November 15, 2014:
UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifier, Group F:
Faroe Islands beat Greece
Greece - Faroe Islands 0-1 (0-0)
0-1 Jóan Símun Edmundsson
It was evident from the go that the Faroe Islands had not come to Greece to be extras in a Greek tragedy as the Faroese players had their own ideas of how the script should be written.
From early on the Faroe Islands frequented the Greek penalty area, but it was Greece who got the best opportunity after 10 minutes when Lazaros Christodoulopoulos sped down the left and fired across the face of goal with Gunnar Nielsen palming the ball to safety.
After 16 minutes the Faroes went really close when Brandur Olsen clipped the foot of the post with a free kick.
The Faroes were about to create an opportunity after 35 minutes that ebbed out into nothing but almost cost dearly at the other end as Greece countered and finished into the side-netting.
On 37 minutes Sølvi Vatnhamar was desperately unlucky when his pass to a clear Christian Lamhauge Holst hit the heel of the Greek defender who unfortunately wasn’t Achilles.
Just a minute later the Faroes needed Lady Fortune to be on their side as a Greek was clear on the right hand side of the penalty area but just to se his shot go into the side-netting.
But at half time it was the Faroe Islands who rued the missed chances as they had two in the last five minutes of the first half.
First it was Fróði Benjaminsen’s looping header aimed at the far corner which the Greek goalkeeper had to stretch for to tip around the post. And in injury time Lamhauge Holst released Jóan Símun Edmundsson to get clear on goal, but under pressure from the Greek defender his chip ended in the face of the goalkeeper.
The Faroe Islands started brightly again in the second half and Benjaminsen struck the upright from the edge of the penalty area after a flat cross from Jónas Tór Næs.
And just a minute later Edmundsson fired from an acute angle which forced the Greek goalkeeper to be alert.
And then, on 60 minutes, what is arguably the greatest moment for Faroese football after the Austria win in 1990, the Faroe Islands took the lead through Edmundsson as he scored from close range after the ball fell to him after Sølvi Vatnhamar’s initial cross looked to have gone amiss.
Greece, who had been very tame throughout the match, now started mounting some pressure, and after 68 minutes Panagiotis Kone was completely clear, but blasted his effort over the crossbar after a ball was knocked into the Faroese goal area.
The minute after, Nielsen palmed away a well struck long range effort.
The Faroese team appeared tired at this stage, but fought with everything they had, but were relieved when they saw a diagonal shot from the left smash against the crossbar after 88 minutes – and held out for the remaining two minutes of normal time plus the added four minutes to record their best result ever since their maiden win over Austria in 1990.
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