FC Helsingør put in a huge effort and were minutes away from taking a point from Parken in a match that featured seven goals and plenty of fight, but ultimately also a broken heart for the visitors.
The first five or six minutes unfolded as expected, with a home team that had most of the possession, and an FCH side that mostly looked for a turnover that could lead to a counterattack for either Adnan Mohammad or Matheus, who played on each wing. FCK tried more to get its dribble-skilled players up against the FC Helsingør defense through the middle, but FCH defended well, and there were not many attempts at the start.
But after a little quarter of an hour, it went wrong for FCH. Carlos Zeca whipped a hard cross at head height into the Helsingør penalty area, and Pascal Gregor and Soutiriou both went for the header. Under heavy pressure, Pascal Gregor got there first, but he could not direct his headed clearance, and the ball flew into the net past a chance-less Mikkel Bruhn. Bad start for the Helsingør players.
1-0 FC Copenhagen
After half an hour, however, balance surprisingly appeared on the scoreboard. FCK had worked the ball forward on the left side and put a cross into the box, which was cleared to the middle of the pitch. Patrick Olsen drove the ball forward and found Adnan Mohammad, who fired off something between a cross and a shot toward FCK's debuting keeper Lázlo Köteles, who could not hold the effort. The ball landed right at the feet of Nicolas Mortensen, who easily put it into the FCK goal from less than a meter away.
1-1 FC Helsingør
However, only eight more minutes had been played when FCK showed its teeth at home again. Peter Ankersen drove the ball forward on the right side and sent in a razor-sharp cross to Pieros Sotriou, who swung his leg first time and hammered the ball both past Søren Henriksen and Mikkel Bruhn, who had to watch the ball go in by the post.
2-1 FC Copenhagen.
Two minutes before the break, it went wrong for FCH again. Ankersen found yet another player in the Helsingør box. This time it was Santander. The Paraguayan cleverly laid the ball on first time and found Viktor Fischer, who struck hard and high. The ball took a touch off an FCH player and changed direction, and once again Mikkel Bruhn could only watch as the ball flew in behind him.
3-1 FC Copenhagen
So the Helsingør players had to go to the break after a half in which the play had often been fine, but FCK had simply been that little bit sharper, as one would expect from a defending champion.
The second half started with an FC Helsingør side that tried to apply high pressure. FCK defended wisely, however, and more than five minutes had passed before the half's first shot on goal arrived. Patrick Olsen got to a loose ball outside the box and tried his luck with a long-range shot. It had just a bit too much on it, though, and the ball went over.
After 58 minutes, Nicolas Mortensen was unreasonably close to scoring again. “TK” put in an excellent cross from the right side, and Nicolas got highest. He headed toward the far corner, but FCK goalkeeper Köteles corrected some of the damage from his earlier error and reached the ball with the tips of his fingers.
But the minute after, FCH's pressure paid off. Adnan Mohammad received the ball from Matheus on the right side, cut inside, went past an FCK player, and curled the ball beautifully into the corner.
3-2 FC Helsingør
When the clock reached 66 minutes, FC Helsingør were also on 3-3, incredible as it may sound. Adnan cut inside and passed to substitute Douglas, who half-tackled, half-passed the ball to Nicolas Mortensen, who turned around FCK goalkeeper Köteles and calmly placed it in with a controlled inside of the foot.
3-3 FC Helsingør
After the equalizer, the match swung back and forth. FCK pressed heavily to get back into the lead, which created space at the back for a heroically battling FC Helsingør side. Several times both Douglas and Nicolas Mortensen were close to breaking through, but each time FCK managed to save the day at the last moment.
FCK were also close on several occasions. Among other things, Viktor Fischer showed his class and forced Mikkel Bruhn into a fine save when the national team player broke through on the right side of the box.
The clock ticked slowly and nervously down, and the FC Helsingør players fought with beak and claw to hold on to the one point. But FC Copenhagen never gives up at home, and deep into stoppage time Viktor Fischer got free on the left side. He sent a low cross into the box and found Federico Santander, who from three-quarters of a meter out put the knife in and cynically prevented the sensation.
4-3 FC Copenhagen
The minute after, Douglas was very close to equalizing again, but Lazlo Köteles came well out of his goal and blocked the shot. The rebound dropped to Tobias Christensen, who shot toward the far corner, but his effort went past the post, and time ran out in the rain-soaked and gray Telia Park for the FC Helsingør players, who had been so close and yet so far after one of the season's most memorable matches.
FC Helsingør: Bruhn, Bay, Jørgensen, Henriksen, Gregor, Køhler, P. Olsen, Mohammad, Holst, Matheus, Mortensen.
Substitutes: Douglas, Fisch, T. Christensen.
