It was raining heavily over Sundby Idrætspark, as FC Helsingør on Wednesday evening got a real drubbing against a Fremad Amager side that scored on almost all of their chances, and sent the Helsingør team home with a defeat by a full 5-1.
The match started fairly evenly for the first five minutes, with passing play from both teams at high tempo on the wet artificial turf. Neither team created any big chances, though. The first big chance was a goal, however, and unfortunately for FCH it went to the home side from Amager. Markus Mlynikowski took his chance a meter outside the box and got a really good contact on the ball. Kevin Stuhr got down well to the shot, but could only parry it, and the ball came back out into the box. There an Amager player poked it on to Markus Bay, who made a good run into the box and put the ball into the far corner from close range after less than eight minutes of play.
1-0 Fremad Amager
After just over a quarter of an hour, FC Helsingør had their first big chance. Daniel Norouzi sent off a good ball on the counterattack, and Carl Lange sent Callum McCowatt, making his starting debut for FCH, away down the left wing. Callum made an excellent run up through Fremad Amager's lines, dribbled past one man, and shot toward the far corner. Fremad's goalkeeper Jacob Pryts Larsen could only watch, but breathed a sigh of relief when Callum's fine shot just missed the wrong side of the post.
But five minutes later Fremad Amager instead showed sharpness in the box again. A midfield duel was lost, and then Reda Rabei sprinted away down the left wing. He laid a ball flat across the box, and centrally Kristoffer Munksgaard finished first time. His shot hit the post, but the ball came straight back to him again, and at the second attempt he safely put it in.
2-0 Fremad Amager
And seven minutes later it was to get even worse. A cross from former FCH player Pierre Larsen was whipped in early, and inside the box Jonas Henriksen and Munksgaard fought for the ball, while Kevin Stuhr came out to help his defense. Jonas Henriksen tried to clear, but under heavy pressure from Munksgaard he struck the ball awkwardly, and it bounced into the goal behind Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard. The TV images showed that Munksgaard was offside, but the assistant referee's flag stayed down.
3-0 Fremad Amager
Andreas Smed had a good chance shortly after, when Lucas Haren laid a ball across the box, but his finish didn't have quite enough pace on it, and Pryts Larsen came down on top of the ball.
FCH managed to put the play together a little better in the next period of the half, but Fremad defended well and the really big chances did not come. A long-range effort from Carl Lange a couple of meters outside the box after 41 minutes was the closest they came, and Jacob Pryts easily dealt with it.
Just before halftime, however, it was terrifyingly close for Lucas Haren, when a counterattack was played up to Carl Lange's feet, he waved off his opponent, and sent Haren through on goal. But Haren was forced wide in the box, and Pryts Larsen came out of his goal and saved Haren's finish with a good foot stop.
And then FC Helsingør had to go into the break with a deficit on the board against Amager, which was probably at least one goal too many.
However, not more than three minutes of the second half had been played before FCH had the first big chance. Callum McCowatt brought the ball well centrally, and at exactly the right moment slipped it to Carl Lange, who, surrounded by two defenders, carried the ball into the box. Lange finished, but Pryts Larsen was there again and made a foot save on Carl Lange's effort. Big chance, but also a big save.
After 55 minutes, Lucas Haren was close to getting on the scoresheet. After a fine ball from Carl Lange, Haren took the ball with him and cut across the box. Fremad's defense was in place, but Haren still managed to get a shot away. His effort, however, went half a meter over the goal.
Just over an hour into the game, Fremad Amager got their first chance of the second half and again showed terrifying sharpness. The ball was played from midfield out to Pierre Larsen, who sprinted into the box and from a tight angle put the ball into the net past Kevin Stuhr. It unfortunately looked a bit too easy.
4-0 Fremad Amager
With 65 minutes on the clock, the coaching staff took the consequences of the scoreline and brought Teddy Bergqvist and Jeppe Kjær on in place of Andreas Smed and Callum McCowatt. And four minutes later it paid off, when Frederik Juul Christensen delivered a sharp cross from deep in midfield and straight to Teddy Bergqvist, who rose highest in the small box and headed the ball unstoppably in behind Pryts Larsen.
4-1 FC Helsingør
In the 75th minute, FCH then brought on three more men in connection with a corner for Fremad Amager. But it went neither worse nor better than Lukas Engel rose highest at the corner, headed the ball into the far corner from the near post, and drove the final nail into the coffin of FC Helsingør's dream of getting back into the match.
5-1 Fremad Amager
After 85 minutes Oliver Kjærgaard sent a good diagonal ball straight into the chest of Jeppe Kjær, who took it past his marker and set off running toward goal. When Kjær got into the box, he tried to chip the ball over Pryts Larsen, but the Fremad goalkeeper was not fooled and gathered Kjær's cheeky attempt.
It was close again for Jeppe Kjær in the dying moments of the match, when he got a one-on-one, and everyone thought NOW he would score, but once again Pryts Larsen was where he needed to be and more, as he first forced Kjær to take a touch around him, and then blocked the finish with the tips of his fingers. It would not go in for FCH, and then the referee could blow for full time after the obligatory three minutes of added time.
FC Helsingør gets the chance to bounce back already on Saturday, when Kolding IF visit the home ground in Helsingør. It is at 16.00
FCH: K. Ellegaard, F. Bay, HC Bonnesen, J. Henriksen, L. Haren (75’ D. Boysen), F. Juul Christensen (75’ O. Kjærgaard), D: Norouzi, C. Lange (75’ E. Just), A. Smed (65’ J. Kjær), C. McCowatt (65’ T. Bergqvist)
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
