It got a little more exciting than it needed to be, as FC Helsingør had a rare Saturday match, in which Slagelse were sent home with a 5-2 defeat. Slagelse came within a goal twice, and only at the very end was the match put to bed by a brilliant Nicolas Mortensen, who scored a hat-trick on the day.
As expected, FC Helsingør came out with a high press from the start of the match. Jeppe Kjær and Nicolas Mortensen were set up with several good passes from midfield and defense, and already in the fourth minute it paid off. Jeppe Kjær got the ball on the edge of the Slagelse box and cut across. When he had moved past two defenders, he turned around and fired a hard, low cannonball of a shot past Slagelse's goalkeeper right by the post.
1-0 FC Helsingør
FCH continued the high press, and it was close after nine minutes when Anders Holst found Frederik Bay with a cheeky backheel pass on the edge of the box. Bay delivered a fine cross, but there were no FCH players in front, and the chance came to nothing.
Slagelse came a little more into it toward the 20th minute, without really becoming dangerous. That, in turn, gave FCH the chance to counter, and it led to a couple of half-chances, where especially Jeppe Kjær seemed to be in good playing spirits.
But it was from a dead ball that Helsingør got their next big chance. Daniel Norouzi whipped in a sharp corner to the far post, where Nikolaj Hansen headed it back across the box. Jonas Henriksen was waiting in front, and he headed powerfully on goal, but his beautiful header struck the crossbar.
The next corner came just a minute later, and here Anders Holst from outside the box almost found Nicolas Mortensen at the far post, but the goalkeeper just managed to punch it away from Mortensen. Then Anders Holst went to take the corner from the left side. He played it in front of goal, where the ball was flicked on, and at the far post captain Andreas Holm rose highest and headed superbly hard and down. The goalkeeper flailed in vain, and the ball went in for the second time in 23 minutes
2-0 FC Helsingør
Two minutes later Jeppe Kjær was again very close. He received a good through ball up the middle and drove toward goal, with a Slagelse player right on his heels. As he entered the box, he got his shot away, but the ball went past both goalkeeper and goal. It looked as though there had been a little tug on Kjær at the moment of shooting, but the referee's whistle remained silent.
In the 35th minute it was Lucas Haren's turn to come close. It came after a longer sequence in which FCH played the ball around with great precision and composure. A long string of passes started all the way back from Andreas Holm in defense, up via Bay and the midfield, and finally to Lucas Haren, who could finish from straight in front of goal, but his shot was unfortunately blocked. Brilliantly put together by the home team.
The rest of the half unfolded on FCH's terms, but without major chances for either side, and FCH could therefore go into the break leading 2-0.
From the start of the second half it was again the home team applying the pressure, but it was still Slagelse who got on the scoresheet first five minutes into the half. FCH goalkeeper Christoffer Petersen was unlucky to have a pass intercepted by a Slagelse player on the edge of the box, and caught out of position he could only watch as the Slagelse striker lifted the ball in a soft arc over him and into the net.
2-1 Slagelse B&I
But just two minutes later FC Helsingør struck back. FCH won a corner, and Daniel Norouzi again played the ball to Nikolaj Hansen, who once more headed it across goal, and in front of goal Nicolas Mortensen was able to rise highest and head the ball in safely.
3-1 FC Helsingør
Shortly after that it was again Nicolas Mortensen who was close after a good through ball from Jeppe Kjær, but his shot from the edge of the box went wide of the post.
Slagelse tried to move the game further up the pitch and succeeded to some extent in getting a bit more possession. FC Helsingør seemed to have things reasonably under control, but Slagelse nevertheless managed to catch the home team out again and get on the scoresheet. A ball was picked up in midfield after a clearance out of the FCH box. Slagelse moved it quickly around a couple of times until it eventually ended up with a Slagelse player a meter or so outside the box. He let fly, and struck a missile of a shot perfectly, and the ball went straight without dipping into the roof of the net with no chance for Christoffer Petersen
3-2 Slagelse B& I
The goal, however, did not shake FC Helsingør noticeably, and in the 70th minute Mortensen was on the scoresheet again. Jeppe Kjær carried the ball forward and again cut across the box. Instead of shooting himself, he laid the ball back to Lucas Haren, who hit at goal. Slagelse's goalkeeper saved the shot, but could not hold it, and then Nicolas Mortensen could jump up at the far post and head in yet another ball.
4-2 FC Helsingør
It took the wind out of Slagelse that FCH twice in a row answered their goals with quick responses of their own, and toward the end of the match it was FC Helsingør who could calmly pass the ball around Slagelse's midfield, and look to set up the counterattack that would finally close the game. Slagelse were only sporadically in possession and had more than enough trouble stringing passes together in a way that brought them near the FCH box.
In the 87th minute, substitute Carl Lange came very close to putting the game away. Nicolas Mortensen had the ball on the right side of the pitch and found Jeppe Kjær, who suddenly was very free on the edge of the box. Kjær cut inside to shoot, but the goalkeeper came out and blocked the effort. The ball rolled out to a completely free Carl Lange, who tried to chip it in, but in the last second the goalkeeper sprang up, got a hand to it, and tipped the ball away.
But in the 90th minute FCH still put the match to bed. A ball was played into the Slagelse box. It was blocked there, but Mortensen was alert again and headed in his third goal.
5-2 FC Helsingør
That was the match's last attack, and FCH could note that they went unbeaten through the autumn at the new home ground. Now only the final match against Avarta on the 10th awaits before the team can head into a well-deserved Christmas break.
FCH: Petersen, Bay, Holm, Hansen, Holst (’66 Lange) Norouzi, ”TK” Kristensen, Haren (’72 R. Olsen), Kjær, Mortensen
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
