FCK 3-1 victors
Head coach Ståle Solbakken made three changes to his side for their trip to Farum on Sunday, most notably Thomas Kristensen, who came into the centre of midfield for William Kvist. The former Nordsjælland man was joined by Kenneth Zohore up front and Jos Hooiveld, who replaced Mathias Zanka in defence.
by Joe Short
It was Zohore who had the first goalscoring opportunity on five minutes, but he couldn’t get enough on a glanced header. Oscar Wendt then went close with a low drive after Jesper Grønkjær skilfully back heeled into the Swede’s path, but his shot was too weak.
Bryan Oviedo, on loan from FCK, could have given Nordsjælland the lead were it not for the crossbar. Oviedo pushed forward and picked up a loose ball on the edge of the FCK box to fire at goal. His deflected shot had Johan Wiland beat, but not the crossbar, as the ball bounced safely out for a corner.
Ten minutes later Jos Hooiveld headed over, but it was FCN who controlled the majority of possession. This paid off for the home side on 19 minutes when Wendt allowed Andreas Laudrup to pass him unscathed and play a neat through-ball to Tobias Mikkelsen. The striker finished well under Wiland to put Nordsjælland 1-0 up.
Diving N’Doye equalises
The goal was what the game needed to liven up play, and soon FCK were on the attack in search of an equaliser. A lovely one-two between Zdenek Pospech and Christian Bolaños almost generated an opportunity, but Copenhagen had to wait until the 29th minute to get back on level terms. Grønkjær delivered a driven cross to the back post for Dame N’Doye to fling himself at the ball and bury the header.
A period of conservatism on both sides followed the goal, and it was ten minutes before Grønkjær looped a header onto the top of the crossbar from a corner. Bolaños also had a shot at goal on the stroke of half time, but the ball nestled in the back row of the stand rather than the net.
Nordsjælland started the second half with a boom, almost taking the lead just nine seconds after the whistle. Mikkelsen sprinted from the kick off towards the FCK goal, picked up a pass inside the penalty area and shot low. The impact would have been felt throughout the stadium had Mikkelsen’s finish reflected his determination, but the ball bobbled wide of Wiland’s left-hand post for a goal kick.
Brazilian bullet header
It was Solbakken’s side that looked the most threatening in the second half however, as they responded to the early FCN attack with real persistence. Fifteen minutes of pressure offered little for the away side, but on 64 minutes the Lions took the lead out of nowhere. Pospech picked up a ball on the right and swung in a cross to Claudemir on the edge of the box. In an instant, the Brazilian sent a bullet of a header into the corner of the Nordsjælland goal, Jesper Hansen completely beaten. The speed of the goal shocked even the Copenhagen fans behind the net, and only Claudemir’s wild celebrations could confirm the ball had actually gone in.
Nordsjælland refused to let the goal defeat them however, and began to force their way back into the game. Captain Andreas Bjelland’s shot was destined for goal, but Grønkjær got his tangled legs in the way to block. Solbakken then made a double substitution, withdrawing Bolaños and Zohore for Kvist and Martin Bergvold in an attempt to stop up the midfield.
The tactic worked, as FCN saw their chances limited to a few wayward efforts of no real threat to Wiland’s goal. Indeed, it was Copenhagen who should have wrapped the game up on 83 minutes when, after a series of “olés” from the crowd, Pospech found himself free on the right of the FCN box. The Czech usually gets one chance a game from this position: this time, he dragged his shot wide.
Mistake secures all three points
Four minutes later and, with Nordsjælland looking to equalise, a slip from Jores Okore let Grønkjær in on goal. The winger – rather than go alone – passed square to the waiting N’Doye who finished off possibly the easiest of his 18-goal season tally. At 3-1 there was no coming back for the home side, who remain precariously close to a relegation position in the Superliga. Copenhagen, meanwhile, are now just one win away from securing the domestic title.
Three points on Thursday away at Lyngby would see the Lions crowned champions for the third season in succession, should OB fail to pick up maximum points against FC Midtjylland on Monday evening.
FC NORDSJÆLLAND: 1 FC COPENHAGEN: 3
FC Nordsjælland: Hansen, Okore, Oviedo, Bjelland (C), Kildentoft, Laudrup, Nielsen, Christensen, Mikkelsen, Adu, Gytkjær.
FC Copenhagen: Wiland, Wendt, Hooiveld, Antonsson, Wendt, Claudemir, Kristensen, Bolaños, Grønkjær (C), N'Doye, Zohore.
Goals: Mikkelsen, FC Nordsjæland (19’), N’Doye (29’), Claudemir (64’), N’Doye (87’).
Referee: Peter Rasmussen.
