EB STREYMUR 0 CITY 2
UEFA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, 1st Leg
played at Torsvollur Stadium, Torshavn, Faroe Isles
17th July 2008
Attendance 3,000
Scorers Petrov(9), Hamann(28)
ref Nicole Petignat
City Hart, Onuoha, Dunne, Richards, Ball, Ireland, Hamann, Johnson, Petrov, Jo, Vassell – subs used Fernandes(74), Evans(74) Subs not used Schmeichel, Corluka, Elano, Mwaruwari, Castillo
EB Streymur Torgard, Bo, Clementsen, Djurhuus, Foldgast, Bardur Olsen, Jacobsen, Hans Pauli Samuelsen, Hanssen, Arnbjorn Hansen, Niclassen – Subs used Davidsen(85), Brian Olsen(76), Eliasen(77) Subs not used Magnus Poulsen, Balog, Kruse, Thomassen
MARTIN PETROV OPENS THE SCORING WITH A TREMENDOUS DRIVE
It was always going to be a difficult start to the game for City as they took a good five minutes to evaluate their opponents level of skill, during this time the Islanders managed a shot on target but it lacked power and was easily collected by Joe Hart.
It took The Blues seven minutes to create their first good chance as the impressive Petrov crossed to Vassell, who guided his header to the bottom corner of the goal only to see the Streymur custodian pull off a fine save.
Just two minutes later Vassell collected the ball in the area he squared the ball to Michael Johnson, who cleverly stepped over the ball to allow Martin Petrov to smash the ball home from 16 yards to give City the lead.
It was all City now and Vassell should have easily increased City’s lead with a one on one chance which the keeper managed to block from just 6 yards.
Jo’s first shot in a city shirt was yards over as he tried to curl one in from the edge of the box a few minutes later and the even Onuoha got in on the act as he volleyed well over in the box from a petrov free kick.
City did go 2 up however in the 28th minute as Hamaan struck a 25 yard spectacular volley into the top corner from a petrov corner.
The last major chance of the half saw Jo go close with a near post diving header, again from a Petrov cross.
And so at half-time it was 2-0 to City and could easily have been 5-0, Streymur just ‘weren’t at the races’
A more determined Streymur team came out in the second half and for a good 10 minutes were the best team and and City were very sloppy. Hart clumsily palmed away a Streymur shot for a corner when it seemed easier to catch and City’s number one was still looking uneasy just a few minutes later as he struggled to punch clear a dangerous Islander cross.
The first chance that City created in the second half came on 65 minutes as a Vassell effort was deflected for a corner and then a Nedum Onouha effort was blocked from 6 yards from the resultant corner.
Still impressive, Martin Petrov then went close from 25 yards curling a shot just over the bar
On 73 minutes Fernandes and Evans replaced the tiring Jo and Hamaan
City were now back in total control apart from a minor scare in the 79th minute as Hanson turned Richard Dunne to get in a low shot which Hart smothered well.
The game ended with City keeping possession for most of the last 10 minutes with Ched Evans having a few half chances.
At the final whistle City had comfortably won 2-0 and perhaps should have at least doubled that, however, it seems certain they will easily progress to the 2nd Qualifying Round.
Having travelled to the game via a couple of days’ wandering around in Copenhagen, I hadn’t spent any time considering what to do before the game.
The fact that there was no security at the stadium seemed to be a Faroes’ welcome which I took to mean … ‘come in and wander around’….. so I did.
Had a chat to my wife on the phone, at home, whilst doing a number of circuits of the pitch until the groundsman attracted my attention whilst he was mowing the pitch. His name was Tugge and he also happened to be the Faroes’ Chief Of Police.
The delightful chap rather nicely allowed me onto his sit-on mower and mow the pitch! Yeh! So I did a couple of laps & produced 4 quite beautiful stripes on the pitch, just left of the half-way line.
The ease with which I’d entered the stadium in the morning rather emboldened me for the game in the evening, so although I had a ticket, I put on my smart togs, hung some papers around my neck to create a rather formal impression and then averted everybody’s gaze for the next 3 hours in case they were likely to ask difficult questions along the lines of .. ‘and who the heck are you?’ ….. or ….. ‘and what exactly are you doing here?’
As none of that happened, I spent the hour before the game and the whole of the game stood on the outside of the plexi-glass bench cover, 2 ft away from Mark Hughes & Mark Bowen & the subs; I was almost a reserve sub!
After the game, I kinda hung around as media interviewed the City contingent.
I managed to get Michael Ball to have a word with my daughter on the phone, something that confused both of them – ‘So who are you and why am I talking to you?’ could have been the question from each of them, but it wasn’t.
Ah the delight of being a 62-year-old teenager, getting up to japes on tour with City.
Surreal with a capital ‘S’.
Hey Ian, I’m just writing a piece about this game and Faroe Islands Football for a website called Football CFB, could I please use this for my piece it is amazing!
All the best
Cameron Deacon