On Wednesday evening, the promoted side from FC Helsingør met the relegated side from Næstved in a well-played training match at Helsingør Stadium. FC Helsingør managed to get its game flowing nicely, and controlled possession for much of the match, and the 1-0 victory might even have been a couple of goals too small.
After about five minutes of play, FCH had the first big chance, when new signing Sebastian Czajkowski cleverly got free on the right side of the box and tried to find attacking partner Teddy Bergqvist centrally. However, the Næstved defense blocked it at the last moment.
Three minutes later, Jonas Henriksen was close to finding Mathias “Mac” Christensen in front of goal, but the young midfielder headed over the goal.
Around the 10th minute, the Czajkowski-Bergqvist duo was close again, and it was almost a copy of the first chance. Czajkowski again got free on the right side of the box and played diagonally back to Bergqvist, who took a first-time shot. However, his hard effort was saved at the last moment by an outstretched Næstved foot.
Just before the clock reached 20 minutes, Næstved thought they had scored, when they headed the ball into the net after a cross, but after some discussion the referee and linesman disallowed the goal for offside. It looked pretty correct at first glance.
After half an hour of play, Jonas Henriksen was free again on the right side and put a good ball into the head of Oliver Kjærgaard, but he could not get enough down on the ball either.
The minute after, Teddy Bergqvist was close again, as he powered through physically and cut across the box. He struck the ball, but his good effort into the middle of goal was again blocked at the last moment.
Shortly before the break, Næstved were close, as a somewhat lucky ball landed at the feet of a Næstved player right in front of goal. He shot quickly, but a saving foot from a Helsingør defender sent the ball wide of the post.
Thus the first half ended goalless.
The second half began much as the first ended, with FC Helsingør having the upper hand in play, and a few loose chances for both teams.
But we had to wait until the 52th minute before FCH broke the deadlock. Dalton Wilkins sent a wonderful cross-field pass up to Eli Just, who beat the offside trap and got away alone toward goal on the right. He slipped past the old Helsingør goalkeeper Viktor Anker, who came out of the goal, and coolly poked it in behind him just before Næstved's defense could get back.
1-0 FC Helsingør
Around the 65th minute, Oliver Kjærgaard was close to scoring with an acrobatic bicycle kick after a free kick from the right was sent across the box, but Kjærgaard's beautiful shot unfortunately went just over the crossbar. It could otherwise have been a great goal.
Næstved got a bit more into the match during this phase, after FCH had substituted among others Mathias Christensen, Eli Just and Anders Holst, and they had a little more of the game around the Helsingør goal, without it becoming really dangerous.
After 74 minutes, however, it was FCH who got the next big chance. Substitute Frederik Juul Christensen drove forward through the middle and across the box, where he fired a dangerous shot from distance. But Viktor Anker was alert and tipped the ball over the crossbar. A strong shot from Christensen.
Just before we reached the 80th minute, Næstved came very close indeed. An FCH defender missed a ball outside the goal area, and suddenly Næstved were two against one with only a single defender between them and goal. But in the final second the FCH defense cleared, as a saving foot prevented the ball from reaching the free man centrally.
After 85 minutes, Carl Lange was close. Eli Just had come on again and made a fine dribble run from the right wing. He played across the pitch to Lange, who shot hard and low toward the far corner. But the ball went just wide of goal.
In stoppage time, Teddy Bergqvist was very close to getting on the scoresheet. A well-playing Dalton Wilkins came forward from his right-back position and won the ball just above the halfway line. He went past his man and to the byline, where he sent a low cross across the goal. At the near post Bergqvist was ready, but he was also closely marked, and he could not get his shot on the right side of the post.
So FC Helsingør had to "settle" for enjoying the one goal from Eli Just, which had given them the victory, after a well-played and at times physically intense training match.
FCH: C. Pedersen, J. Henriksen, Trialist, Trialist, D. Wilkins, E. Just (70 F. Christensen), O. Kjærgaard, M. “Mac” Christensen 45 (D. Norouzi), A. Holst (55 C: Lange), Czajkowski (55 Trialist), T. Bergqvist
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
