It ended in a win over the NordicBet Liga side from HB Køge, but it required a little more from the home team from Helsingør than we have seen in the previous friendly matches.
However, it was FCH that started the match best and had the upper hand in possession. But HB Køge were well organised, and there was no opening in front of the visitors’ goal at the start of the match. After we passed a quarter of an hour, Nicolas Mortensen had the first big chance of the match, when he tried to chip the ball over HB Køge’s goalkeeper, but the ball flew over the crossbar.
After just 25 minutes, it was somewhat against the run of play and chances that the away side from HB Køge opened the scoring first. A free kick just outside the box was played into an HB Køge player in the box, who got in front of his markers and placed a soft header past Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard in the FCH goal.
0-1 HB Køge
The goal fired up the home team, who before half-time had several good attempts. Daniel Norouzi tried a long-range shot, and Chris Cortez hit the crossbar. HB Køge also had the beginnings of a few chances. But sharpness was lacking in the decisive situations, and so the teams went in at half-time with 0-1 on the board.
In the second half, FC Helsingør got a better grip on the match again, and just over 50 minutes had been played when Lucas Haren forced HB Køge’s goalkeeper into a good save. HB Køge had been warned, and it took no more than a moment before Haren added the finishing touch. He put the ball high into the net past the HB Køge goalkeeper in the 54’th minute, and thus FCH drew level.
1-1 FC Helsingør
After just over an hour of play, a good effort from HB Køge forced FCH goalkeeper Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard into a couple of reflex saves, and he had to concede a corner in the end. No goal came of it, though.
Instead, it was FC Helsingør who four minutes later could take the lead, when Lucas Haren with a fine assist found Nicolas Mortensen, who scored as so many times before this season.
2-1 FC Helsingør
The second half was marked by many substitutions from both teams, as has become standard in the friendlies. Jeppe Kjær, TK, Carl Lange and Elijah Just all came on shortly after the goal to 2-1, and shortly after that, Ricki Olsen and Teddy Bergqvist were also brought on.
The latter has been scoring for fun in the friendlies, and today was no exception for the new Swede in the FCH squad. After 80 minutes of play, following a mix of chance and fine build-up play, he put the ball in the net for yet another FCH goal, and effectively sealed the match. Impressive goal form from Teddy Bergqvist.
3-1 FC Helsingør
The second half ended with a couple of big chances for Jeppe Kjær, one for Carl Lange, and a fairly big opportunity for HB Køge, but no more goals were scored, and FCH could note yet another win in the winter build-up.
Head coach Morten Eskesen was pleased with his team’s performance:
We faced a well-organised HB Køge side that shut us down really well, especially in the first half. We had the ball a lot, but had to work to create chances. In the 2 half we were more patient in our possession, and played our way to more chances than in the first half. HB Køge are a good 1 division team, and together with FC Taraz from Kazakhstan whom we met in Turkey, they are the best organised team we have faced in pre-season.
But it was a really good test for us to meet a team like that, and prove that we could create more chances than them on the day and put them away. That’s usually how you win.
Thanks to “Cementen”, who due to illness was our eyes and ears at the stadium today. Follow them on https://www.facebook.com/holgershomies/
You can, among other things, see interviews with Kevin Stuhr and HB Køge’s coach Auri Skarbalius after today’s match there.
FCH: K. Stuhr Ellegaard, J. Henriksen R. Olsen), A. Holm, N. Hansen, D. Wilkins (Norouzi, subbed on again, after Dalton had to go off injured), L. Haren, F. Christensen (E. Just), D. Norouzi (T. “TK” Kristensen), A. Holst (C. Lange), N. Mortensen (T. Bergqvist), C. Cortez (J. Kjær)
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
