FC Helsingør met the promoted side from Næstved on Sunday in a match that never quite reached the high standards. The Helsingør side therefore had to settle for 1-1, after falling behind midway through the second half. Pascal Gregor equalized shortly before full time.
It had not been more than 40 seconds before Næstved had the game’s first chance, from a cross from the left side, but Mikkel Bruhn was ready and caught Justinussen’s header.
The next ten minutes the match was fairly even. Næstved pressed FCH high, and neither team got far over the halfway line, or played their way to chances.
After a quarter of an hour, Matheus had a good opportunity, as Adnan and Nicolas Mortensen played a neat one-two, surrounded by several Næstved defenders. The ball was blocked, but landed at the feet of Matheus, who shot from just outside the box. But the hard shot just sailed over the crossbar.
Just before the clock reached 20 minutes, Næstved created their first big chance. Former FCH player Christoffer Boateng delivered a cross into the box, which was cleared by the FCH defense. The ball landed at Næstved’s Nicolai Steen Hansen, who finished with the outside of his foot, but the ball went a good way over the goal.
FC Helsingør took control of the game for the next ten minutes, and the pressure led to a couple of loose chances, but Næstved defended well, and nothing major came of it, despite good pressure from especially Matheus and Douglas up front.
Just after the half-hour mark, Adnan Mohammad had a fine chance when he was played through in front of goal just outside the box. He took a touch past his marker and finished well, but unfortunately a little too close to Næstved goalkeeper Jacob Pryts Larsen, who was able to catch the shot.
After 37 minutes, Næstved’s Kristoffer Munksgaard was close to doing damage to the home side. A free-kick ball was played in behind, and Munksgaard switched on the turbo and reached the ball before an advancing Mikkel Bruhn, who could not get his hands on Munksgaard’s lob. The ball floated over Bruhn, but fortunately it had just a tiny bit too much on it and landed in the top netting. A big chance for Næstved.
Just before halftime, Nicolas Mortensen was pulled down in the box, but referee Sebastian Aagerup did not consider it a penalty, so the teams could go into the break as they came out: With 0-0 on the board.
Five minutes had been played of the second half when a long ball was played up towards Nicolas Mortensen. He headed across the box, but Douglas was under heavy pressure from a defender and could not get power on his header, which rolled over the byline. Otherwise a fine run by the big Brazilian, but also good defending by Næstved.
This was followed by a longer period in which neither team offered much beyond midfield duels. But when just over an hour had been played, it went wrong for the home side. A dropping ball into the FC Helsingør box landed right between Martin Fisch and Mikkel Bruhn, who misunderstood each other, and then Næstved’s Justinussen could get a foot to it and score to 1-0. Some uncoordinated defending in the Helsingør box.
0-1 Næstved
Thereafter Næstved dropped a bit deeper on the pitch, and were content to play on the counterattacks that might arise when FC Helsingør had to push forward. With just under ten minutes remaining, Pascal Gregor had a huge chance when substitute Frederik Bay delivered an excellent cross in front of goal. The big centre-back had moved up into attack in an attempt to apply pressure on Næstved in the aerial game. It worked well, but Gregor’s header went just over the goal.
Two minutes later, however, the gamble paid off. Holm won a header, and the ball did not come out of the box. Instead it fell in front of Pascal, who took a touch toward the left side of the box and finished. With his foot the centre-back did not miss, and the ball was calmly placed into the far corner. A great goal by Gregor.
1-1 FC Helsingør
Now FC Helsingør pressed for the winner, and Douglas was close shortly before full time when he suddenly found himself completely free just outside the goal. Unfortunately, his shot did not hit the target. And although FC Helsingør pressed in the end, they could not put the ball in, and thus both Næstved and Helsingør had to settle for leaving the pitch with a single point.
FCH: Bruhn, Jørgensen, Holm, Gregor, Fisch, Mohammad, ”TK”, Olsen, Matheus, Mortensen, Douglas.
Substitutes: Bay, Elvang.
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
