Lions held on Superliga opener

FC Copenhagen battled out a goalless draw in their first Superliga clash of the season, away at Silkeborg.

by Joe Short

The Lions saw opportunities from Rurik Gislason and Steve de Ridder go astray, while Andreas Cornelius missed the target from a late free header.

For Silkeborg, Jeppe Illum fired wide from a one-on-one and the home side had a goal ruled out for a foul on FCK keeper Stephen Andersen, before Mathias Zanka stopped a sure goal with a last-ditch tackle on Bjarni Vidarsson.

Zanka himself then had a golden opportunity to steal all three points at the death but his header from a corner sailed over the crossbar. 

Manager Ståle Solbakken handed competitive debuts to six players, including goalkeeper Andersen and right-back Tom Høgli, while centre-half Per Nilsson picked up the captain’s armband.

Daniel Amartey got a run out in central midfield behind striker Steve de Ridder, while new signing Bashkim Kadrii was an early sub for the injured Gislason.

Watch highlights of the match here on FCKTV

After the match, De Ridder spoke to FCKTV and praised the positivity in the camp despite the draw.

- I think we created a lot of chances but we weren’t sharp enough in front of goal. We created a lot of chances but didn’t finish them. That’s something we need to work on but we have all week to do that.

- We can't talk ourselves down. We just need to perform better from now on, link up better and find each other better, on the pitch and off the pitch get to know each other better. We can only move forward from now on.

Watch Steve de Ridder's entire interview with FCKTV here

SILKEBORG 0 FC COPENHAGEN 0

Silkeborg: Jensen, Gammelby, Flinta, Mikkelsen, Hansen, Vidarsson, Scheel, Ritter, Agger, Andersen, Illum.

FC Copenhagen: Andersen, Høgli, Nilsson (C), Zanka, Bengtsson, Gislason, Amartey, Claudemir, Jørgensen, Cornelius, de Ridder.

Referee: Lars Christoffersen.