Champions League awaits F.C. Copenhagen
With no fresh injury worries from last weekend, FCK coach Stale Solbakken had the joy of a full-strength squad for the Lion’s crucial match with Rosenborg.
Only one change was made from the Lyngby Boldklub game four days earlier, as Jesper Gronkjaer was handed his reward of a fine performance a week ago in Norway, to replace Thomas Kristensen.
By Joe Short
A packed PARKEN stadium was on hand to greet the players before kick off, with the tense atmosphere having built up since the competitive 2-1 end result in Trondheim. And the fans were not to be disappointed, as both teams had goal-scoring opportunities in the first minute.
The lively opening continued, as Copenhagen took a firm grip on the game. The home side played at a tempo unprecedented this season, and as early as the third minute Martin Vingaard hit the post after great work down the left from Gronkjær and Oscar Wendt.
The left-sided partnership flourished as the half went on, as FCK forced numerous attacks down the flank. On 11 minutes a Wendt cross found Zdenek Pospech with time at the back post, but he could only blaze over the bar from eight yards out. Three minutes later the Czech thought he had made up for his earlier miss, but his powerful header sailed straight into goalkeeper Daniel Orlund’s hands.
In a rare Rosenborg counter attack Rade Prica found himself free on the left of the FCK area, but his lobbed effort was palmed away and smothered by Johan Wiland.
The rest of the half was very much Copenhagen’s. Dame N’Doye and Vingaard had shots saved by Orlund, before the latter fired a volleyed effort inches wide of the post on 21 minutes from ten yards out: the majority of the crowd already celebrating a goal.
At the other end, a mistimed challenge from Wendt again let Prica into the box. The striker cut back from the by-line to shoot low, but Wiland was quick to get down and push the effort wide of the far post.
Copenhagen were clearly in search of the elusive goal they needed, and they finally got it just past the half hour. After a passage of neat one-touch passing play in the Rosenborg third, it was a long throw in from Claudemir that proved the most creative of tactics. The Brazilian’s throw was met in the box by the unmarked Solvi Ottesen: his powerful header found the bottom far corner to send the 31,000-strong PARKEN in to an eruption of joy and relief.
Two minutes later and FCK could have seen their lead doubled. Another attack down the left hand side by Gronkjaer set Wendt free. The left back pulled his cross back to Vingaard, who had time to adjust his feet before shooting low past the Rosenborg keeper. The ball hit the inside stump of the post, only to agonisingly roll across the face of the goal before being cleared.
The pace of the Copenhagen attack kept the PARKEN atmosphere electric, as the home side often forced all Rosenborg players back into their own third. On 40 minutes this pace almost undid the away side’s defence, as Pospech skilfully dodged the challenges of three players to play to the lingering Santin. The striker’s effort was once again blazed over the bar.
More chances came before half time, but FCK were criminal of wasting them. N’Doye carried the ball forward in a counter attack to find Pospech free on the right, but his shot was saved once again; while Jesper Gronkjær would arguably have made more of the space he had seconds before half time, had he not been hacked down by Kris Stadsgaard on the edge of the area, after the winger had baffled his marker seconds earlier.
The pace of the first half died in the second, as it became evident FCK had exhausted too much energy. In fact, the half started in complete contrast with the first, as Rosenborg controlled possession and the direction of play. However, only half chances could be created as, for the first quarter of an hour, both sides cancelled each other out in defence.
FCK were close to making it 2-0 on the hour however, but Santin could only deflect an open-goal effort into the hands of Orlund after a great cross behind the Rosenborg defence from Vingaard.
The atmosphere began to change after the miss, as the FCK faithful realised they were in for a long night. N’Doye played Claudemir through on 68 minutes, but Orlund was too quick to pounce, while at the other end Pospech was forced to make a last-ditch tackle on Markus Henriksen after the Rosenborg man had the ball at his feet in the box.
The nerves were clear as the away side piled on the pressure, but solid defending from centre-back pairing Ottesen and Mikael Antonsson kept the three-pronged Rosenborg strike force at bay.
As in the first half FCK were guilty of failing to make the most of the chances they created: N’Doye fluffed the best move with a shot high over the bar when other options were available down the right. Indeed, this almost became Copenhagen’s undoing, as seconds later Wiland was forced to tip the ball onto the crossbar: the nerves reverberating around PARKEN.
Zanka entered the pitch with a minute remaining, and almost got an assist as his strong run played N’Doye through, but again his shot hit the keeper.
Three minutes of injury time were relatively comfortable for the Lions, as Kvist and Wendt did their utmost to keep the ball firmly in the far corner of the pitch. One final free kick was dealt with by the defence and as the ball sailed into the Copenhagen sky, the referee brought the game to a close.
PARKEN was ecstatic, as the 1-0 victory means FC Copenhagen will now enter Thursday’s UEFA Champions League draw for the group stage of Europe’s elite club football competition.
