Lions downed on PARKEN return

FC Copenhagen's return to PARKEN for the spring half of the season ended in defeat as the Lions lost 5-1 to league leaders FC Midtjylland.

Olof Mellberg cancelled out Erik Sviatchenko's early opener for FCM but Copenhagen were unable to settle at 1-1 before Pione Sisto drilled the away side in front with a neat finish past Jakob Busk.

A Mellberg mistake inside the FCK box handed Midtjylland a third goal five minutes before the break but the game changed in the second half when Andres Cornelius was shown a straight red card.

The striker, who scored for FCK on his competitive return last weekend at AGF, was dismissed by referee Kenn Hansen for an off-the-ball incident.

With 10 men on the field and only one substitute remaining, Ståle Solbakken fielded Thomas Kristensen for Thomas Delaney in effort to shore up midfield, although FCM's Sisto and Jakob Poulsen had already added to the away side's rout before Kristensen's arrival.

The defeat leaves Copenhagen eight points off the league leaders in third place, with 13 matches still to play in this latter half of the season.

Next up for the Lions is a trip to OB on 9 March.

FC COPENHAGEN: 1 FC MIDTJYLLAND: 5

FC Copenhagen: Busk, Remmer, Stadsgaard, Mellberg, Bengtsson, Gislason, Toutouh, Delaney, Jørgensen, Vetokele, Cornelius.

FC Midtjylland: Lössl, Bak, Banggaard, Sviatchenko, Julesgård, Hassan, Poulsen, Uzochukwu, Rømer, Sisto, Rasmussen.

Goals: Sviatchenko, FCM (15'), Mellberg (23' & o.g. 40'), Sisto, FCM (24' & 80'), Poulsen, FCM (82').

Referee: Kenn Hansen.

Attendance: 20,764.