IK Reykjavik secured a 3-2 victory over Eygir Thorlaksheim in the 17th round of Iceland's 1. deild on Thursday evening. The match ended in dramatic fashion at the home ground, with the hosts claiming all three points despite a spirited response from the visitors.
B. Helgason opened the scoring in the 15th minute, giving the home side an early lead. They pinned Eygir back for much of the opening half, and H. Willard doubled the advantage just before the break with a well-taken goal in the 51st minute.
By then the visitors had settled into their rhythm. E. Sigurhjartarson pulled one back in the 58th minute, and O. Einarsson levelled matters five minutes later after K. A. Thorbergsson came on for Eygir. The away end never stopped, sensing a shift in momentum.
IK Reykjavik refused to go away. B. Helgason was substituted in the 78th minute, but the game remained balanced until A. Sanabria struck in the 83rd minute. Eygir pushed for an equaliser, but the home defence held their nerve through late pressure and a yellow card for O. Einarsson in the 88th minute.
The statistics tell an interesting story. Eygir enjoyed 59 per cent possession and registered 129 attacks compared to 126 for the hosts, yet IK Reykjavik were more clinical with three shots on target to Eygir's two. The visitors won 15 free kicks but could not convert dominance into goals.
The result keeps IK Reykjavik in sixth place on 29 points from 22 matches. Eygir remain rooted to 12th position with just nine points, their record of two wins from 22 games showing no sign of improvement despite the spirited display on the day.