KR Reykjavik saw off KA Akureyri 5-3 in the Úrvalsdeild on Sunday evening, a result that keeps the visitors in second place while Akureyri remain rooted in eleventh. The match took place at the home ground of the hosts, and by then the gap between the two sides was already evident on the scoreboard. It was Round 20 of the regular season, and KR had done enough to extend their advantage over the chasing pack.
KA struck first through A. Sigurdarson in the fourth minute, and to be fair they looked lively enough in those opening exchanges. Sigurdarson doubled his tally nine minutes later, before H. Steingrimsson added a third for the hosts fourteen minutes in. KR pulled one back through A. Romer in the twentieth minute — and here's the thing, that was the moment the match shifted. The visitors made it two from O. Kjartansson just before the break, and then E. Saebjornsson restored parity forty-nine minutes into the second half.
There were changes at both ends, though the match had already gone quiet on the action. G. Hrafnkelsson came on for KA in the forty-sixth minute, and the visitors brought on B. Baldvinsson and A. Palsson sixty minutes in. The hosts made four changes in the seventy-fifth minute — M. Akoto, S. Kroon, S. Karason, and H. Tomasson all entered the fray — while KR added A. Thordarson for their part eight minutes from time. K. Gautason then scored late, ninety-three minutes in, to put the result beyond doubt.
The statistics tell a familiar story. KR had 64 per cent possession and created four big chances to KA's two. The visitors registered fourteen shots on target against five for the hosts, and their accuracy rate sat at 52 per cent compared to 45 for Akureyri. KA made 32 clearances and won 17 tackles, while KR's 131 passes into the final third showed where the pressure lay.
What matters most is what this means for the table. KR sit second with 44 points from 21 games, three defeats and five draws behind them. Akureyri have played 21 matches as well, but their record of four wins and five draws leaves them on 17 points, twelve losses weighing heavy. The visitors have kept their feet above the rest, while Akureyri find themselves increasingly isolated in the lower half.
