F.C. Copenhagen-FC Basel 3-3 (2-2)

28/01 2007 23:48

On Sunday afternoon F.C. Copenhagen drew 3-3 with Swiss Super League-team FC Basel in this years first training match in La Manga, Spain...

The Danish champions were without Jesper Christiansen, Lars Jacobsen, Michael Gravgaard, William Kvist and Hjalte Nørregaard, who all are on duty with the Danish league international team. Furthermore youngsters Nikolaj Hansen and Lasse Qvist are on tour with the international U21-team.

Ståle Solbakken could still field a strong team for the match against Basel, who is currently 5th in the Swiss Super League:

Benny Gall – Oscar Wendt, Brede Hangeland, Dan Thomassen, Niclas Jensen – Atiba Hutchinson, Tobias Linderoth, Michael Silberbauer, Jesper Grønkjær (78.: Razak Pimpong) – Ailton Almeida (72.: Fredrik Berglund), Marcus Allbäck (72.: Jeppe Brandrup)

Brazilian striker Ailton was signed from Örgryte in Sweden in August, and he finished the season in Sweden before joining FCK in January. Also in January, Niclas Jensen has returned to the club, he left 5 years ago, when he signed for Manchester City. Since then he has also been playing for Dortmund and Fulham.

A new face and an old new face: Ailton (7) and Niclas Jensen (3)

The wind in La Manga was quite strong, but the pitch was in good condition following the storm on Friday, which resulted in a 24 hours delay of the game. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, but the heavy rain made it impossibly to play.

Ailton got the first goal of the game in his unofficial debut, when he scored after 18 minutes following a good cross from Grønkjær, which Allbäck headed down to Ailton. Allbäck himself got the second after half an hour, when he hammered home another fine cross from Grønkjær after Hutchinson had sent him free on the left side.

Shortly after Mladen Petric struck back for Basel after a free-kick, which Thomassen could only steer into the corner of the net, and before the interval youth-team striker Eren Derdiyok equalized after a long throw-in, which the defence failed to clear properly.

Ailton and Allbäck had a couple of good chances in the beginning of the second half, but missed the target. Instead, the 18 years old Derdiyok doubled his score in th 69th minute, but the entertaining friendly wasn’t over yet! With 10 minutes to go Silberbauer equalized, when he recived a good throughball from Niclas Jensen and coolly kept his opponent behind him and slotted the ball home past Swiss keeper Crayton.

Celebration time again

Berglund, who replaced Ailton in the last quarter, and Hutchinson could have gotten a fourth, but Basel were closest with a header on the crossbar in the dying minutes. Eventually it ended with a deserved 3-3-draw.

On Wednesday F.C. Copenhagen will play the local Spanish team Hércules CF in La Manga, before returning to Copenhagen on Thursday.

Matchfacts:
F.C. COPENHAGEN-FC BASEL 3-3 (2-2)
18.: 1-0 Ailton Almeida
32.: 2-0 Marcus Allbäck
34.: 2-1 Mladen Petric
44.: 2-2 Eren Derdiyok
69.: 2-3 Eren Derdiyok
80.: 3-3 Michael Silberbauer