Vikingur Reykjavik finished the night with the sharper edge at Vikin, turning a 0-0 half-time balance into a 2-1 win over Hapoel Beer Sheva in UEFA Champions League Qualification Round 2. For Soelvi Ottesen, the reward was a home victory built after the interval, while Ran Kozuch's side left Reykjavik with two yellow cards and a narrow defeat after the contest swung late. With kickoff set for Tuesday 21 July, 21:00 CEST, the match also carried clear interest for fans in Norway following the action on TV 2 and Discovery+.
The game stayed level through the first half, and that 0-0 scoreline reflected how little separated the teams before the break. Vikingur Reykjavik then struck first in the 48 minute, before Hapoel Beer Sheva answered in the 51 minute to restore parity almost immediately. That quick exchange changed the rhythm of the match, but it did not settle it. Instead, the decisive moment arrived in the 86 minute, when Vikingur Reykjavik found the goal that put the home side 2-1 ahead and completed the result at Vikin.
How the match turned
Vikingur Reykjavik's response after conceding in the 51 minute mattered as much as the opening goal in the 48 minute. The home side did not let the equaliser define the second half, and the late finish in the 86 minute gave the crowd in Reykjavik a finish that matched the occasion in UEFA Champions League Qualification Round 2. Hapoel Beer Sheva stayed in touch throughout, but the final scoreline showed Vikingur Reykjavik handling the key moments better. For readers in Norway, the timing and broadcaster line-up meant the match was easy to follow from Europe/Oslo, right into the evening.
- The score was 2-1 to Vikingur Reykjavik, with the half-time score at 0-0 and the full-time result also 2-1.
- Vikingur Reykjavik led after the 48 minute, Hapoel Beer Sheva levelled in the 51 minute, and the home side settled it in the 86 minute.
- Hapoel Beer Sheva received yellow cards in the 41 minute and 63 minute, while Vikingur Reykjavik were booked once in the 76 minute.
- The match was played at Vikin in Reykjavik, with Soelvi Ottesen and Ran Kozuch in the dugout for Vikingur Reykjavik and Hapoel Beer Sheva.
The broader context in Norway was straightforward: this was a result to track live on Tuesday 21 July, 21:00 CEST, with TV 2 and Discovery+ listed for coverage. For fans in Norway, the combination of a late winner and a one-goal margin gave the contest a clear edge in the closing stages, especially after the 0-0 half-time position had suggested a tighter endgame. In UEFA Champions League Qualification Round 2, that kind of finish matters because a single second-half moment can decide the outcome, and Vikingur Reykjavik found it in the 86 minute.
For Hapoel Beer Sheva, the two yellow cards at 41 and 63 minutes added pressure without changing the scoreline, and the equaliser in the 51 minute was not enough to protect the away side from the late setback. Vikingur Reykjavik, by contrast, made the decisive action count after the break and converted the home advantage at Vikin into a finished result. The final score of 2-1 leaves the home side with the momentum from a win earned across the 48, 51 and 86 minute turning points, and it gives Soelvi Ottesen a strong talking point from UEFA Champions League Qualification Round 2.
Looking ahead, the decisive detail is simple: Vikingur Reykjavik delivered the winning goal in the 86 minute, and that late strike defined the night for both sides in Reykjavik.
