Stjarnan hold nerve to beat Thór Akureyri 4:2 in Úrvalsdeild
Stjarnan beat Thór Akureyri 4:2 at home in the Úrvalsdeild on Saturday. The hosts moved to seventh with 21 points, while the visitors slumped to tenth on 18. By then the rhythm was already set — a first-half burst and a second half that felt like survival.O. Eggertsson opened the scoring early, firing home in the sixth minute. Thór had a chance to respond but E. Atlason restored the lead just before the break, slotting in at 41. B. Ingason doubled Stjarnan's advantage on the stroke of half-time, finishing at 45. The visitors pulled one back through S. Gunnarsson in the 72nd minute after Y. Affi had turned it into an own goal at 61. C. Jakobsen added a late consolation for Thór in the 89th minute. And here's the thing — three goals in 39 minutes decided it before the game even got interesting.
Stjarnan had the edge in shots on target, 7 to 3, but Thór created more attacks overall, 60 to 55. Possession was evenly split at 49 per cent to 51, yet the visitors managed only one big chance compared to four for the hosts. Shots accuracy tells the story — 41 per cent for Stjarnan versus 19 per cent for Thór. They had nothing to do all evening in the final third, really.
There were seven substitutions across the second half, mostly from Thór trying to find something. A. Arnarsson, E. Halldorsson, O. Eggertsson, A. Hauksson, V. Bertomeu, A. Sigurjonsson, B. Ingason, B. Hauksson, E. Atlason, and Y. Affi all came off the bench at some stage. Stjarnan kept their shape and didn't need to chase the game. The old head settled them down when the visitors started pressing.
Stjarnan sit seventh in the table after 21 games, with eight wins, three draws and ten losses. Thór are tenth, five wins, three draws, thirteen losses. The hosts have a four-point gap at this stage of the season. Not much in it, but the momentum is shifting.
