FC Helsingør ran into another heavy beating, as Brøndby at home defeated the Helsingør side by 6-1, in a match where FCH actually held up quite well in terms of play in the first half, but in the second half were thoroughly given a rough ride.
FC Helsingør started well in the first five minutes. They pressed Brøndby nicely and moved the ball around in their own lines. But after six minutes, a ball went over the byline in the Helsingør box, and the tall center-back Arajuuri glanced Anthony Jung’s corner. The ball went between the Helsingør defenders and through the hands of goalkeeper Aris Vaporakis, and sailed into the far corner. Worst possible start for the away side.
1-0 Brøndby
And things were about to go wrong again. After nine minutes, Teemu Pukki got the ball on FCH’s left side. He took a neat touch and played the ball across. At the far post stood Hany Mukhtar completely free and could steer the ball into the goal. Football’s ABC, and then it was truly uphill for FCH.
2-0 Brøndby
12 minutes had been played before FC Helsingør got their first big chance. A corner was sent to the edge of the six-yard box. The Brøndby defense failed to clear it, and it fell to Mikkel Basse, who lashed at it. But unfortunately a Brøndby defender got a foot to it and blocked the shot.
After 16 minutes came the biggest Helsingør chance of the first half. Tobias Christensen, who was playing up front today together with Adnan Mohammad, made a run in behind and received the ball on the edge of offside. The small technician broke free of his marker, but one-on-one with Frederik Rønnow, ”Toby” did not quite manage to guide his shot properly, and the Brøndby keeper saved. Huge chance for FC Helsingør.
A couple of minutes later, Frederik Bay delivered a good cross into the Brøndby box. The center-backs cleared, but the ball landed at Patrick Olsen, who struck it first time from 25-30 meters out. The ball dipped in a fine arc and forced Rønnow into a good save by the post. A good strike from the midfielder.
After 23 minutes, FCH had another big chance. Adnan Mohammad sprinted down the left side and found Holst, who laid a soft pass perfectly to Tobias Christensen, who shot toward the far corner, but the ball went narrowly wide. Another big chance.
But shortly after, things went wrong for FCH again, after ten minutes in which they had actually been on top of the game. Pukki got through on the right side of the six-yard box and shot. The ball was saved, but fell to Kamil Wilczek. The Polish striker did not hit the ball especially well, but Aris Vaporakis had gone to the other side of the goal on Pukki’s shot and could not get back before the ball had sneaked over the line.
3-0 Brøndby.
After 29 minutes, Adnan Mohammad moved across the face of the box after being played free with a good pass from Frederik Bay. Arajuuri brought the small dribbler down on the edge of the arc. Free kick and a yellow card for the towering center-back. Patrick Olsen stepped up and took the kick well, but his excellent free kick was headed away in the wall.
When 37 minutes had been played, Brøndby worked the ball up through the middle. It ended up with a sharp pass to a somewhat too free Kamil Wilczek, but Aris Vaporakis came out well and blocked the finish. Good save.
Two minutes before halftime, Mikkel Basse cleverly played the ball in behind to Tobias Christensen, who fooled his man with a neat first touch on the edge of the box. Toby nudged the ball on to Adnan Mohammad, who shot first time, but his effort was too weak and Rønnow could save comfortably. Another big chance for Adnan and Tobias, who had many good moments in the first half but struggled to produce a proper end product.
The second half unfortunately started for FC Helsingør as the first had. It had not been more than five minutes before Brøndby were awarded a free kick on the edge of the FCH box. The Swede Johan Larsson stepped up and feinted to shoot into the far corner. But instead he played the ball low across to a free Teemu Pukki on the right side of the box. He struck first time, high and hard into the net, and the FCH players could only watch as the ball sailed in.
4-0 Brøndby
Three minutes later Brøndby won a corner. Jung delivered it at hip height toward the near post. Wilcek sent the ball on with a backheel, and once again Teemu Pukki got to the ball first and could direct it in almost on the line.
5-0 Brøndby
For the next ten minutes Brøndby dropped a little deeper on the pitch and used all three of their substitutions. That gave FC Helsingør a bit more space, but they could not create chances of the class they had managed in the first half.
FC Helsingør also made substitutions. Nicolas Mortensen came on, and Felipe Tontini came on for his debut. It turned out to be a good idea. After 68 minutes, Daniel Jørgensen played a superb cross-field ball to Matheus, who guided the ball forward with his chest on the first touch. Free as a result, he found Tontini, who came charging in from behind. The Brazilian first-timed the ball with a dry strike and put it safely past Frederik Rønnow. Excellent buildup by the Helsingør side.
5-1 FC Helsingør
The goal clearly irritated the Brøndby players, who turned the tempo up again. For the next five minutes they swarmed around the Helsingør goal, looking for an opening. It came after 75 minutes. The ball was played diagonally backward in the Helsingør box to a free Teemu Pukki, who instead of finishing himself played it diagonally backward once more to Lasse Vigen, who fired the ball beyond Aris Vaporakis with a hard shot high into the net.
6-1 Brøndby
Right on the brink of the 80th minute, Brøndby were close again. Jan Kliment broke forward together with Wilczek in a two-on-two. Daniel Jørgensen tracked well, but his intervention did not clear the ball completely. It ended up with Johan Larsson, who had snuck forward, but fortunately the Swede could not direct the ball into the goal, and it rolled past the post. More luck than judgment for FCH.
In the closing minutes Hany Mukhtar and Jan Kliment had another couple of fairly big chances to extend Brøndby’s lead, but failed to score again. And then, at the final whistle, FC Helsingør had to head into the dressing room with one of the more annoying defeats in their baggage.
FC Helsingør: Vaporakis, Henriksen, Jørgensen, Fisch, Basse, P. Olsen, Bay, Leiria, Holst, Christensen Mohammad
Substitutes: Mortensen, Tontini, Douglas
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
