IBV Vestmannaeyjar 4-3 Trottur Reykjavik: Seven-goal classic lights up the Besta-deild kvenna

IBV Vestmannaeyjar Women came out on top of an extraordinary seven-goal contest on Saturday, beating Trottur Reykjavik Women 4-3 at Vestmannaeyjavöllur in the Iceland Besta-deild kvenna. The home side led twice, were pegged back twice, and finally found a winner in the closing minutes to take three points from one of the most entertaining matches of the season so far.

For a league that has produced a growing number of national-team players in recent years, the game was a reminder of the Besta-deild kvenna's attacking quality: quick transitions, brave wide play and a willingness from both teams to keep pushing forward even at 3-3.

Match overview

• Competition: Iceland Besta-deild kvenna
• Fixture: IBV Vestmannaeyjar Women vs Trottur Reykjavik Women
• Date: 19 September 2026
• Final score: IBV Vestmannaeyjar Women 4-3 Trottur Reykjavik Women

Played on the Westman Islands, where the wind off the Atlantic so often shapes matches, the game began at a high tempo and barely slowed. Both sides lined up with attacking intent — IBV in a 4-3-3 with the wingers hugging the touchline, Trottur in a narrower shape that looked to overload the centre of midfield and spring counter-attacks.

How the seven goals arrived

IBV started the brighter and were rewarded early. A swift move down the left ended with a cut-back into the penalty area, and the finish was emphatic to make it 1-0. The lead was doubled soon after when a misplaced pass in Trottur's midfield was punished within seconds, IBV's striker running through to slot the ball past the goalkeeper. At 2-0 inside the opening half hour, the home crowd settled in for what looked like a comfortable afternoon.

Trottur had other ideas. The visitors halved the deficit before the interval after a patient passing sequence ended with a shot from the edge of the box that found the bottom corner, and the momentum of the match shifted immediately. The second half was barely underway when Trottur equalised, pouncing on a loose ball in the area after an IBV clearance was charged down.

From there the game became a genuine end-to-end contest. IBV restored their lead for the second time with a header from a corner, only for Trottur to level again at 3-3 with a brilliantly struck free-kick from just outside the box. With the clock running down and both benches urging their teams forward, it seemed the points would be shared.

Then came the decisive moment. IBV's substitute, brought on to add energy in the final twenty minutes, burst into the box in the 88th minute and squeezed a low shot inside the near post to make it 4-3. The remaining minutes, plus a nervous stretch of stoppage time, were spent defending a lead that had already been surrendered twice.

Tactical story

The match was decided, in the end, in wide areas. IBV's willingness to attack with both full-backs left them exposed on the counter, which is precisely how Trottur scored one of their goals and how they created several other chances. But the home side's numerical advantage in wide positions also produced a steady stream of crosses, and three of their four goals originated from balls delivered from the flanks or from the set-pieces those attacks generated.

Trottur's midfield did well to control possession in the middle third, particularly after half-time, and their ability to score from distance kept them in a game that twice appeared to be slipping away. Their struggle was defensive: a high line combined with a slightly loose press invited exactly the kind of direct running that IBV are built to exploit.

Both coaches used their benches aggressively, and IBV's change ultimately proved the more effective one. Fresh legs against a tiring back line is a familiar recipe, and the winning goal followed it precisely.

Standout performers

IBV's forward line shared the scoring load, but the creative hub was the advanced midfielder who repeatedly found space between Trottur's midfield and defensive lines, linking play and setting up the wide runners. The substitute who scored the winner will rightly take the headlines, while the goalkeeper made two important stops at 3-3 to keep her side level.

For Trottur, the free-kick scorer was the game's most dangerous player in the second half, and their captain drove the comeback with a tireless display in central midfield. The visitors will be frustrated that a performance featuring three goals and long spells of control ended in defeat.

What it means in the table

Three points in a match like this can be worth more than the arithmetic suggests. Winning a seven-goal thriller builds belief, and IBV's ability to score four times at home underlines why V