FC Helsingør had much of the play, and the biggest chances, but still it ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat in Sunday’s match against Hobro. It was never a good game for either team, and it was a match more marked by physicality and duels than by good football.
The match started chaotically, with many close battles on the slightly rough grass pitch. We had to wait until the ninth minute for the first chance to appear. It was the away team who came down the right side, and a fine finish was saved at the last moment by Daniel Jørgensen, who threw himself down and guided the ball over the byline.
After 17 minutes it was close at the other end. A long throw-in from TK ended in the box, where Douglas rose highest and headed backwards. The ball floated toward the underside of the crossbar, but goalkeeper Rask was alert and safely caught the ball.
Six minutes later FCH got a set piece just outside the box. The ball was played into the area, where Douglas in a huge cluster of players laid it off to Tontini, who found Nicolas Mortensen, who, while half lying down, got a shot away, but unfortunately straight at the Hobro goalkeeper. Big chance.
25 minutes played. Hobro won a corner after a good clearance from Daniel Jørgensen. The ensuing kick ended in another scramble, and it was incredibly close to Hobro poking it over the line, but an alert Adrian Kappenberger first blocked the shot and then got down over the ball.
A couple of minutes later Kappenberger came out to the ball again, but this time he could not get down over it, and it was very close to a Hobro player being able to poke it in, but at the very last moment TK slapped the ball over the byline and stopped the chance.
Toward the end of the half, it was FC Helsingør who were pressing. Adnan Mohammad had several good breakthroughs on the wing, and that led to several dangerous situations, though they did not quite end with shots.
A corner did come after 42 minutes, when yet another Adnan raid was cleared over the byline. TK took it, and Patrick Olsen rose highest at the near post. However, goalkeeper Rask just managed to get a touch on the ball so it did not go in, and Hobro were able to clear. FCH’s biggest chance so far.
The half ended with the second yellow card for Hobro’s number seven, Putros, who made an unsportsmanlike grab at Tontini’s throat and was sent off early.
It was almost rewarded a minute later, when Nicolas Mortensen was played clean through in the box, but despite a half-hearted challenge from Hobro’s defense, the striker could not direct his header on target from Adnan Mohammad’s otherwise fine cross, and it was 0-0 at halftime in a somewhat messy and very even half.
The second half started as the first had ended. Plenty of physical play, and no truly open chances. Hobro played a little more cautiously, and FCH had difficulty playing through the lines.
We had gone all the way to the other side of an hour of play before the first really big chance appeared. Matheus found Nicolas Mortensen with a sharp through ball into space. Mortensen was alone with goalkeeper Rask, but the Hobro man stayed on his feet and made a fantastic save on Mortensen’s competent finish. Huge chance for the home side.
As the half went on, the game increasingly stalled. Hobro defended without taking risks, and the Helsingør players could not get their pressing on the opponents to stick. A few crosses were put in from the flanks by both teams, but two good goalkeepers were alert at either end, and none of the passes reached a teammate.
We had to wait until the 78th minute before FCH’s next shot on goal. Adnan cut inside, past two Hobro players, and sent the ball toward the far corner, but Rask got down and saved the shot.
But in the 85th minute things went wrong for the Helsingør side. Hobro broke on the counter, and former Helsingør player Vito Hammershøy-Mistrati found Pål Kirkevold in space on the right flank, and the Norwegian did not fail when he cut inside and was alone with Adrian Kappenberger. He calmly placed it past the young goalkeeper, who otherwise had another good game, and was also named man of the match.
1-0 Hobro IK
The Helsingør players were still lagging behind in the press, and time was slowly but surely running out for the home side. Only at the very end did the big chance that FCH had patiently waited for appear, when the ball was played across to substitute Tobias Christensen, who was completely free at the back post, but “Toby” shamefully squandered the huge chance.
And then the hourglass ran out for the frustrated FCH players, who despite being on top in play and chances, as well as having a man advantage for an entire half, had to see Hobro take the win in the end.
FC Helsingør: Kappenberger, S. Henriksen, Jørgensen, Gregor, Mohammad, Køhler, P. Olsen, Matheus, Tontini, Douglas, Mortensen
Substitutes: Bay, Christensen, Frithzell
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
