and had numerous golden chances to extend their lead by more than just 5 which they scored on 72 minutes. Fylkir pulled a goal back on 83 minutes, but 5-2 to the home side was how it stayed.
No comments:
Post a Comment