It ended in a 4-1 defeat, which was probably at least one goal too many, when FC Helsingør played in Hobro on Monday. The match was somewhat marked by torrential rain, and a Superliga top scorer in Pål Kirkevold, who refused to be kept down.
The first five minutes started lively, with FC Helsingør slightly on top in attack. Only a couple of minutes had been played before Osama Akharraz was sent off down the left flank, but his cross was a little too close to the goalkeeper, who claimed it.
After ten minutes, Hobro got their first chance. A long throw-in was flicked on in the box, FCH cleared, but Pål Kirkevold got to the rebound, which fortunately went just wide of the post.
After 13 minutes it was FCH’s turn to miss the post. A quickly taken throw-in was flicked on to Tobias Christensen, who ran across both the pitch and the defence until he shot. The effort took a deflection off a defender and sailed toward the near corner, but also sailed just past the upright.
Hobro worked their way further into the match over the next ten minutes or so, and pushed the game up into Helsingør’s half. That led to a couple of corners, and a couple of throw-ins, without it really becoming dangerous. After a little 25 minutes, Pål Kirkevold tried his luck with a free kick from about 20 metres out, but his attempt went a couple of metres over the goal.
After 27 minutes it was close to going wrong for FC Helsingør. Hobro strung together a fine sequence of first-time passes, and the ball eventually ended up with Pål Kirkevold, who again sent his shot a good distance over the goal. He was otherwise in a fine position, so it was somewhat fortunate that the visitors did not fall behind.
In the next sequence of play, Melvin Frithzell was played through with a good through ball, but the Hobro defence forced the Swede so far wide that his finish went into the side netting.
After 34 minutes of play, Hobro played a through ball over the left side, and the cross was perfect for Emmanuel Sabbi, but the attacking player somehow managed to end up shooting with his own hand in what was otherwise a nicely open position in front of goal, and the chance came to nothing. Strange situation.
But after 38 minutes, it was no longer enough for FC Helsingør. Hobro’s Jacob Tjørnelund made a quick run down the left wing and laid it back diagonally to Edgar Babayan, who delivered a perfectly floated cross at hip height to Pål Kirkevold, who finished with a powerful shot between two FCH players and placed it perfectly into the far corner.
1-0 Hobro IK
Shortly after, it was close to becoming 2-0. Pål Kirkevold was played through, and the debuting FCH goalkeeper Lukas Jensen came out and tried to win the ball. The striker fell to the ground, and a hush went through the stadium, but referee Jørgen Daugbjerg Burchardt chose to blow for a free kick to FCH and book Kirkevold with a yellow card for exaggerating the situation. A decision that was certainly not met with approval in the North Jutland stands.
Just before the break, the match exploded. First it was the ever-present Kirkevold who scored for Hobro. Emmanuel Sabbi delivered a cross into the box, Lukas Jensen had taken one step too far forward and could not catch the ball; he only managed to stop it, and then it was a simple matter for Kirkevold to poke the ball in from a tight angle.
2-0 Hobro IK
But already the next minute, FC Helsingør replied. Mathias “Malte” Johannsen played a long pass up through the middle, Daniel Stückler met the ball in a duel with a Hobro defender and managed to disrupt it enough for the ball to continue to a surging Melvin Frithzell, who got away through on goal to the right of the keeper and calmly put the ball past Hobro goalkeeper Rask.
2-1 FC Helsingør
That ended an eventful first half, and FCH could still, all things considered, smell a hope of points, despite a sharp Pål Kirkevold.
The second half started like the first: Like lightning and thunder. Only three minutes had been played when Tobias Christensen got away on a counterattack. The nimble dribbler put the pedal down and reached the edge of the Hobro box. Here he struck decisively, but his powerful shot hit the post. Frederik Roepsdorff had sneaked up in support and hit the rebound first time, but goalkeeper Rask got the tips of his fingers to it and diverted the ball wide. Big double chance for FCH. After that, the match turned into more fight than football, while the rain poured down. Challenges were won and lost, but both teams were still looking to get away on a decisive counterattack.
But it was a set piece that led to the next goal. Hobro won a corner in the 57th minute, and Jacob Tjørnelund went to take it. His corner sailed into the box, and in the crowd in front of goal Lukas Jensen could not get properly to the ball, and it sailed all the way into the goal between friends and foes
3-1 Hobro IK
Both Hobro and FCH made substitutions, and the rhythm of the match was slightly broken over the next ten minutes. FC Helsingør handed a debut to right-back Jonathan Eriksen and striker Nicolas Hald Willumsen, and especially the former could be quite satisfied with his debut. Hobro were pleased to be ahead, and could stand and absorb pressure in defence, while waiting for the counterattack that could finally settle the match. FC Helsingør, meanwhile, tried to find the space in the defence that could give hope of a goal and a reduction. Tobias Christensen tried a couple of shots from distance, but nothing that really troubled the home side.
Instead, it was Hobro who could close the match. After 78 minutes the home side got away down the right, and the ball was laid back diagonally in the box to Pål Kirkevold, who received it with his back to goal. But the striker had the confidence from his first two goals, turned on himself and shot in the same movement, calmly placing the ball into the far corner and completing his hat-trick.
4-1 Hobrok IK
FC Helsingør did not give up, however, and pushed on for a reduction. Tobias Christensen and Osama Akharraz showed a lot of their high technical level, but they did not get farther than the edge of the box before Hobro time and again managed to get a saving foot or tackle in.
That meant the rain could wash away the remaining minutes, and FC Helsingør had to accept an annoying defeat in North Jutland.
FC Helsingør: Jensen, Bay, Johannsen, Fisch, R. Olsen, Akharraz, Basse, Roepsdorff, Christensen, Stückler, Frithzell
Substitutes: Eriksen, Willumsen, Mohammad
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
