FC Helsingør had the chances to win, but had to settle for a draw in the first of two playoff matches against Randers FC.
FCH got off to a start by pressing Randers, and already after two minutes a cross from Martin Fisch following a bit of pinball in the box was laid back to Nicolas Mortensen, who took a shot. But the fine effort went just wide of the far post.
Randers then gradually worked their way more into the game, and after just under ten minutes Lobzhanidze got on the end of a fine cross from the right that was very close to finding one of three Randers players in the box, but fortunately for the home side none of them reached the ball.
After thirteen minutes FCH got a throw-in on the right side. TK went over and threw long. Fisch headed the ball on in a hard aerial duel, and Matheus tried an overhead kick, but the difficult move failed, and the ball flew a good way over the goal.
The minute after, Randers were close. After some ping-pong play out near the right corner flag, a good cross was delivered that found a fairly free Lobzhanidze, but he did not connect properly with the ball at all, and the finish went wide. Huge chance for the visitors!
After that chance, Randers dropped a bit in tempo, and the match entered a phase with many duels and more physical play from both teams, which for a while put a damper on the attacking intent of the two sides.
We therefore had to wait until the 26th minute for the next chance. It was again for the visitors from Randers, and it was almost even bigger than the previous one. Once again it was Lobzhanidze who came close. A through ball reached him on the right side of the box, he fooled his marker and chipped the ball over an onrushing Mikkel Bruhn. But at the very, very last moment Søren Henriksen got back, and almost on the line he threw himself back and headed the ball past the post. An incredibly important save by the center-back.
And the minute after, it was the home side who struck back. A ball was played into the Randers box, where Nicolas Mortensen took a shot. The effort was blocked, and while friends and foes looked around in confusion for the loose ball, it was Matheus who got there first. He struck it and the ball flew in by the far post, and then the home crowd could let the cheers loose.
1-0 FC Helsingør
But the first half still ended with a sour note for FC Helsingør. Anders Holst went down on the grass just before the halftime whistle, and had to be helped off the pitch as he was clearly groggy. He was immediately replaced by Felipe Tontini, but it was an annoying end to an otherwise good FCH first half.
The second half started more like a wrestling match than a football match, and there was a great deal of giving and taking in the duels. In the 52th minute, a hard duel between Patrick Olsen and Markkanen led to pushing and scuffles between the teams; it ended with bookings for both Markkanen and Conboy from Randers, and one for Mikkel Bruhn for getting involved.
The ball spent almost more time in the air than on the ground, and neither team managed to create anything beyond half-chances. Helsingør did, however, look the more dangerous side, and Tontini and Adnan were several times close to breaking through down the flanks, but Randers defended intelligently, and it remained with the attempts.
Instead, Randers were close after the 65 minutes. A corner produced a loose ball, which was played to the far post. There Marxen was close to heading the visitors back into the game, but his header went just over, and the home side could breathe again for a while.
But it was Randers who began to bite back now. FCH struggled to put the established play together, and Randers came to several dangerous crosses in this phase, where the Helsingør players had their hands full defending.
But it was still FCH who got the biggest chance of the match just as the stadium clock reached the 85th minute. Mikkel Basse played a through ball to Adnan Mohammad, who ran in behind, he laid a cross in from the left side, but Nicolas Mortensen was nowhere to be found in front of goal. He had in fact been brought down just inside the box by Kevin Conboy. Referee Peter Munch blew for a penalty, and sent Conboy for an early shower with his second yellow card. Nicolas Mortensen took the spot kick himself, but his effort was too close to goalkeeper Halldorsson, who saved the shot. Bad luck for FCH top scorer.
Two minutes later things got even worse for FCH. Adnan Mohammad brought down a Randers player a little way outside the box, and Bashkim Kadrii went for the ball. The sharp attacker placed the free kick into the near corner, catching Mikkel Bruhn on the wrong foot. Unfortunately a clinical finish from the loaned-out FCK striker.
1-1 Randers FC
Helsingør tried to create chances at the end, but the hard work in stoppage time bore no fruit, and so FC Helsingør had to accept that Randers took the one point in the first of the two matches. FCH do, however, get the chance to make amends already on Sunday, when the second round is played in Randers.
FC Helsingør: Bruhn, Jørgensen, Gregor, S. Henriksen, Fisch, Holst, Köhler, P. Olsen, Mohammad, Mortensen, Leiria
substituted: Tontini, Basse, Frithzell.
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
