FCK won cup-tie after penalties

Wednesday night F.C. Copenhagen needed 120 minutes and penalty shoot-out to win the cup-tie in Thisted in Northern Jutland, where a record crowd of 5.815 spectators for weeks had been looking forward to the visit from the Danish champions.

Thisted are newcomers in the first division this season and had only won one of their first eight league-games, so Ståle Solbakken took the chance and gave some of the regular first team-players the chance to stay home in Copenhagen and rest. The starting eleven was:

Benny Gall - Lars Jacobsen, Brede Hangeland, Dan Thomassen, Oscar Wendt - Jeppe Brandrup, William Kvist, Hjalte Nørregaard, Martin Bergvold - Martin Bernburg, Michael Gravgaard

In spite of seven changes since the latest Superleague-game against FC Nordsjælland, Copenhagen dominated right from the start, and Hjalte Nørregaard hit the cross bar in the very first attack. In the 7th minute Gravgaard - normally playing as central defender - was brought down in the penalty area, but Lars Jacobsen missed the golden opportunity from the penalty spot, when Thisted-keeper Martin Jespersen saved his weak effort.

During the first half Copenhagen continued to dominate and create chances, while Thisted only threatened the Copenhagen defence after an occasional corner or freekick.

Keeper Jespersen made his only mistake in the game after half an hour, when he couldn't hold on to a shot from William Kvist, but the ball hit the post. In the 36th minute Copenhagen finally was rewarded, when Hjalte Nørregaard scored from the distance, and when the first half was over, it could have easily have been a four or five-goal-lead instead of one.

In the second half it was expected that Copenhagen would lock the game up with a couple of goals, but instead Thisted surprisingly came back and equalised with a brillant taken freekick from Daniel Kristensen after 60 minutes.

Copenhagen had brought on youngsters Jacob Neestrup and Nikolaj Hansen, and later striker Fredrik Berglund, and continued to create chances, while the heroic fighting Thisted-players - all part-time professionals - gradually became more and more tired. But it was just one of those days... the goal attempts simply weren't sharp enough, and if they were, Thisted-keeper Mortensen was even more sharp.

So it ended with a 1-1-draw, and in the extra time the picture was the same - lots of chances, but no goals to Copenhagen. Instead it had to be decided on penalties. The tired Thisted-players missed their 3 first attemps, while Copenhagen only missed one, and the penalties ended with a 3-0-victory for Copenhagen.

After all, the favourites won the expected victory, but it was not part of the plan, that it had to take 120 minutes, when there is a game again on Saturday against FC Midtjylland and a UEFA Champions League match at Celtic on Tuesday.

In the next round of the Cup, Copenhagen will meet Frem Copenhagen from Division 1 or Esbjerg on November 8th.