After a week and a half with an international break, it was finally time for football in the NordicBet League again for FC Helsingør.
The club were looking to bounce back after a defeat in the previous round against Næstved BK and had therefore made the trip to “dark” Jutland, where Vendsyssel FF were waiting.
Before the match, FC Helsingør were in 5th place in the table with 18 points, just one place and one point ahead of Vendsyssel FF. It was therefore an obvious opportunity to get back on the winning track and put some distance between themselves and their nearest pursuers. For FC Helsingør, Daniel Norouzi was finally back in the starting lineup, while the opposition, among others, had former FC Helsingør player Carl Lange among their 11 selected.
One thing has been certain in recent meetings between FC Helsingør and Vendsyssel: goals. A total of 11 had been scored in the teams’ last three head-to-head matches, two of which ended with three points for FC Helsingør. Most recently, however, the teams drew, as the last time the two sides met was in a 2-2 match in the autumn of 2021.
Both teams tried from the outset to take control of the match. Vendsyssel FF, however, came with much more aggression and high pressing, which among other things resulted in an early yellow card for one of their center-backs. A few minutes later came the most comical episode of the match, when a Vendyssel striker headed the ball straight into the head of his teammate instead of hitting the FC Helsingør goal.
And after 10 minutes of play, FC Helsingør came to the game’s first big chance. Liam Jordan was given too much space on the edge of the box – and therefore chose to take the chance and shoot at goal. The shot, however, was parried away.
Three minutes later it went wrong for FC Helsingør. Vendsyssel FF broke well through on the left side of the box and, with a thunderous cross into the face of Zander Hyltoft, they scored to make it 1-0.
FC Helsingør then did not have long to lick their wounds, because just four minutes later it was Carl Lange who punished his old club. After a bit of trickery in the box, the ball ended up at the feet of the winger, who with a delicate inside-foot finish placed the ball as far into the far corner as possible. 2-0 to Vendsyssel in a match where, up to that point, there had been three shots and two goals.
Afterwards Vendsyssel were in control of most of the play, and the West Jutlanders had several good shots at the FC Helsingør goal. In fact, it would take until the 38th minute before FC Helsingør truly came close to something resembling a chance. After a handful of fine first-time touches, Liam Jordan again had the opportunity to shoot, but a Vendsyssel player got a foot to it and the ball instead went out for a corner.
And FC Helsingør did not get any closer to goal in the first half. The teams therefore went into the break with the score at 2-0.
FC Helsingør did, however, come out for the second half with renewed energy and two fresh substitutions in Alexander Lyng and Callum McCowatt, who replaced Daniel Norouzi and Oliver Klitten. The away side therefore applied heavy pressure in the first few minutes of the second half and had several good attempts that, however, did not lead to anything truly dangerous.
FC Helsingør were seeing more and more of the ball, and apart from a single big chance for Vendsyssel FF, which Sayouba Mandé brilliantly saved, FC Helsingør were actually on top of most things. after 53 minutes it was Callum McCowatt who sent in a cross – which actually ended up becoming a shot on goal. The ball, however, would not go in.
Frederik Juul Christensen had a lot of space outside the box after 57 minutes and could therefore shoot. But the shot went over.
after 69 minutes Morten Eskesen made his fourth substitution, as Oliver Drost was taken off in favour of Sterling Yateke. But a minute later Vendsyssel FF chose to drive another nail into the FC Helsingør coffin, as they scored to make it 3-0 after a well-worked attack.
In the 82th minute FC Helsingør made their final substitution, as Liam Jordan was taken off in favour of Jacob Schoop.
FC Helsingør did, however, manage to slightly improve the scoreline for a while, as in the 88th minute they sent the ball into the box. There stood Sterling Yateke, who could easily poke the ball in for 3-1. But Vendsyssel FF apparently were not done scoring either. For in the dying minutes of the match they got another counterattacking opportunity, which resulted in yet another goal.
the match ends 4-1, and FC Helsingør never really got going. With this result, FC Helsingør are now in sixth place in the league. In a week, top side Vejle await away from home.
