Showing posts with label Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur. Show all posts

Thursday, February 16, 2017

16 February 1899 - Iceland's Oldest And Most Successful Club

On 16 February 1899, Icelandic club Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur were founded. The country's oldest club, they have since gone on to become its most successful club as well, with a record 26 league titles.

Known as "KR," they play in black and white striped shirts, reportedly adopted from Newcastle. They won their first title in 1912, then won it again in 1919. A relative dry spell followed before they picked up another title in 1926, but they dominated the league afterward, winning six of the next eight.

KR fell off a bit in the latter half of the twentieth century, failing to win a single title in the Seventies or Eighties, and winning only one--the 1999 championship--in the Nineties. But that sparked another run of success that led to their record 256th title in 2014. It was followed the next year by a record 14th Icelandic Cup.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

16 February 1899 - Iceland's Best Ball Kickers

On this day in 1899, Icelandic club Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur were founded. The country's oldest club, they have since gone on to become the its most successful club as well, with a record 25 league titles.

Known as "KR," they play in black and white striped shirts, reportedly adopted from Newcastle. They won their first title in 1912, then won it again in 1919. A relative dry spell followed before they picked up another title in 1926, but they dominated the league afterward, winning six of the next eight.

KR fell off a bit in the latter half of the twentieth century, failing to win a single title in the Seventies or Eighties, and winning only one--the 1999 championship--in the Nineties. But that sparked another run of success that led to their record 25th title in 2011. It was part of a double that season that also include their record 12th Icelandic Cup.

They originally chose the name "Fótboltafélag Reykjavíkur," which apparently translates as "Reykjavik Football Club," but soon exchanged the prefix for Knattspyrnufélag, which (I am told) literally translates as "ball kickers."

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

6 May 1970 - They Don't Look Very Excited Though, Do They?

On 6 May 1970, Feyenoord became the first Dutch team to win the European Cup, beating Celtic 2-1 in the Final.

Founded in Rotterdam in 1908, Feyenoord are one of the most successful clubs in the Netherlands, rounding out the Dutch "Big Three" along with Ajax and PSV. They earned a place in the 1969-70 European Cup by winning their ninth Eredivisie title the previous season.

Feyenoord started their European campaign with a flourish, demolishing Icelandic side Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur in the first round by an aggregate score of 16-2. They faced defending champions A.C. Milan in the second round, losing the first leg in Italy 1-0, but winning the second leg 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. They repeated that pattern against A.S.K. Vorwärts Berlin, again winning 2-1 on aggregate, then beat Legia Warszawa 2-0 in the semifinal.

The Final was held at the San Siro in Milan. Celtic defender Tommy Gemmell scored first, putting the Scottish side ahead in the 29th minute. The lead was short-lived, however, as Feyenoord defender and captain Rinus Israël scored the equalizer in the 31st minute. The teams failed to score through the end of regulation, forcing the match into extra time. In the 117th minute, Feyenoord's Swedish forward Ove Kindvall scored the winning goal.

As title-holders the next season, Feyenoord were upset in the first round by Romanian side U.T.A. Arad.