Santin scuppers Brøndby in late-goal thriller

24/09 2011 17:48

Head coach Roland Nilsson made just one change from his FC Copenhagen side that beat AaB 2-0 last weekend. Morten Nordstrand was handed a starting place ahead of César Santin up front, as FCK headed to the Brøndby Stadium for the first New Firm clash of the season.

by Joe Short

Copenhagen, undefeated in the Superliga going into the game, started the stronger and on four minutes almost opened the scoring when Christian Bolaños chested to Dame N’Doye, but his shot was blocked. Moments later Christian Grindheim played a forward ball that eventually found Nordstrand in space. The striker took his time but side-footed too close to goalkeeper Michael Tørnes’s left leg.

The tempo remained high as N’Doye sent a volley wide at the back post from a Pierre Bengtsson cross, and the Senegalese saw another effort stopped by Tørnes after a neat one-two with Nordstrand gave N’Doye time to shoot from the edge of the box.

Copenhagen’s pressure couldn’t last however, and Brøndby fought their way back into the game. Johan Wiland was called up to pluck a Mikkel Thygesen strike out of its goal-bound path on 21 minutes, and could do nothing but watch as Dennis Rommedahl beat the offside trap soon after and fired narrowly wide of the top corner.

Mistake gives BIF lead

Bolaños then tried his range with the left foot after the half hour, but his curling shot could only find the roof of the net. At the other end, Wiland pulled off a magnificent save to deny a Thygesen free kick, before Sölvi Ottesen threw his body in the way of a scrambled Brent McGrath stab.

Even though the two defensive men had kept the scores level with guts and determination, their lack of communication led to Brøndby taking the lead from the resulting corner. The ball high in the air, Wiland jumped to claim just as Ottesen went to head away the danger. The pair collided, resulting in the ball being spilled out to Thygesen, who smashed home through a crowd of players.

The half time whistle came shortly after, but the break did not hamper BIF’s new breath of life. Three minutes into the second half, Mathias Gehrt headed off the crossbar at the far post, Wiland beaten. Eight minutes later and only incredible Swedish determination prevented the score becoming 2-0. Wiland saved a close-range header: the ball flying up and bouncing off the crossbar to Gehrt. The striker, in front of goal, was closed down by Wiland; who threw a stray arm at the ball and managed to force away the threat.

Late surge sparks victory

Wiland’s heroics would prove to be a pivot in the run of the game, as Copenhagen lifted their play. Indeed, it took just three minutes from the scare for N’Doye to equalise in emphatic style. The striker received a forward ball from midfield, turned and rode Clarence Goodson’s challenge, before shooting low across Tørnes and into the bottom corner.

At 1-1, Nilsson immediately brought on Thomas Kristensen for Thomas Delaney, and soon after Santin replaced Nordstrand. With this new lease of life, FCK pushed their opponents back, deep into the BIF half. A long ball did find Rommedahl however, who laid off to Martin Bernburg, but the shot blazed over Wiland’s crossbar.

The Lions had a golden opportunity to score on 82 minutes, when N’Doye popped up unmarked to meet a Bolaños cross, but his header flew wide. However, persevierance under pressure is what this Copenhagen side has come to be famed for. In the final minute of normal time, N’Doye cut in from the left wing, hit the byline and drilled a low ball across goal where Santin was lurking. The Brazilian needed no second chance to convert into an empty net and hand the Danish champions a famous victory over their rivals.

In scoring, Santin has not only increased Copenhagen's lead on the following Superliga pack to 12 points, but maintained an eight-match domestic winning streak. His strike was incidentally the 100th goal the Lions have scored against Brøndby.

BRØNDBY IF: 1 FC COPENHAGEN: 2

Brøndby IF: Tørnes, Randrup, Goodson, Stenderup, Frederiksen, Rommedahl, Nilsson, Thygesen, Krohn-Delhi, Bernburg, McGrath.

FC Copenhagen: Wiland(C), Jacobsen, Ottesen, Sigurdsson, Bengtsson, Claudemir, Grindheim, Bolaños, Delaney, Nordstrand, N’Doye.

Goals: Thygesen, Brøndby IF (37’), N’Doye (59’), Santin (90’).

Referee: Henning Jensen.