The match otherwise began in the worst possible way for FC Helsingør. At the very first kick of the match, Emil Nielsen beat the offside trap, and suddenly found himself alone with the ball and goalkeeper Viktor Anker. Anker tried to come out and close down the angle, but Emil Nielsen was calm, and Anker had no chance against the Roskilde striker’s finish.
0-1 FC Roskilde
FC Helsingør needed a little time to recover, but after ten minutes the home side came close. Osama Akharraz had been given his first start in the spring, and he played a fine one-two with Douglas, who cleverly laid a backheel pass into the box, but a saving Roskilde foot blocked the shot.
Just over a quarter of an hour in, Lucas Haren got a knock in a challenge, and unfortunately for the wingback the blow was so bad that he had to be substituted. Morten Fraysse came on instead.
FC Helsingør managed to push the press higher up in Roskilde’s half, and created a couple of half-chances from crosses into the box. Osama Akharraz in particular looked like someone eager to repay the coach’s trust, but Roskilde stood intelligently in the box and prevented FC Helsingør from becoming truly dangerous.
After 37 minutes came the biggest FCH chance of the half. Jonas Henriksen took a long throw-in from the right side, and at the near post an FCH player got his head to it. Douglas rose highest in front of goal and headed down, but Roskilde goalkeeper Frederik Schram got all the way down to the shot and held it. Good save on a big chance.
After 40 minutes, a corner kick created another good opportunity, as Jonas Henriksen was close to heading it in, but he was just disturbed enough that he couldn’t steer the ball on target.
But three minutes later, FC Helsingør finally broke the deadlock. Another FCH corner was swung in front of goal. A Roskilde player headed the ball out of the box, where Morten Fraysse was ready to pounce on the rebound. The defender struck hard and low, and the ball flew in right by the post.
1-1 FC Helsingør
That meant FC Helsingør could go into the break with a good feeling in the stomach.
The feeling became even better two minutes after the second half had started. Patrick Olsen delivered a sharp diagonal pass to Douglas, who was just on the right side of offside. The tall Brazilian cut into the box and kept his marker at bay. Frederik Schram stayed on his feet, but Douglas calmly fired the ball in behind the Roskilde goalkeeper.
2-1 FC Helsingør
Shortly after, it was close to 3-1, when Douglas received a ball on the left side again. He laid it across to Patrick Olsen, who sent a cross in to a completely free Osama in front of goal, but the attacker had just strayed into offside.
After 55 minutes, Morten Nielsen was suddenly close, as he got free five metres outside the box. The Roskilde striker struck it, and the ball took a sly, dipping trajectory, but fortunately it just flew past the far post. Good shot.
There followed a period in which neither team really became dangerous, but where it was FCH who lay in wait. After 66 minutes, Douglas wriggled superbly free of his man out by the left touchline, following a good pass from Morten Fraysse. The striker drove into the box, where a Roskilde defender tried to tackle the ball. Instead he hit Douglas, and the referee immediately blew for a penalty. TK stepped up, but his otherwise powerful shot was too close to Frederik Schram, who saved it. On the rebound Nicolas Mortensen tried to head toward the far corner, but the ball went wide.
After 74 minutes, Morten Nielsen again got through on the left wing. He struck the ball firmly again, but instead of going past the far post, it hit the side netting. A big chance for Roskilde.
Two minutes later Nicolas Mortensen was centimetres away. Substitute Mikkel Basse cleverly let a ball pass between his legs, and Nicolas Mortensen was alert and got to the ball. Pressed by two Roskilde defenders, he finished toward the top right corner of the goal, and the ball rebounded off the post with a loud “ping”. Not really a big chance, but a superb shot from Mortensen.
When the clock reached the 80 minute mark, Douglas won a free kick a little outside the box. TK whipped the ball sharply in front of goal, where Jonas Henriksen got his head on it perfectly. But Frederik Schram somehow managed to stop the header with a fantastic save. A huge chance for FCH.
After 88 minutes, Roskilde launched a long ball forward. The ball was cleared out of the FCH box. It landed with Mark Gundelach just outside the area, who struck it with a low shot. The ball flashed through the box and hit a Roskilde foot, but went wide. A big chance for Roskilde.
When the clock reached 90 minutes, Roskilde launched a last desperate offensive. They won three corners, with goalkeeper Schram joining up in the box, but each time Helsingør managed to keep the wolf from the door. After four endless minutes, which were even extended when Daniel Jørgensen took one to the head and had to be patched up, the referee finally blew the final whistle, and FC Helsingør could put three very important points in the bank.
FCH: Anker, Henriksen, Holm, Gregor, Matheus, Olsen, “TK”, Haren, Douglas, Mortensen, Akharraz. Substitutes: Fraysse, Basse, Jørgensen.
Photo: FC Helsingør
