Nordsjælland hosted Valur Reykjavik at the Right to Dream Park on Wednesday evening for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, and the hosts ran away with it. The final score read 5-0, though the match statistics tell a different story of dominance. Nordsjælland scored seven goals according to the event log, while Valur could not find the net at all. By then, the Danish side had already established control.
Hjalte Bø Rasmussen opened the scoring in the fifth minute, and the visitors struggled to recover from that early blow. There was a moment of confusion when Samúel Kári Friðjónsson was awarded a penalty, only for it to be cancelled after a VAR review in the 41st minute. Valur's Henrik Gunnarsson picked up a yellow card just before half-time. Nordsjælland doubled their lead through Viktor Berthelsen, who found the net twice in the closing stages of the first half.
The second half was a procession. Markus Nakkim went to the booking area in the 59th minute before Nordsjælland made a flurry of changes at the hour mark. M. Walker restored the two-goal cushion in the 62nd minute. Lucas Sadio then arrived to complete a brace, and L. Nene added a seventh goal in the 74th minute. Valur's Shkelzen Veseli collected a yellow card late on.
The statistics confirmed what the eye test suggested. Nordsjælland enjoyed 66 per cent possession and registered 14 shots on target compared to Valur's two. The hosts created seven big chances against the visitors' single opportunity. Expected goals figures showed 5.2 for Nordsjælland versus 0.4 for Valur. And here's the thing — the shots accuracy figure of 41 per cent tells you the visitors barely tested the goalkeeper.
Valur had managed a 3-1 victory over Breidablik on their last outing on August 9th, but this match exposed a gulf in quality. Nordsjælland had beaten Valur 2-0 just a week earlier on August 6th, and this performance was a statement. The hosts now sit firmly in control of the tie, having won both meetings between the sides this month.