With an exemplary defensive effort and a single goal from a red-hot Carl Lange, FC Helsingør could after 95 long minutes raise their arms after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Hobro. The match became more physical than FC Helsingør were happy with, but Hobro could not break down the FCH defense.
It was otherwise Hobro who had the first dangerous effort on goal, as within the first few minutes they managed to put a couple of balls into the FCH box, which caused a bit of confusion. But FC Helsingør's defense got the chestnuts out of the fire, and prevented the home side from getting a shot away. After that, FCH pushed the game further up the pitch, and in the first ten minutes were successful in getting the ball moved around within their own ranks, while Hobro mostly looked to break and hit on the counterattack. However, neither team managed to create any open chances in the opening stages of the match.
After a quarter of an hour, however, Hobro worked their way into the match and applied pressure on the FCH box. That led to a couple of corners that were close to becoming dangerous, but the final shot or a completely open chance never came for Hobro.
Helsingør were not outplayed, though, and after 22 minutes a well-performing Carl Lange whipped in a sharp cross into the Hobro box from the left side. It was close to finding Callum McCowatt's head, but inside the six-yard box former FCH goalkeeper Adrian Kappenberger managed to get up and claim the ball ahead of the FCH players.
After 25 minutes Hobro won a free kick just outside the corner of the FCH box, when a Hobro player theatrically went to ground after minimal contact from McCowatt. The free kick was taken by Pål Kirkevold, who sent a dipping shot toward the near post. But Kevin Stuhr was alert and got down to the ball right at the base of the post.
Then followed ten scrappy minutes, marked by misplaced passes and a fair number of free kicks from both teams
Four minutes before the break FC Helsingør managed to move the ball forward on a counterattack. Lange found Kjærgaard out on the left side, where Mouritsen had joined the attack. The left back played a sharp ball across to Tonni Adamsen on the right side. Adamsen tried to control the ball before shooting, but Kappenberger came out and won it before Adamsen could finish. A good chance for FC Helsingør.
But neither team could produce the decisive blow before the referee blew for halftime, and the first half ended as it began, with 0-0 on the scoreboard.
Five minutes into the second half, FCH then produced the counterattack they needed. Norouzi won possession just outside his own box and sent it up the sideline on the left to Carl Lange. Lange played a clever one-two with Oliver Kjærgaard and burst forward at high speed toward Hobro's box. There he played a perfect cross-field ball across the pitch to the charging Philip Rejnhold, who had run clear on the opposite side. Rejnhold carried the ball a couple of meters forward and from the edge of the box whipped in a razor-sharp cross to Carl Lange, who coolly placed the ball past Kappenberger. Sublime counterattacking play by the visitors from Helsingør.
0-1 FC Helsingør
A few minutes later Lange was close again, when he deftly brought down a dropping ball between two opponents, turned and went through on goal on the left side of the box. Lange then struck for the far post, but the ball whistled just wide.
Shortly after, Mads Hvilsom was close for Hobro, as he found a rare gap in the FCH defense and entered the box from the left side. But at the last moment Nikolaj Hansen got back, and with a good tackle the FCH captain prevented Hvilsom from getting a shot away.
Just over an hour in, Lange was unreasonably close again. The winger received a good through ball and found Nicklas Mouritsen, who had made a run. Mouritsen played Lange through again at exactly the right moment, and Lange entered the box, where he let fly, but once again the ball went narrowly wide of the far post.
FC Helsingør dropped a little deeper on the pitch, where they tried to move the ball around and wait for an opening the other way. Hobro tried to apply physical pressure, but FCH usually got around the tackles. After 70 minutes the coaching staff substituted Callum and Adamsen for Haren and David Boysen, which immediately gave a bit more energy to the attacking play. Less planned was it that Philip Rejnhold had to go off with a head injury after 76 minutes. He was replaced by Hans Christian Bonnesen.
In the end Hobro managed to put pressure on the FCH goal in the half, and it was around the 90th minute that the home side came close several times from corners. But each time they lacked that final sharpness, or the strong FCH center-back pairing got to the headers first, and the dangerous chances were dealt with.
In stoppage time Hobro kept up the pressure, and even had the goalkeeper in the box twice, but FC Helsingør weathered the storm, and could for the first time ever record an away win against Hobro.
FCH: K. Ellegaard, N. Mouritsen, N. Hansen, N. Geertsen, P. Rejnhold (’76 HC Bonnesen), D. Norouzi, F. Juul Christensen, C: Lange, O. Kjærgaard (57’ L. Jordan), T. Adamsen (’70 L. Haren), C. McCowatt (70’ D. Boysen)
Photo: Cementen.dk (thanks for the help)
