FC Helsingør took their fourth straight win as Vendsyssel failed to hold on to their one-goal lead from the first half, and were emphatically put in their place in the second half with three fine FCH goals.
The match began very evenly in the first five minutes, with plenty of duels and physical play, but no attempts on target from either team.
After eight minutes, Eli Just got the ball centrally. He took a couple of meters, and played it out to Philip Rejnhold, who delivered a flat cross across and back into the box. Frederik Juul struck it and hit a Vendsyssel player, who had his arms helpfully tucked in close to his body. However, the referee judged that it was not criminal.
Instead, it was Vendsyssel who took the lead in the tenth minute. Kasper Enghardt, who had otherwise perhaps been FCH’s best player at the start of the season, made an uncharacteristic mistake when a headed layoff to Kevin Stuhr was too short. Tiemoko Konate opportunistically intercepted it, and easily dribbled past Kevin Stuhr, after which Konate could unhindered push it the final stretch over the line.
0-1 Vendsyssel FF
FC Helsingør tried to move the press higher up the pitch, but Vendsyssel were quite happy to stand a little deeper and look for counters. We had to wait until the 20th minute before FCH got a chance. Tonni Adamsen finished off a through ball in the box, but Lucas Jonsson in the Vendsyssel goal got a block in, and got down on the ball before Adamsen could reach it.
Two minutes later Liam Jordan had FCH’s biggest chance so far. Jordan received the ball from a sharp pass by Enghardt and dribbled past two men through the middle. Jordan entered the box and shot toward the far corner, but Jonsson got down to the ball again with an excellent save. Tough luck for FCH and Liam Jordan. The beautiful move deserved better.
After 26 minutes, Vendsyssel got a huge chance. A good diagonal ball from midfield ended up out to Thomas Christiansen on the right side of the FCH box. Christiansen shot, but Kevin Stuhr got down with the very tips of his fingers and pushed the ball past the post. Superb save.
Right after we had passed the half-hour mark, Frederik Bay came a little out of nowhere through the center as Tonni Adamsen spotted his chance to send a ball in behind. Bay came through one-on-one, but Lucas Jonsson came out at Bay’s feet and saved it at the last second.
The rest of the half was played out with plenty of ugly fouls and physical duels, but without major chances for either FCH or Vendsyssel. The home side therefore had to go into the dressing room with the feeling that they had created the most opportunities, but also that the match had been played on the visitors’ terms.
From the start of the second half, however, FCH settled much better into the game, and to a much greater extent managed to play around Vendsyssel’s pressing game
After 52 minutes, FC Helsingør equalized Vendsyssel’s lead in the most remarkable fashion. Frederik Bay, who had otherwise been moved down to left back, got the ball out on the left side. He nutmegged his marker, cut a little inside and sent in a cross/shot toward the far post. Jonsson had come out of his goal, and the ball arced over his flailing arms and into the net via the post.
1-1 FC Helsingør
And just four minutes later, FC Helsingør added another. Philip Rejnhold delivered an excellent cross into the box, where Jonsson could not stop substitute Callum McCowatt from getting highest and scoring for the second game in a row with an aggressive header. Excellent physical goal from Callum.
2-1 FC Helsingør
The goals prompted Vendsyssel to crank up the pressure, but unlike in the first half, FC Helsingør managed to play their way out of the press and set up the counterattack.
After 65 minutes, another returning Olympic player got on the scoresheet. Elijah Just received a sharp ball at his feet and cut into the box. Instead of shooting first time, he went past his opponent, then another, and came out on the left side of the box. Just as it looked as if the chance was gone, “Eli” sent a banana shot toward the near post, where the bending ball deceived Jonsson in goal and went in high into the top corner. Excellent move by Elijah Just
3-1 FC Helsingør
Six minutes later Callum McCowatt found Eli Just with a sharp cross into the six-yard box, where Just used the outside of his foot. Jonsson stood rooted to the spot, but Eli’s finish hit Jonsson on the shin. The only spot in the goal where the ball could have hit so that there would be no goal.
In the 79th minute, Callum McCowatt beat his marker on the left side and drove toward the byline. When he got ten meters forward, he cut into the box and reached the byline. McCowatt shot from a narrow angle, but could not bend the ball in.
In the 84th minute, Vendsyssel got their chance so far as they won a free kick on the right side. It was sent sharply in front, where Konate rose highest and headed down with a powerful header, but luckily it went straight into the arms of Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard.
Just as we rounded the 90, Callum McCowatt got a huge chance to become a two-goal scorer. McCowatt played a good ball out to Philip Rejnhold on the right side, where Rejnhold took the ball past Terrence Baya. Rejnhold cut into the box with Baya on his back, and in the end Rejnhold had to give up and went down. The referee immediately blew for a penalty, and Callum McCowatt stepped up. However, Jonsson read Callum’s shot and saved the New Zealander’s effort.
FC Helsingør therefore had to settle for the three goals, but that was also more than enough to take the win after an entertaining second half from the home side.
The next match is already on Wednesday, when HB Køge come to visit in the Sydbank Pokalen. It is at 19.00.
FCH: K. Stuhr Ellegaard, N. Mouritsen (’45 C. McCowatt), N. Hansen, K. Enghardt, P. Rejnhold, O. Kjærgaard (’45 D. Norouzi) F. Juul Christensen, F. Bay, L. Jordan, E. Just (’88 D. Wilkins), T Adamsen (73 P. Buch Christiansen)
Photo: Claus Birch: clausbirch.dk
