FC Helsingør secured an immensely important victory when Hvidovre visited Helsingør on Sunday. With the win, FCH keep pace with the other clubs, and can head into the winter break with a good feeling after a rather uneven autumn.
Barely five minutes had been played when FCH won the first corner of the match. Daniel Jørgensen rose highest and got his head to it, but his fine header went over the goal. Big chance for the home side.
A minute and a half later Jonas Henriksen got away down the right flank. He whipped in a sharp low cross across the box, but unfortunately none of the FCH players could get to the cross, which sailed harmlessly past the goal.
After 11 minutes of play, FCH were dangerous again from a corner. Andreas Holm went up for the duel, and the ball dropped down between friends and foes in the Hvidovre area. Nicolas Mortensen was surrounded by Hvidovre players, but still managed to get a foot to it, though his shot went past the post. It was clearly FC Helsingør who were in the driving seat in the first quarter of an hour.
After 16 minutes of play, the pressure paid off. Patrick Olsen carried the ball up through the middle, with both Jonas Henriksen to his right and Nicolas Mortensen to his left. Olsen beat a man and finished himself when he entered the box. Hvidovre goalkeeper Filip Djukic had come well out of his goal and blocked the shot, but Nicolas Mortensen was ready and calmly put away the rebound right by the left post.
1-0 FC Helsingør
For the next ten minutes FCH tried to capitalize on the momentum the goal had given them, and tackles flew in, without either side managing to create chances.
In the 26th minute Frederik Bay got past his man on the left side. He played a cross back toward the edge of the box, where Jonas Henriksen had snuck up. The right-back hit it firmly, but on the line a Hvidovre defender had read the situation and could head it away right on the goal line. Huge opportunity, but strong defending from the visitors.
After 36 minutes Mikkel Basse came close with a shot after a well-worked move. The ball was worked around with short, precise passes on the left side, and in the end it was played out to Jonas Henriksen on the right flank at exactly the right moment. In two attempts he managed to whip in a cross to Patrick Olsen, who laid the ball off to an onrushing Basse, who finished first time. Unfortunately his shot was a little too hard, and the ball flew over the goal.
We reached the 44th minute before Hvidovre created their first big chance. A player got through on the left side and sent a low cross into the box. As many as three Hvidovre players had made runs into the area, but none of them could reach the ball. Out on the right another Hvidovre player collected it and sent in yet another cross. There it found a Hvidovre man who finished, but Mikkel Bruhn got a hand to the attempt. That allowed FC Helsingør to go into the break with a very deserved 1-0 lead.
The second half was barely a minute old when FC Helsingør came close to extending the lead. A fine cross was sent into the box, where Nicolas Mortensen got to the ball. However, he did not strike it cleanly, and it sailed past goal in a soft arc.
After 66 minutes of play it was Hvidovre's turn to waste a big chance, as the newly substituted Louka Andreasen got through on the left side. He finished toward the far post and got the ball past Mikkel Bruhn, but also just past the post.
The match had become more physical in the second half, which suited the visitors best. Hvidovre put more pressure on Helsingør's midfield players, and chances did not come as easily for the home side as in the first half. In particular Nicolas Mortensen took a lot of knocks, big and small, when he went up for the aerial duels. After 70 minutes he was replaced by Douglas, who came on to contest the duels in the build-up.
Four minutes later it was incredibly close to paying off, as Douglas blocked a pass from a Hvidovre defender. The big Brazilian set off at full speed toward goal and rounded Hvidovre goalkeeper Djukic. In front of goal, a defender had tracked back, so Douglas, who had got out to the right side, played the ball diagonally back to Carl Lange, who came charging in. He tried to dribble past Djukic, who had gotten back into the box, but the Hvidovre goalkeeper got both hands to the ball at the last moment. FC Helsingør should have gotten more out of that situation, as they actually had two men alone with a defender and an empty goal.
After 84 minutes Hvidovre came close again, as a sharp cross from the right side sailed over the first defender and toward the far post. Mikkel Bruhn was caught on the wrong foot, and only at the very last moment did FCH clear the ball over the end line.
A minute later Hvidovre got an even bigger chance, as a somewhat lucky ball ended up with a Hvidovre player just outside the box after a scramble in front of the FCH goal. The Hvidovre players pulled the trigger, but Christian “TK” Köhler was positioned in exactly the right place on the goal line, and the midfielder could head away a “lifesaver”.
As the match went into stoppage time, Hvidovre tried one last charge toward the FCH goal, but instead it was FCH who extended the lead. Substitute Anders Holst won a hard duel by the touchline and earned a throw-in. He took it long and found Douglas all the way out by the touchline level with the box. The big striker beat his man and cut into the box, where he coolly slipped the ball under Filip Djukic.
2-0 FC Helsingør
The goal extinguished Hvidovre's last hope, and FC Helsingør could note an unbelievably important win, meaning the club can head into the winter break still close to the teams ahead of them.
FCH: Bruhn, Jørgensen Holm, Gregor, Bay, Basse, “TK” Köhler, Henriksen, Lange (Holst 72´), Mortensen (Douglas 70´), Olsen
Referee: Jonas Hansen
