It ended with a comfortable victory for FC Helsingør, as the first team played a training match on Saturday afternoon against the NordicBet league side from FC Roskilde, in a game where FCH were responsible for most of the attacking, and the home side most often had to settle for being dangerous on counters.
So it was only about ten minutes into the game when FCH took the lead for the first time. Dalton Wilkins started on the left flank, and he carried the ball forward along the touchline. He found Carl Lange, who was on the other flank but had drifted into the pitch in this sequence. Lange played it forward to Chris Cortez, who took the shot, but Roskilde's goalkeeper saved it.
On the resulting corner, Anders Holst sent a millimeter-precise ball to the far post, where an unmarked Nicolas Mortensen headed it down with no chance for Roskilde's goalkeeper
0-1 FC Helsingør
It was in every way FCH who set the pace at the start of the match, and shortly after the goal, a well-playing Carl Lange had a good attempt from distance that struck the top of the crossbar.
That was followed by shots from Daniel Norouzi and Nicolas Mortensen, with the latter especially forcing Roskilde's goalkeeper into a good save on a breakaway.
But after half an hour of play, Roskilde nevertheless bit back on what was probably their first chance in the match. A free kick was taken a couple of meters outside FCH's box on the right side, and the low, hard dead ball skimmed at low height through both friends and foes in the box, and at the far post a Roskilde player managed to bundle the ball into the net. Against the run of play and chances.
1-1 FC Roskilde
The goal sparked the home side a bit, and they had their best spell in the match leading up to the break, with a couple of close counterattacks. There was also a single good opportunity for Nicolas Mortensen, who failed to direct his header on a fine cross from Carl Lange downward enough, and the ball went over the goal.
After the break it was FCH who again set the tempo, and after just over 50 minutes of play, Chris Cortez put the Helsingør side back in front. Carl Lange had the ball at his feet on the right side outside Roskilde's box, and dribbled past his man before trying to play it across to Cortez. A Roskilde defender got to the ball first, but could only clear it halfway. The ball broke to Cortez on the left side of the box, and the American struck a fine shot past the goalkeeper and into the far corner.
1-2 FC Helsingør
When an hour had been played, both teams made several changes, which led to a curious situation when Daniel Norouzi went off the touchline looking like he was injured. Thomas “TK” Kristensen was substituted on, but Norouzi was not part of that substitution and came back onto the pitch from the opposite side. For two to three minutes FC Helsingør were thus able to play with 12 men on the pitch, before the referee team noticed the mishap, and FCH were able to make a substitution. However, it was not Norouzi who went off, but Dalton Wilkins, at the same time as FC Helsingør changed most of the team.
It was not until the 70th minute that FCH could extend the lead. Norouzi found Frederik Bay with a precise pass out on the left flank. Bay cut into the pitch and laid it back to Norouzi, after which the left back was brought down. Unluckily for Roskilde, Bay had made it into the box, and the referee awarded a penalty. Anders Holst took it, and although the goalkeeper got a hand to it, he could not stop the shot.
1-3 FC Helsingør
The many substitutions made the game a little more disjointed, without Roskilde becoming much more dangerous for that reason. Just before the final whistle, substitute Teddy Bergqvist could put the last nail in the coffin when he, on two attempts, kicked the ball into the net after Roskilde failed to clear a cross from Carl Lange properly.
1-4 FC Helsingør
Nothing more happened before the referee blew for full time after 89(!) minutes of play, and FCH could note a very secure and well-played 4-1 victory over FC Roskilde, at the fine training ground in the cathedral city.
FCH: C. Petersen, R. Olsen (J. Henriksen), A. Holm, HC “Kritte” Bonnesen(N. Hansen), F. Bay (Wilkins (substituted on again, as Bay had to go off after a blow), C. Lange, D. Norouzi, A. Holst (E. Just), D. Wilkins (”TK” Kristensen), N. Mortensen (J. Kjær), C. Cortez (T. Bergqvist)
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
