Gudjohnsen unmoved by Icelandic record

Two goals in a 4-2 defeat by Latvia saw Eidur Gudjohnsen become Iceland's all-time top scorer but the striker would "rather have got three points".

Gloss removed
The FC Barcelona striker struck in the fourth and 52nd minutes, either side of a four-goal flurry from their Group F opponents, and he admitted that the final result had taken much of the gloss off his 18th and 19th international goals. "It was very disappointing for me, after coming back from injury, to lose the game and take the goalscoring record," he said, ruefully. "In better shape I would have scored more goals but I cannot complain at scoring two."

Long-standing leader
A strike in a 3-0 UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying win against Northern Ireland last September enabled Gudjohnsen to draw level with Ríkhardur Jónsson's total of 17 goals from 33 international games between 1947 and 1965. Jónsson had himself held the record since 1948 when he surpassed Albert Gudmundsson's previous mark of two international goals. Having been level pegging with Jónsson for six games, Gudjohnsen's new record now stands at 19 goals from 48 games.

'Sooner or later'
"This record was going to be broken sooner or later but I would rather have got three points for the team than beat it," said the 30-year-old after Saturday's game in Reykjavik, which left Iceland sixth in their seven-team group. "The success of the team is more important. Of course, I am proud of breaking the record but due to the defeat it's not so important now. I think I will enjoy it more in the future."