F.C. Copenhagen hits European form

After an initial stalemate that lasted through the opening ten minutes F.C. Copenhagen eventually took charge of the proceedings. In fact they almost completely dominated the field for the remainder of the first half and certainly produced enough chances to secure a quite comfortable halftime lead, yet at the time of the break Grønkjær’s successful penalty remained the only goal of the game thus far.

PSV became much more prolific in the second half but when they levelled the game in the 72nd minute it nevertheless seemed an unjustified development to the game. The PSV goal prompted the home team to take over once more and quite incredibly they immediately began to add even more chances to their credit, unfortunately however, they were in the end forced to settle for the draw.

By Lars Kristensen

Libor Sionko

- We produced plenty of chances but unfortunately we did not get the full reward. However, we are still very much alive in the group and I am looking forward to what promises to be the grand finale in Prague.

Coach Ståle Solbakken

- The team played a very tight game today and I think we really ought to have added a second on ne of our many counter attacks. Without a doubt we played the best football out there today, and indeed, if one looks only at the first half the difference between the two teams was simply massive. In Eindhoven they may in fact have been the better side, but here in Copenhagen the case was certainly quite the opposite, and if anything it marks a very positive point for Danish soccer as a whole when a team such as ours is able to contest a team like PSV on equal terms.

William Kvist

- We really enjoyed ourselves tonight. Our plays ran smoothly and we felt great and as a result we put PSV under a lot of pressure. Of course, winning the game would have felt even better but we hope to establish a decent foundation before the last game in Prague.

As F.C. Copenhagen currently trails three points behind Sparta Prague in second place with just two games remaining, the situation does warrant a performance on par with tonight’s demonstration when next the boys take on Cluj of Romania. Depending on the result of the PSV-Sparta game, a similar display may well secure a favourable vantage point for the team before they lastly travel to Prague for what surely promises to be a tantalizing finale. Hopefully F.C. Copenhagen will be able to prolong their European commitment way into the spring of next year but in any case, the hugely important game against Cluj also marks the last chance of 2009 to watch F.C. Copenhagen play European football. The game is set for Dec 3rd and as always F.C. Copenhagen plays its home games at the national stadium of PARKEN. Kick-off is at 19:00.

Game stats:

F.C. Copenhagen - P.S.V. Eindhoven 1-1 (1-0)

1-0 Grønkjær (39, penalty)

1-1 Dzsudzsak (72)

Spectators: 21,605