KR Reykjavik have won the Icelandic Premier League with two games to spare in manager Rúnar Kristinsson’s 150th match at the helm.
A 2-1 away victory against local rivals Valur Reykjavik on Sunday meant Stjarnan and FH Hafnarfjörður were finally mathematically out of the equation, three days after a surprise 3-0 reversal against Breiðablik temporarily resulted in the champagne being put on ice.
Two first-half strikes from Gary Martin gave the visitors a comfortable lead, although an own goal ensured the finale was edgier than KR would have liked. The reigning champions, FH, won 2-0 at Fram Reykjavík but it was not enough to keep them in the hunt.
Rúnar Kristinsson, who won the 2011 Icelandic Premier League and the 2012 Icelandic Cup with KR, said the campaign has been far from easy but, ultimately, his team made less mistakes than the rest. He added that they really wanted to win on Sunday, worked hard for the game and never stopped running, but everyone was tired following a tough schedule.
KR now have a record 26 championships, six ahead of closest rivals Valur. Their title-winning team in 2011 broke an eight-year barren spell, but the self-belief was apparent throughout this campaign, particularly at home where they have won nine and drawn once in 10 games.