The Icelandic women's football league (Úrvalsdeild)

Anna Björk Kristjánsdóttir joins Inter Milan from Le Havre. Experienced defender who has 44 caps for Iceland. Was a late bloomer in the Icelandic league. A three time champion with Stjarnan. A regular in the Icelandic national team under Freyr Alexandersson but has not earned the favor of the last two national coaches. Tall and strong and a decent passer of the ball.
https://www.inter.it/it/news/2021/08/05/anna-bjork-kristjansdottir-nuova-giocatrice-dell-inter.html

 

Barbára Sól Gísladóttir joins Bröndby from Selfoss. Arguably the best young right back in the Icelandic league. At the age of 20 she has earned two caps for Iceland. Had to deal with a minor injury prior to the 2021 season and was not selected to play for the national team in the last two international breaks which was a little surprising.
https://www.fotbolti.net/news/05-08-2021/barbara-sol-til-brondby-stadfest-laetur-drauminn-raetast

 

Tomorrow is the all important game between Valur and Breiðablik. If Valur wins, they will most likely become champions (they would have to loose all three remaining matches to give away the title to Breiðablik). On the other hand, if Breiðablik wins, Valur would still be in the drivers seat but another misstep could cost them the title.

Agla María Albertsdóttir and Elín Metta Jensen have each scored ten goals this season so their input is going to be crucial in the game. Also watch out for the battle between right winger Áslaug Munda Gunnlaugsdóttir and left back Mary Alice Vignola.

Next week both teams will be playing in round 1 in the Champions League. Valur will face 1899 Hoffenheim on Tuesday while Breiðablik will face KÍ from the Faroe Islands on Wednesday.

In other news. D.B. Pridham has left ÍBV for Kristianstad but she has scored 7 goals in 10 matches this season.

 

Not a knock on the Icelandic league. Valur is definitively lucky to have her. Katie Cousins is playing for Þróttur now. She has been sensational this season and there is no way that Þróttur can keep her. I am afraid that many good players will leave the league at the end of the season but Icelandic teams have though been good at finding new talent to replace those who have gone abroad.

 

Breiðablik - Valur 0 - 1
0 - 1 Málfríður Anna Eiríksdóttir (12)

Finally Valur has broken the curse. After loosing the last four games against Breiðablik in both the league and in the cup Valur comes away with a win. Valur started brightly when Elín Jensen put a low cross into the penalty box where Ída Marín Hermannsdóttir connected with the ball but sent it just wide of the target. Then on the 12th minute, Valur defender Málfríður Anna Eiríksdóttir headed in the ball from close range after a Dóra María Lárusdóttir corner. This was the first goal for Malla, as she is called, this season and only her second in her entire career. After the goal Breiðablik tried to get on the offensive and their best chance came when Agla María Albertsdóttir sent in cross that deflected of the defender into the feet of Áslaug Munda Gunnlaugsdóttir who couldn't control the ball and sent it wide. In the second half Valur had most of the possession but Breiðablik made a late charge. In the last 20 minutes both teams had good chances but the best chance fell to Valur when Ásdís Karen Halldórsdóttir was through on goal but sent it past the keeper and the goal. In the end it was a well deserved win by Valur who only need three points from the next three games to secure the title.

Valur will play Hoffenheim on Tuesday this week. I am a little bit worried because the front three players Ída Marín, Ásdís Karen and Elín Jensen played their hearts out against Breiðablik with Jensen having to limp off the pitch after suffering a muscle cramp. All three players need to play with the same intensity if Valur hopes to qualify to the next round. Hopefully the players get well rested for the game.

 

Valur starting lineup against Hoffenheim

1. Sandra Sigurðardóttir (m)
5. Lára Kristín Pedersen
6. Mist Edvardsdóttir
7. Elísa Viðarsdóttir (f)
8. Ásdís Karen Halldórsdóttir
9. Ída Marín Hermannsdóttir
13. Cyera Makenzie Hintzen
14. Sólveig Jóhannesdóttir Larsen
18. Málfríður Anna Eiríksdóttir
21. Lillý Rut Hlynsdóttir
22. Dóra María Lárusdóttir

It is as I feared. The game against Breiðablik took its toll. Valur's star players Elín Metta Jensen and Mary Alice Vignola will start on the bench. Jensen had to leave the pitch because of a calf injury in the last game, not sure what is bothering Mary Alice. Lillý Rut Hlynsdóttir will start her first game in more than a month. This is not looking good!

 

Hoffenheim - Valur 1 - 0
1-0 Nicole Billa (56)

Proud of my girls. Yes Valur did not create many chances, if any, and Hoffenheim was by far the better team, but considering Valur was without their two best players and had a really difficult game against Breiðablik only two days ago it could have been so much worse.

 

Sorry three days, got my calendar wrong. Valur played Breiðablik last friday.

 

Haha, yes she sometimes does but she also has the pace to get back very quickly. She is also used to high press with Valur.

 

🇮🇸 Varmt välkommen till Hammarby, @berglindbjorg10!

✍️ Den välmeriterade anfallaren har skrivit på ett avtal över 2022. Läs mer på https://t.co/QJp70nRk5j. #Bajen

— Hammarby Fotboll (@hammarbyfotboll) August 17, 2021

Hammarby signed striker Berglind Björg Þorvaldsdóttir this week. Berglind has been for the last five years the most consistent goalscorer in the Icelandic league (scoring 70 goals in 70 games for Breiðablik from 2016 till 2020). She had a brief spell with Verona in 2016 scoring 4 goals in 8 games. Then in 2020 Berglind joined AC Milan, where she was given the nickname "Thor", but her career in Italy was interrupted by covid. Nonetheless she managed to score 5 goals in 5 games for the club. Last winter she played for Le Havre in France and was their top goalscorer with 5 goals in 18 games (she scored one goal agains PSG). Now she has joined Hammarby until next year where she is expected to continue to add to her goal scoring tally.

 

Womens Champions league 2021

Breiðablik - KÍ 7 - 0
1-0 Selma Sól Magnúsdóttir (28)
2-0 Karitas Tómasdóttir (34)
3-0 Tiffany McCarty (36)
4-0 Agla María Albertsdóttir (45)
5-0 Karitas Tómasdóttir (45)
6-0 Agla María Albertsdóttir (58)
7-0 Selma Sól Magnúsdóttir (90)

A comfortable win by Breiðablik who will now face Gintra from Lithuania in the finals in the mini tournament.

Highlights from the game:


Valur - Zurich 3 - 1
1-0 Fanndís Friðriksdóttir (32)
2-0 Cyera Hintzen (51)
3-0 Cyera Hintzen (53)
3-1 Naomi Megroz (59)

A consolation win for Valur who are non the less out of the competition. Still playing without Jensen and Vignola and at the start of the game lost also Lára Kristín Pedersen to injury but she has been fantastic for Valur this summer after joining the club from Napoli. A call from the national coach must be in the cards if she stays fit.

 

Finally!

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