FC Helsingør played one of the season’s best matches, but the advantage and the good football did little good when Esbjerg cynically used their strengths and managed to score one more goal than the home side.
It was FC Helsingør who set the pace in the first quarter of an hour. In particular, Callum McCowatt and the hard-working midfield with Norouzi and Frederik Juul looked good in combination play. After nine minutes, McCowatt set off with a defender on his back. McCowatt cleverly brought the ball under control with his head and got into the box, but the New Zealander was well marked, and his attempt at a finish was blocked out for a corner that came to nothing.
In the 18. minute, Callum McCowatt got away well down the left flank after a brilliant pass from Philip Rejnhold, who was back after an injury break. Callum whipped in a hard, low cross across the six-yard box. Out in front, it was centimetres away from Lucas Haren getting a foot to it, but at the last moment one of Esbjerg’s defenders got a saving touch.
Two minutes later, Esbjerg got their first chance, when Lucas Haren was brought down on the edge of EFB’s box, and the referee did not blow for a free kick. Pyry Soiri broke on a counterattack and, in a two-on-one situation, tried to square the ball to Jakob Ankersen, but this time it was FCH’s defence that got a saving touch at the last moment, as Rejnhold just managed to get a heel to the pass and save the day.
In the 27. minute, Callum McCowatt was close. After good FCH short passing around Esbjerg’s box, Callum received a good pass, which he brought into the box with his head. From a tight angle he finished towards the far corner and got the ball past Mads Kikkenborg in the EFB goal, but unfortunately it also just went wide of the post.
Three minutes later it was another New Zealander who got the shot away. Callum McCowatt found Eli Just on the edge of the box from a position out on the left. Eli turned with the ball and drove into the box. There he smashed a powerful shot at goal, but Kikkenborg blocked the shot, which was a little too central.
In the 35 minute Eli finished again, from almost the same position, after a good pass from Boysen. This time he tried to place it around Kikkenborg, but the shot again went just wide of the far post.
Three minutes later, Jakob Ankersen dribbled past two FCH defenders and prepared to shoot. But Nikolaj Hansen blocked the shot, which sailed in an arc over the goal. Unfortunately, the danger was not over yet, because from the ensuing corner veteran Kevin Conboy rose highest in the six-yard box and headed the ball into the net from close range, with no chance for Christoffer Petersen in the FCH goal.
0-1 Esbjerg FB
A couple of minutes before the break, Philip Rejnhold played a really good ball across the pitch to Lucas Haren, who used his pace to get away from his man. Haren took the long run from his own half and tried to lay it square to Callum McCowatt and Eli Just, who had surged forward. But Eli had strayed beyond the offside line, and Callum could not control the ball, so the chance came to nothing.
Nothing else happened in the first half, and FC Helsingør could go into the break after 45 minutes, having been clearly the better side, but with Esbjerg managing to get something out of their only clear chance.
The second half started with a huge chance for Esbjerg, when Jakob Ankersen got past two men again with a couple of clever dribbles and was one-on-one with Christoffer Petersen. However, Ankersen hit the ball completely wrong, and it went well wide.
Two minutes later, it was FC Helsingør who wasted a huge chance. From the right wing, Lucas Haren delivered a good cross, and up front substitute Oliver Kjærgaard had sneaked forward. Kjærgaard threw himself into the header duel, but was under heavy pressure from one of Esbjerg’s centre-backs, and the ball eventually ended up with Kikkenborg. Good chance for Kjærgaard.
The pattern of play at the beginning of the second half was much the same as in the first, with FCH most on the ball and EFB looking for counters. In the 54. minute, however, it was close to the visitors tasting their own medicine, when a good FCH corner ended up with Hans Christian “Kritte” Bonnesen, who headed towards the far corner, but unfortunately the ball went just over the junction.
Three minutes later, Frederik Juul got a good shot away when Philip Rejnhold went on a good raid up the pitch. Rejnhold cut centrally past two men, but was closed down for the finish. Instead he laid the ball back diagonally to Frederik Juul, who struck at goal, but again it went just wide of the far post.
Shortly after, Callum again finished from a tight angle after taking the ball past two men himself, and Kikkenborg flailed helplessly. But the goal seemed bewitched, and McCowatt’s good effort hit the side netting.
After 70 minutes, Esbjerg had another dangerous header chance. In the middle, Callum McCowatt had his shirt almost torn off in a duel, but the referee did not blow, and so Esbjerg broke on a counterattack. FCH closed down and sent the ball out for a corner, and from the resulting corner an Esbjerg player headed the ball just wide.
A minute later it was even closer, as Esbjerg sent another high ball into the box. Centrally, an EFB player again rose highest, but Christoffer Petersen pulled off a world-class save and tipped the ball over the goal, right up under the crossbar.
After that, the coaching staff made substitutions, and Casper Sloth replaced Philip Rejnhold, who was not quite ready to play 90 minutes. The young striker Anosike Ementa replaced David Boysen and made his debut for the senior team. He had only been on the pitch for about a minute when, from a good cross from the left side, he got the ball just outside the box. Anosike tried to shoot towards the far corner, but unfortunately sent the ball wide.
But after 79 minutes Esbjerg extended their lead. From the right side, a cross was sent into the six-yard box and it looked as though FC Helsingør were well set in defence. Anders Holst wanted to head the ball back to Christoffer Petersen, but Holst put too much power on his header and caught Petersen on the wrong foot. The ball hit the post and bounced out into play to Daniel Anyembe, who poked it the last bit over the line. A bitter mistake by Anders Holst, who until then had played a really good game at right back.
0-2 Esbjerg FB
After 85 minutes of play, Nikolaj Hansen sent a good, long ball forward to Lucas Haren, who took the ball with him past his man and ran into the box. From the left side he shot at goal, but once again the ball went wide.
Two minutes later Lucas Haren was at it again. He drove up the touchline on the left and played a well-curved ball into the box to substitute Andreas Smed, who, completely free, tried to direct the ball into the net first time. But Mads Kikkenborg was alert and kept out Smed’s fine effort with a brilliant save with his foot.
In stoppage time, FC Helsingør pressed as they had done throughout the match, but Esbjerg shut down both crosses from the flanks and the build-up through the middle.
But with five seconds left on the clock, FCH still managed to get on the scoresheet. A cross from the right was headed on by Anosike Ementa and dropped to the feet of Oliver Kjærgaard, who guided it past Kikkenborg and into the goal.
1-2 FC Helsingør
FC Helsingør were not able to score from the last two ball actions, and time ran out for the home side, who had to take one of their bitterer defeats in a match they dominated almost the whole way through.
FC Helsingør’s next task is another home match, the last one of the year. It is against league leaders Viborg FF, who visit on Friday at 19.00.
FCH: C. Petersen, P. Rejnhold (72’ C. Sloth), H.C. Bonnesen, N. Hansen (a), A. Holst, E. Just (’45 O. Kjærgaard), D. Norouzi, F. Juul Christensen, D. Boysen (72 A. Ementa), L. Haren, C. McCowatt (’78 A. Smed)
