It ended in one of the more frustrating defeats, as FC Helsingør on Wednesday evening ran into HB Køge’s counterattacking knife and lost 0-2 at home in Helsingør.
It was otherwise FCH who were best from the start of the first half, and only six minutes had been played when Jeppe Kjær got the first big chance. A long ball from midfield was flicked on by an FCH head and found Kjær completely free in the box. Unfortunately, Jeppe Kjær had drifted all the way out to the side and had to finish from a tight angle, and the ball went into the side netting.
HB Køge were looking to counter, and in the tenth minute they made it work. The ball was played in a fine arc from the left side towards Marius Elvius, who beat the offside trap and ran straight at goal. Kevin Stuhr came out well and actually got a knee to the ball, but Elvius’ shot still got past him and sailed into the goal by the far post.
0-1 HB Køge
FC Helsingør tried to push the game further forward, and shortly after the goal Jeppe Kjær had another shot. Jeppe again got away one-on-one, went past his man and into the box. Kjær took the shot a couple of metres outside the area, but he overdid his finish and it sailed over the goal.
After 17 minutes, a ball dropped to Daniel Norouzi’s feet when it was cleared out of the box after an FCH corner. Norouzi struck it into a crowd of friends and foes, but Oscar Snorre in the HBK goal saw it all the way and was able to gather it.
FCH pressed well, and three minutes later Kjær was close again. Lucas Haren played a razor-sharp through ball into the box that completely fooled the HB Køge defence, and Jeppe Kjær was left alone with Snorre. Kjær shot after the long corner, but Snorre got the very tip of his fingers to it with an excellent reflex save and denied Kjær the goal.
After 25 minutes of play, captain Nikolaj Hansen began to limp, and shortly after FC Helsingør were forced to substitute him. He was replaced by Frederik Bay.
FC Helsingør continued with the high press, while HB Køge were content to look for the counterattack. It came after 34 minutes, when a long ball forward caught an FCH defender on the wrong foot and sent an HB Køge attacker through on his own. Kevin Stuhr came out of his goal, and the HBK player tried to chip the ball over him, but sent his shot well over the goal from what was otherwise a completely free position. Huge chance for HB Køge.
HB Køge’s counterattacks put FCH under pressure in this phase, but apart from a long shot from outside, they did not come to anything major. FC Helsingør, however, struggled a bit to get the game properly forward as halftime approached.
But in the last five minutes of the half, the home team managed to turn the game around and put good pressure on HB Køge’s goal. Lucas Haren delivered several good crosses, but HBK’s tall defence cleared repeatedly. So it was only a single long-range effort from Norouzi that was sent toward Snorre in HB Køge’s goal before the referee blew for the end of the 1th half.
FC Helsingør continued from the start of the 2th half as they had left off in the first. High pressure was put on HB Køge, who sat deep and absorbed it. That meant chances were few and far between, and we had to wait until the 54th minute before either side got an opportunity. It was Eli Just who got in behind in HB Køge’s box on a through ball up the middle. Eli tried to shoot but was blocked at the last moment.
We had passed the hour mark before HB Køge got their first chance in the 2th half. A missed pass in midfield sent them away on a counterattack, but from the edge of the box HB Køge’s attacker got flustered and sent the shot a good distance past the far post.
After 70 minutes, FC Helsingør got their biggest chance so far. David Boysen found Frederik Juul, who played a through ball right into the feet of substitute Teddy Bergqvist, who cut across the box. Bergqvist’s shot was blocked, but it dropped right down to Anders Holst, who was completely free on the right side of the box. But Holst rushed his effort and sent it over the goal. Huge chance for the veteran.
A few minutes later, Frederik Bay won a free kick a metre and a half outside the box with a good run in from the left side. David Boysen stepped up to take it, but unfortunately his fine shot was blocked by a tuft of hair in the wall and went just over the crossbar.
Five minutes later, Jeppe Kjær had another huge chance. Elijah Just headed a long ball on to Kjær, who got away with one HB Køge defender. Kjær tried to get free of his marker, but Assinki, acting as an overcoat, was not shaken off and eventually got a tackle on the ball, so Kjær sent his finish into the side netting.
But after 77 minutes of play, FCH made it hard for themselves to get back into the match. After a couple of passes back and forth between the defence and Kevin Stuhr, the veteran goalkeeper ended up laying the ball straight into the feet of HB Køge’s Noble Okello, who from long range lifted the ball over Stuhr and into the goal.
0-2 HB Køge.
And it got even worse after 81 minutes, when an HB Køge player handled a pass from Eli Just in the box. The referee blew for the penalty, but Jeppe Kjær’s spot kick was read by Oscar Snorre, who gathered the ball in his arms on the left side of the goal.
FC Helsingør tried by every means to force a reduction, but time ran inexorably out for the home side, and HB Køge defended bravely. FC Helsingør therefore had to concede their first home defeat of the season in a match where HB Køge knew exactly when to strike.
FC Helsingør already have the chance to bounce back on Sunday, when we face FC Fredericia away. It is at 14.00, and the match can be followed on Viaplay.dk
FCH: K. Ellegaard, P. Rejnhold, N. Hansen (28’ F. Bay), J. Henriksen, A. Holst, E. Just, F. Juul Christensen, D. Norouzi, L. Haren(57’ T. Bergqvist), C. Lange (57’ D. Boysen), J. Kjær
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
