Keflavik secured a narrow victory over IBV Vestmannaeyjar in the Urrvalsdeild, winning 1-0 in front of their home crowd on Sunday. S. Ljubicic opened the scoring in the twenty-third minute, and that proved to be the difference in a match where the visitors dominated possession but could not find the net. The result moves the hosts closer to their mid-table ambitions while IBV remain rooted in the lower reaches of the table.
The decisive moment came early when Ljubicic found space and finished clinically. By then, IBV had already begun to assert control through the middle, but their passing game lacked precision. Keflavik defended with discipline, and when the visitors came for a cross he never reached, the ball went nowhere near the danger zone. To be fair, the home side knew exactly what they needed to do, and they stuck to the plan.
There were no dismissals to complicate matters, though M. Al Ghoul received a yellow card in the twenty-seventh minute for a reckless challenge. IBV made two changes on the hour mark, bringing on B. Baxter and D. Valsson in search of something different. Keflavik responded with their own adjustments, introducing S. Hardarson in the sixty-second minute and later M. Tomic as the game settled into its rhythm.
The statistics tell a story of one-sided possession without one-sided results. IBV held 62 per cent of the ball and completed 419 passes compared to Keflavik's 290, yet they managed only one shot on target from twelve attempts off target. The visitors created two big chances, while Keflavik produced three, and it was the home side who converted. Eight shots on target against one — the numbers show where the danger lay.
IBV's goalkeeper had to make seven saves, while Keflavik's keeper was called into action just once. The visitors crossed twenty-four times but succeeded only eight times, and their dribbling did not trouble the defence as much as the statistics suggest. Keflavik won 21 aerial duels to 12, and their clearances total of 36 reflected the pressure they managed to relieve.
With the scoreline unchanged, Keflavik moved to 28 points from 21 games, staying in fifth place. IBV remain twelfth with 17 points from 22 fixtures, a gap that continues to widen. The hosts have won two of their last five league matches, including a comfortable 2-0 victory over Thor Akureyri, while IBV have struggled to string results together. The visitors cannot afford another slip if they want to climb away from the bottom half.
Fridriksson picked up a yellow card late on, and Keflavik brought on S. Ljubicic for another player in the eighty-second minute — a substitution that suggests confidence rather than necessity. The home side put the game to bed early and saw out the remaining minutes without panic. IBV pushed for an equaliser but came up empty, and the visitors left with nothing to show for their dominance.