Honours even in Esbjerg
Jakob Ankersen’s late wonder strike earned Esbjerg a 2-2 draw and sent FC Copenhagen back to the capital with one Superliga point after a rollercoaster game in Jutland.
by Joe Short
FC Copenhagen’s trip to Esbjerg saw a few changes to the XI that narrowly lost to Steaua Bucharest on Thursday, with Christian Bolaños recovering from injury starting on the right wing. Nicolai Jørgensen dropped to left wing to make room for César Santin up front, while Thomas Delaney covered for Pierre Bengtsson at left-back.
Copenhagen set the early pace yet struggled to hold the ball up field in the opening 10 minutes. Lars Jacobsen saw a speculative drive arrow far wide of Lukas Hradecky’s right post while Johan Wiland got a scare when Martin Braithwaite placed a decent shot just wide on 12 minutes.
On the quarter-hour mark Jesper Lange couldn’t hit the target with a glancing header for Esbjerg, and moments later the home side should have taken the lead when Jakob Ankersen shot from close range under heavy pressure only to see his effort saved by a sprawling Wiland. In a quick counter attack at the other end Thomas Kristensen tried his luck but dragged a long-range effort well wide of goal.
Ankersen fires EfB in front
Copenhagen’s first major chance of the game fell to Santin midway though the first half. The Brazilian chested down a bouncing cross before digging the ball out from under his feet to shoot directly at Hradecky from eight yards out. The goalkeeper did well to parry the save and Andreas Cornelius could react quick enough for the rebound.
After a period of tepid play where neither side created anything going forward, Esbjerg took the lead on 35 minutes when striker Ankersen timed his run to perfection to meet a decent throughball and slot his effort under Wiland to make it 1-0. Three minutes later and only a decent Kristensen block prevented Lange’s shot from doubling Esbjerg’s lead.
Just 25 seconds into the second half the home crowd were almost on their feet when Braithwaite struck a thunderous effort onto the stump of the post from distance. The early threat woke FCK up somewhat and on 50 minutes Claudemir hit the byline but his cross-goal ball failed to find a man.
Floodgates open
Six minutes of Copenhagen pressure and a number of half chances went by before FCK rocketed back into the game. First, Santin neatly volleyed Jørgensen’s cross from the left into the top corner of Hradecky’s net to bring to scores level on 55 minutes.
As the FCK fans were still celebrating Santin’s strike Jørgensen made it 2-1 to the away side: breaking free from Esbjerg’s midfield before planting a wonderful curling shot into the bottom left corner of the net.
Copenhagen continued to dictate play and while Esbjerg offered the occasional break they struggled to materialise any real goalscoring opportunities. Santin, who had worked tirelessly all game, came off for Martin Vingaard on 67 minutes as Jacobs solidified FCK’s midfield although Esbjerg did offer up a few speculative chances to keep Wiland occupied.
FCK take point back to capital
A mazy Jørgensen dribble across from the right side of the penalty area almost resulted in a third goal but Hradecky did well to get down to the resulting shot, while Grindheim soon replaced the winger as the final 10 minutes ticked down. The match seemed to be trawling to a comfortable win but just three minutes before time Ankersen curled in a delightful first-time finish from the edge of the FCK area to thunder Esbjerg level.
The drama didn’t stop there as Wiland parried an inswinging corner off the line at the near post just before the fourth official signalled three minutes of stoppage time and it was all Esbjerg at the end with Martin Bergvold blazing high over the crossbar from 16 yards out. The 2-2 draw means FCK keep their place at the top of the Superliga heading into the international break.
ESBJERG FB: 2 FC COPENHAGEN: 2
Esbjerg fB: Hradecky, Ankersen, Hansen, Høgh, Knudsen, Andersen, Ernemann, Lekven, Ankersen, Braithwaite, Lange.
FC Copenhagen: Wiland, Jacobsen (C), Stadsgaard, Sigurdsson, Bengtsson, Gislason, Claudemir, Kristensen, Delaney, Jørgensen, Cornelius.
Goals: Ankersen, Esbjerg fB (35’ & 87’), Santin (55’), Jørgensen (58’).
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen.
