FC Helsingør claimed a really fine scalp when they beat Silkeborg 3-2 away from home, after having been behind 2-0. An arguably deserved result, but it was a match where both teams at times showed really fine attacking play, and somewhat more questionable defending. But the points were a welcome reward all the same.
The match began with a bang. FC Helsingør started by going long and hard, and it almost produced a dangerous situation already in the first minute, when the long pass was very close to finding Douglas. Silkeborg also played directly from the start, and had two corners in the first three minutes, but FCH managed to get out of trouble. That would prove prophetic for the course of the match. Silkeborg got the corners, but Helsingør defended well.
After seven minutes it was very close for Helsingør. A long throw-in from “TK” was flicked on by Douglas, and a Silkeborg player with his hand raised knocked the ball away. The referee, however, chose not to award a penalty in the situation, to the great frustration of the Helsingør players.
Shortly after, it was Douglas who came close. A ball was played back by a heavily pressured Silkeborg player, and Douglas intercepted the back pass. The Brazilian moved out to the left in the box, and waited for Silkeborg goalkeeper Friis Jensen to make his move. But the keeper stayed on his feet, and then he was able to get down and save Douglas’ shot. A big chance for FCH.
Silkeborg also showed their threat at the other end. The home side created several dangerous situations, especially from crosses from the right side.
After 20 minutes the home side took the lead, and it was precisely through build-up play on the right side. Rodic got away, and after a bit of dribbling into the middle, he could play the ball diagonally back into the box to an onrushing Mark Rochester, who, despite a slightly narrow angle, managed to shoot the ball past both Søren Henriksen and Adrian Kappenberger and put SIF ahead.
1-0 Silkeborg
After the goal, FC Helsingør tried to push up and create chances, but Silkeborg won a lot of balls in midfield, and it was difficult for the visitors from North Zealand to play through.
Just before the half-hour mark Silkeborg were close again. Vladimir Rodic raced Martin Fisch, and dribbled free for a shot, but his effort hit the crossbar. It was the start of five minutes of pressure on the FCH goal, during which Silkeborg several times worked the ball into either crosses or corners, and only defending by the skin of their teeth prevented the home side from extending the lead.
After 36 minutes, the probably best player on the pitch, Rodic, sent a ball in behind to Gammelby, who laid it flat back in the box to Marc Rochester, but he completely miscued his shot. He did not miss two minutes later, when Rodic again played a delicious lofted pass over the FCH defense to Rochester, who timed his run perfectly and coolly beat Adrian Kappenberger.
2-0 Silkeborg
But already the very next minute FC Helsingør struck back. A long ball forward was intercepted by Douglas all the way down by the byline. He immediately played it across, and Matheus came charging in and headed the ball beautifully and powerfully into the net right by the post.
2-1 FC Helsingør.
Just before the halftime whistle, Silkeborg were close again after a corner, but Flinta headed across rather than at goal, and then FCH could go into the break trailing by a single goal.
From the start of the second half, FCH switched to a 3-5-2, and Martin Fisch was sacrificed on the altar of tactics, with Felipe Tontini coming on instead, which would prove to be a good idea.
But first it had been Silkeborg’s turn to appeal for a penalty, when Pascal Gregor got into the back of a Silkeborg player in the box, but again the referee did not think there was anything in it. Instead it was FCH who bit back. Substitute Tontini was played in behind by Douglas after 54 minutes, and although the Brazilian was under pressure from a Silkeborg player, he still got through and calmly put the ball past Peter Friis Jensen.
2-2 FC Helsingør
The next ten minutes were marked by a lot of physical play, many duels, and two teams who absolutely did not want to give too much initiative to their opponents. Thus there were also rather few big chances. FC Helsingør did force a couple of corners in this phase, but it was close to going wrong on a Silkeborg counterattack after one of them. Once again it was Rodic who escaped, and he looked to be through on goal alone with keeper Kappenberger, but at the very last moment Matheus got back and interfered with the shot. Huge chance for the home side. Silkeborg took control in this phase, and Rodic on several occasions played both Gammelby and Nilsson free, but FC Helsingør, led by an in-form Søren Henriksen, kept the home side from scoring.
After 78 minutes, Tontini, Nicolas Mortensen and Douglas combined with a one-two, and the ball ended up with Mortensen on the right side of the box, but his pass to an onrushing Douglas was not quite right, and the chance came to nothing.
Three minutes later Douglas again had a huge chance, when Matheus delivered a razor-sharp cross from the right, but the big Brazilian could not steer the ball into the far corner, and the header narrowly missed the post. A pretty big chance for the Brazilian, who did not get on the scoresheet, but instead had to “settle” for assists on all three goals.
But after 84 minutes the home side could no longer keep it up. The otherwise somewhat anonymous Adnan Mohammad finally made his tricky dribbling count, cutting in from the left side and smashing the ball into the far corner. A top-class goal from the small attacking player.
2-3 FC Helsingør
The go-ahead goal fired up the home side, who repeatedly forced corners. And after 88 minutes it was very close. A shot after yet another corner hit the underside of the crossbar, thundered down onto the line, and went back into play. It does not get much closer than that!
But despite yet another couple of corners in stoppage time, FC Helsingør held firm, and could leave Silkeborg with three points from a match that showed more fighting spirit and resilience than good football. But three points earned through hard work fortunately count just as much as those won in more polished victories.
FC Helsingør: Kappenberger, Fisch, S. Henriksen, Jørgensen, Gregor, Mohammad, Køhler, P. Olsen, Matheus, Douglas, Mortensen.
Substitutes: Bay, Tontini, Basse
