FC Helsingør got the spring premiere everyone in and around the club had hoped for, and which they had worked hard toward over the winter, when Thisted FC was defeated 3-1 at Sparekasse Thy Arena.
FCH lined up in a 3-4-3 formation, and had been prepared in advance for Thisted trying to exploit their physical advantage, but FCH played the ball around beautifully for long stretches, and with three fine goals and a disciplined performance there was never any doubt about the victory.
After four minutes FCH earned a corner. TK went to the corner flag and delivered a good ball into the box. Pascal Gregor rose highest in the crowd of players in front of goal and headed left into the net. Thisted goalkeeper Mathias Rosenørn had to stretch full length and pull off a fabulous save to keep the shot out. Nicolas Mortensen tried to follow up, but had his finish blocked.
The ball was cleared out of the danger zone, but immediately played back in to the edge of the box, where Nicolas Mortensen brought it down. He was brought down right on the edge of the area, and the referee blew for a free kick.
Christian ”TK” Køhler had apparently warmed up his shot on that sharp corner kick just before, because he calmly stepped up to the ball and fired a beautiful, beautiful free kick all the way into the top corner of the goal, where goalkeeper Rosenørn could not reach it.
0-1 FC Helsingør.
Shortly after, Viktor Anker collided heavily with an opponent on the edge of FCH’s box. The goalkeeper was treated for a long time, but Helsingør got off with a scare, as the big keeper got back to his feet after a few minutes.
The next quarter of an hour was marked by fine play from FCH, and a Thisted side that mostly played on physicality and counterattacks. The next big chance came for Nicolas Mortensen after just 25 minutes, when Mikkel Basse found him with a fine dropping pass. Mortensen turned, took a touch, and fired from just outside the box, but the ball went wide of the post.
We had to wait until the 33th minute before Thisted got a chance. A long ball was sent forward to the big striker Tukiainen, who brought it into the box with a chest touch. However, he was well pressed by the FCH defense, and his finish went a good distance wide of the goal.
The next ten minutes FCH played the ball around, trying to find openings in Thisted’s compact defense, but despite fine actions from the very mobile FCH players, neither team managed to create any truly big chances, and FC Helsingør could go into the dressing room with a deserved 1-0 lead.
The second half started with heavy pressure from Thisted, who forced their first corner in the match in the 46th minute. It led to a huge chance for the home side, as the ball dropped down among friends and foes in the six-yard box. Two Thisted players managed shots, but the first time Anker got a foot to it with a brilliant reflex, and the second time the shot was blocked by the defense. A big opportunity for the home side.
The next ten minutes the match teetered on a knife edge. Thisted tried to exploit their physical advantage, and FCH were a little on their heels in the battle in the middle of the pitch. But after 59 minutes, FCH played their way into the Thisted box. A ball flew across the area, where Carl Lange brought it down on the left side. He took a touch and thundered the ball past Mathias Rosenørn in the Thisted goal.
0-2 FC Helsingør
Shortly after the goal, Thisted’s Laus Østervig Nielsen went into a committed challenge with Patrick Olsen and received a yellow card. It was the Thisted player’s second in the match, and FCH could therefore look forward to playing the last 25 minutes with a man advantage.
That immediately led to a couple of good chances, where Patrick Olsen and Lucas Haren worked their way up around the box, with some dangerous crosses following. But it was on a counterattack of the prettier kind that FC Helsingør made it 3-0. Christian ”TK” Køhler not only scored himself, but also provided an assist, as he sent Nicolas Mortensen away through the middle and clear of his markers. One-on-one with the goalkeeper, the striker did not fail, and calmly put the ball into the net.
0-3 FC Helsingør
In the 72th minute Thisted pulled one back, as Christian Kudsk got a foot to a somewhat random ball in the FCH box. He dribbled between friends and foes and drove the ball hard and low into the net, with no chance for Viktor Anker.
1-3 Thisted FC
After 77 minutes Osama Akharraz was substituted on, and it had been only a couple of minutes before he made a beautiful dribble past three Thisted players and found Mikkel Basse in front of goal. Basse hammered at the ball from some distance out, but the shot went over the goal.
After 85 minutes Ibrahim Samrawi came on for his debut in the FCH shirt, instead of a completely exhausted Lucas Haren, who had played a really fine match at wingback and got in the way of a great many Thisted passes.
FC Helsingør played the final minutes wisely, and Thisted did not create any further dangerous situations. FC Helsingør could thus record three very fine points on a difficult away ground, and the best possible start to the spring.
FCH: Anker-Henriksen-Holm-Gregor-Bay-Haren (Samrawi 85’)-TK-Basse-Olsen-Lange (Akharraz ’77)-Mortensen (Willumsen 89’)
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
