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Kópavogsvöllur (Kópavogur, Iceland). Breiðablik won in the 1st leg of the 2025/2026 UEFA Conference League Qualifiers Play-off round, against Sammarinese champions AC Virtus (by the final score 2-1).

2025/2026 UEFA Conference League Qualifiers Play-off round (Champions Path). The battle of the champions, as home side Breiðablik is the current title holder in Iceland’s highest tier Besta deild karla (as winning the competition in 2024), while AC Virtus from San Marino, who won the Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio in season 2024/2025, already made history as becoming the first club from the country to reach the play-off round of a European club competition, following a 3–0 victory over Moldovan champions FC Milsami Orhei.

Both teams has started their European campaign in the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League First qualifying round. By defeating the Albanian champion team KF Egnatia with an aggregate score of 5-1, Breiðablik has qualified itself to the next round, where the Polish Ekstraklasa 2024/2025 winners Lech Poznań turned to be tough opponents. As being demoted to the 2025/2026 UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round, the Icelandic team faced Bosnia-Herzegovina’s HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, and with a narrow 2-3 aggregate loss against Plemići (the nickname of Zrinjski), now they are within arm’s reach of participating in the League Phase of the 2025/2026 UEFA Conference League. An interesting fact is that HŠK Zrinjski Mostar was the team who defeated AC Virtus in the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League First qualifying round, by 1-4 on aggregate score. The Sammarinese champions joined the Conference League in the Third qualifying round, and after a 3-2 loss against Moldovan side FC Milsami Orhei away, they have won the 2nd leg by three goals (3-0), so the only obstacle in front of them is the Icelandic team.

Breiðablik, led by coach Halldór Árnason, started the game in 4-3-3 formation. Their increased intensity pressing play turned to be effective; it wasn’t rare when 6-7 of the home players were attacking the opposition box. Significant dominance was represented regarding of ball possession and in the offense; they were able to build up the attacks (also from goal-kicks) by swift short passes, even by great one-touch moves. The two full-backs/wing-backs (Kristinn Jónsson as LB and Valgeir Valgeirsson as RB) put a lot of emphasis on to support the offense with quality, plus Jónsson made an assist to Valgeirsson at the equalizing goal, in addition to Valgeirsson won a penalty in the second half – which led to the decisive hit.

(Breiðablik players in/around the opposition box – they were trying to maximize the pressure and the dominance)

AC Virtus, under the guidance of Italian Luigi Bizzotto, opted for a 4-2-3-1 reminiscent formation in this European clash. Their off-ball / defending shape often was visible as 4-4-2, where the veteran attacking midfielder Ivan Buonocunto (former Udinese youth player) was moved up, to start making pressure from the side of alone striker Stefano Scappini. They mostly had to adapt the game controlled by Breiðablik; the elevated defensive play of the team took a lot of energy, and the high level of concentration was also mentally taxing. With this disciplined play, hand in hand with the superb goalkeeping performance of Samuele Guddo (ex-Palermo youngster), their hope is still alive, to go through the Icelandic opponents with a great result in San Marino.

(AC Virtus players in their 4-4-2 off-ball system, with Buonocunto on the press)

AC Virtus took the lead in the 11th minute, when Stefano Scappini converted his penalty kick to goal (0-1). In the 31st minute, Breiðablik‘s right-back Valgeir Valgeirsson has equalized the score, with the assist of the team’s left-back Kristinn Jónsson (1-1). Valgeirsson has won a penalty in the second half, when an opposition player made a foul on him inside the box; in the 55th minute, Breiðablik secured its win with this penalty, scored by Danish striker Tobias Thomsen (2-1).

(Breiðablik’s right-back Valgeir Valgeirsson, with his equalizing hit – 1-1)

The second leg will be played on 28 August 2025, in the San Marino Stadium (which was formerly known as Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle).

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