A cold match in the fog ended in defeat for Helsingør against the visitors from AaB.
The first eight minutes saw the teams open a little cautiously, without taking too many risks. The most notable incident was a yellow card for AaB's little dribbler Flores. After eight minutes, Nicolas Mortensen played a fine through ball between three AaB players, but Osama Akharraz did not reach the ball before AaB's goalkeeper.
A couple of minutes later Adnan Mohammad burst away down the left wing, and got past AaB's Patrick Kristensen, who brought him down from behind and was booked. The ensuing free kick made its way after a couple of phases to Osama on the right wing, who delivered a good cross, but none of Helsingør's players reached the ball, and the big chance went begging.
It was a quarter of an hour into the match before AaB had their first chance. A well-struck corner came to the near post, but Morten Hegaard got highest and cleared the attempt.
After 20 minutes Adnan got away again, and dribbled inside, past two AaB players, but their defence was in place and forced him to shoot from an awkward angle, so the effort was no problem for Rinne in the AaB goal.
Four minutes later it was very close to going wrong for FCH. A corner was played flat back, and found Thellufsen completely free in the box, but fortunately he could not get enough control over both body and ball for the shot to have power.
But then Helsingør had been warned. And in the 27. minute it all went completely wrong. A corner was taken short, played back to Flores, who whipped the ball hard and accurately onto the forehead of Jakob Blåbjerg, who headed it in with unerring certainty past Aris Vaporakis
1-0 AaB
After 29 minutes Pohl got free on the right side and struck firmly at goal, but Aris saved well.
Nicolas Mortensen played up front alone, and after 35 minutes it was very close to him equalising for FC Helsingør, but he could not direct the ball downwards
Five minutes before the break AaB's Jannik Pohl broke free on the right side and sent the ball into the box. The AaB players were queuing up to finish, but the defence and Aris together managed to clear it. However, AaB were on top in this period of the match. Shortly after, Kasper Pedersen came close when he headed just over from a corner, but FCH rode out the storm in the hectic minutes before the break.
After the break there was drama from the first whistle, as Nicolas Mortensen went down after a challenge in the box, but referee Michael Johansen's whistle remained silent.
FC Helsingør found it difficult to get through AaB's lines at the start of the half, but after 51 minutes Holst did get in a long-range effort a couple of metres outside the box, which sailed half a metre over the crossbar.
AaB had dropped back somewhat after the break, and mostly lurked for counters for their quick attacking players. Even so, it was FC Helsingør who got away on a transition after an hour. Patrick Mortensen found Osama cleverly on the edge of offside, but Jores Okore got across to him and forced the ball away from him at the edge of the box.
In the 69. minute FCH replaced Osama Akharraz with Daniel Stückler, and not even a minute had passed before he got a shot away. Ricki Olsen delivered a good cross, but Jores Okore shut down Stückler's attempt, so that he only got his shoulder to it.
In the 75. minute Mikkel Basse was centimetres from equalising. A throw-in was thrown into the box and cleared out again. Basse stood at the edge and struck the ball first time from a little 20 metres out. His excellent shot unfortunately hit the crossbar.
Shortly after, Ricki Olsen also shot from distance, but his effort ended up in the AaB goalkeeper's gloves as well.
Tobias ”Toby” Christensen was brought on with a little quarter of an hour left, and shortly after ”Toby” found Daniel Stückler brilliantly as he brought the ball down elegantly on his chest and played it on first time, but Stückler had to finish under heavy pressure. The ball was deflected and fell to Nicolas Mortensen on the run, but the striker could not finish. A few minutes later Toby got away down the right wing again and found Mortensen in the box, but the finish from the hard-working striker unfortunately went straight at the goalkeeper.
FCH tried to put AaB under pressure in added time, but AaB sat deep and took the punishment. Helsingør could not apply the final touch, despite shots from distance by Ricki Olsen and Daniel Stückler, and time ran out for FC Helsingør, who had to record another defeat in yet another match in which they had been more than a match for their visitors for long periods.
FCH: Vaporakis, S. Henriksen, Jørgensen, Hegaard, R. Olsen, Mohammad, Basse, P. Olsen, Akharraz, Holst, Mortensen
Substitutes used: Johannsen, Stückler, ”Toby” Christensen
Referee: Michael Johansen.
Photo: Claus Birch, clausbirch.dk
