CV's men back to winning ways

02/04 2012 12:07

Martin Vingaard’s injury sustained in last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Silkeborg meant head coach Carsten V. Jensen again had to reshuffle his midfield ahead of a rainy clash with Lyngby BK. Also lacking Claudemir, CV elected Thomas Kristensen and Christian Grindheim to sit in the centre of the park.

by Joe Short

Meanwhile, Christian Bolaños and Thomas Delaney took to the wings, with their instructions evident to push forward at any opportunity. After a relatively quiet opening quarter of an hour, Dame N’Doye was narrowly caught offside trying to run the line from a César Santin through ball, while at the other end Johan Wiland was forced to tip over an Emil Larsen cross that was dipping under the crossbar.

Copenhagen asserted their dominance only to frustrate LBK, who began giving away petty free kicks, receiving two bookings by the midway point of the half. Kris Stadsgaard thought he had scored his first goal for FCK, prodding home a loose ball following Sölvi Ottesen’s aerial challenge with goalkeeper Nicklas Højlund. Referee Lars Christoffersen ruled a foul had been committed however, and the goal was chalked off.

Lyngby did offer their own chances going forward, notably on the counter attack. Jeppe Brandrup found space to fire at goal seven minutes before the break, but a determined Delaney flung himself in the way of the effort, twisting his knee in the process. Pape Pate Diouf immediately replaced the winger.

N’Doye breaks his rut

Shortly before half time Ottesen rose high to nod down a Pierre Bengtsson corner, but the header was well blocked by Brandrup on the line. However, moments later and the Lyngby defence was finally broken. Bolaños played a neat cross-field ball to Diouf on the left edge of the box. Diouf controlled on his chest before volleying a low effort towards goal. Højlund could only parry the ball into N’Doye’s path, the Senegalese smashing it home for his first goal in three games – a barren spell for the Superliga’s top scorer.

After the break N’Doye was involved in a small incident with Morten Bertolt, but referee Christoffersen handled the situation well, cooling both players down. Minutes into the half and Diouf had a good opportunity to double FCK’s lead, whose header at the far post was going in, were it not for Højlund shepherding the ball away.

How Copenhagen did not make it 2-0 on 67 minutes no one can quite know. Bolaños played Lars Jacobsen free on the right via a quick overlap, and the right back floated in a delightful ball for Santin. Unmarked and six yards out from goal, Santin twisted his neck and got off a powerful header. However, Højlund again was there to block the effort, Santin left kneeling on the pitch in wonderment.

Late goals secure three points

Santin would not have to wait long for his moment of glory however, as nine minutes later he tucked home a delightfully simple Copenhagen move. Kristensen turned in the middle of the park and sent Santin through with a high ball. The Brazilian controlled, made room for a shot and side-footed past Højlund, the ball bouncing off the stump of the post to nestle thankfully behind the line of the other upright.

At 2-0 one might imagine Lyngby would deflate, but not Niels Frederiksen’s team, one fighting hard to avoid relegation at the base of the Superliga. In the 83rd minute Bajram Fetai delivered a perfect cross, curling behind FCK’s defence, where Patrick Mortensen connected at the far post to halve the away side’s advantage.

Lyngby could sense an equaliser, and so were forced to push forward in search of a second goal. However, sacrifices made in defence meant they were vulnerable to the counter attack, and on 88 minutes Dame N’Doye bagged his second of the game. Santin again ran through an vacant LBK defence, halted and played N’Doye in on the left side of the box. N’Doye opened his body up to curl his effort over Højlund and secure CV a 3-1 win to maintain a three-point lead at the top of the Superliga.

LYNGBY BK: 1 FC COPENHAGEN: 3

Lyngby BK: Højlund, Brandrup, Tauber, Krabbe, Rasmussen, Henriksen, Bertolt, Fetai, Bergvold, Larsen, Mortensen.

FC Copenhagen: Wiland(C), Jacobsen, Ottesen, Stadsgaard, Bengtsson, Kristensen, Grindheim, Bolaños, Delaney, Santin, N’Doye.

Goals: N’Doye (45’), Santin (76’), Mortensen, Lyngby BK (83’), N’Doye (88’).

Referee: Lars Christoffersen.