FC Helsingør played a friendly match against Lyngby at Lundtofte Boldklub’s facilities on Tuesday afternoon, with reserve players and players the coaching staff had assessed should get minutes in their legs.
Lyngby also fielded reserve and U players, but did have profiles such as Frederik Schram, Pascal Gregor, Christian ”Greco” Jacobsen and Justin Shaibu.
In the opening stages of the first half, it was FC Helsingør who were on top, and Lyngby were rare visitors on the other side of the halfway line. After eight minutes, it paid off. Nicolai Geertsen had gone forward for a set piece, and when it was cleared out of the box, the former Lyngby player was ready on the edge of the area. He did his old club dirty, volleying the ball into the net off the crossbar with a superb strike. Great goal by Geertsen
0-1 FC Helsingør
In the 20. minute, Elijah Just and Oliver Christensen combined nicely in the box, and in the end ”Eli” was able to play Tonni Adamsen completely free. Adamsen struck well, to the goalkeeper’s left, and put FC Helsingør further ahead.
0-2 FC Helsingør
But just five minutes later, Lyngby were back in the game. Justin Shaibu took advantage of an error in FCH’s build-up to intercept the ball, and cut into the box, where he calmly put the ball past Christoffer Petersen in the FCH goal.
1-2 Lyngby BK
And just as we reached the half-hour mark, Shaibu was back in the spotlight. Lyngby won the ball in midfield and sent several men forward on the counter. Justin Shaibu had slipped into the box and received a good pass that left him completely alone with Nicolai Geertsen. Geertsen did what he could to win it back and was close, but Shaibu got around him and scored another assured finish with a low shot.
2-2 Lyngby BK
Ten minutes later, Justin Shaibu completed his hat-trick when he brought a cross from the wing down into the box and smashed the ball into the net. There were loud protests from the FCH players, and it did indeed look very much as if Shaibu had controlled the ball down with his hand. But the referees had not seen Shaibu’s hand, and the goal was allowed to stand.
3-2 Lyngby.
A minute before half-time, however, FC Helsingør pulled one back. Mihkel Ainsalu, who played centrally in midfield alongside HC ”Kritte” Bonnesen, had moved forward. He carried the ball to the edge of the box, where he was emphatically stopped by two Lyngby players. The referee correctly awarded a free kick. Ainsalu took it himself, and beautifully sent the ball past the wall and all the way into the top corner on the left side of the goal. Great striking technique by the Estonian.
3-3 FC Helsingør
The second half was a more subdued affair in terms of goals, as both teams got a little better control of their defensive organisation. There were still signs of chances at both ends, and the closest FC Helsingør came was through Mihkel Ainsalu in the 66. minute, when he cut across the box and hit a powerful shot against the post.
Tonni Adamsen and Callum McCowatt also had a couple of shots, but Schramm was solid.
Instead, Rasmus Thellufsen secured Lyngby the win when he, in the 77. minute, took matters into his own hands and broke through FC Helsingør’s defensive lines with a good run. Thellufsen had support, but shot himself and put the ball beyond a helpless Christoffer Petersen in the FCH goal. Petersen otherwise had a fine game, with many good interventions, but had to stretch his arms for Shaibu and Thellufsen.
4-3 Lyngby BK
In the closing stages, FC Helsingør had a good spell, but Schramm saved what came his way. Closest was Adamsen shortly before full time, when he followed up on a rebound and finished from point-blank range on the edge of the six-yard box, but Schramm pulled off a fantastic save and punched the ball away. No more goals were scored, and FC Helsingør could note a defeat in a well-played friendly match, with many good moments from both teams, especially offensively.
The next time FCH are in action, it is for real. That is on Sunday against FC Fredericia in 1. Division, and the match is played at 14.00.
FCH: C. Petersen, F. Bay, B. Onkony, N. Geertsen, J. Henriksen (’85 L. Haren), M. Ainsalu, H.C. Bonnesen, T. Adamsen, O. Kjærgaard, E. Just, C. McCowatt
Photo FC Helsingør
