The week began with the news that FC Old Boys – FCK’s veteran side – had won the DM Final at the weekend against SønderjyskE. The match – played at Haderslev Athletics Stadium – was dominated by the Lions, who came out 4-2 on top to secure the championship.
by Joe Short
An own goal and a strike from Jan Chico Olsen put the Old Boys 2-0 up after just seven minutes, a lead which was halved in the 20th minute by SønderjyskE’s Thomas Dabelsteen. Copenhagen were forced to resist heavy Jutland pressure following the goal, and did well to keep their opponents at bay, before hitting on the counter attack.
Chico Olsen bagged his second from a scrambled free kick to give FCK some breathing space, and just before half time Lennart Lynge Larsen made it 4-1 at the back post. SønderjyskE pulled a goal back in the second half, but it was to be FC Old Boys’ day, as the side won the championship for the third successive time.
DBU awards
Back in Copenhagen, the annual Danish Football Association Awards took place at the Cirkusbygningen, where numerous FCK stars were up for accolades. Martin Vingaard won second best goal of last season, for his strike against AGF at PARKEN in the spring, while head coach Ståle Solbakken was pipped to the post of Coach of the Year by Randers FC’s Ove Christensen, who bravely pulled his side out of a tough relegation battle last term.
Three Lions players – two current and one former – were up for the Superliga Player of the Year award. Dame N’Doye and William Kvist were both in contention, but the award went to former FCK star Atiba Hutchinson, who flew in from the Netherlands especially for the ceremony.
In the Swedish Football Association’s awards ceremony, FCK goalkeeper Johan Wiland was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while former Lion Brede Hangeland was given the Norwegian Player of the Year accolade for performances both with his country and Fulham FC.
Greek game a sell out
On Wednesday the club was proud to announce that F.C. Copenhagen’s final match of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League against Panathinaikos has been sold out. The game, to be held at PARKEN on Tuesday 7th December at 20:45, could be the most significant in the clubs history, as FCK vie to progress to the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition.
36,800 tickets have been sold for the match, and while Panathinaikos have been allocated their usual 5% share for away supporters, should the Greek side fail to sell all their allocation, the club will try to change security arrangements to put the remaining tickets on general sale in a neutral zone.
Watch the Lions for 20 Kroner
The club released a very special offer on Thursday, as a thank you for the fans’ amazing support over such a successful period for the club. In the spring the club won the Superliga for the eighth time, a feat that has propelled us through to a successful Champions League campaign.
Attendance figures are growing too, and so in return for such support, the club has announced an invitation for the Lions’ final clash of the season before the winter break against Esbjerg FB, where one can watch for just 20 DKK per person. The match kicks off at 15:00 on the 4th December at PARKEN, with gates opening an hour before kick off. All are welcome, and the club looks forward to seeing you all inside a packed stadium.
New turf and Zanka’s predictions
As for the PARKEN pitch itself, the new turf has been laid following the Sensation dance event last weekend, where 30,000 spectators filled PARKEN. Groundsman Chris Hague began at the start of the week to remove the old lawn after the event, and was ready with the new turf by Thursday afternoon. The grass was fully ready for FCK’s Superliga showdown with FC Nordsjælland on Sunday.
In anticipation of the match, FCK’s Thursday edition of Lion Hour held an interview with Mathias Zanka on his predictions for the game:
- We know that it will be a close battle on Sunday; and as against all other opponents in the league, we are favorites in PARKEN; but if we hit our level, we are a better team than Nordsjælland, and I think we will grab a 3 -0-victory.
And Zanka was proven to be correct as far as a tight performance was concerned, although his 3-0 to the Lions prediction was somewhat off the mark. Nevertheless, Copenhagen ran out 2-1 winners on Sunday in front of just over 15,000 fans at PARKEN.
Penalties a-plenty for Santin
The game began slowly for FCK, as Nordsjælland controlled the ball in the middle of the park. Claudemir his the crossbar while Christian Bolaños had a header tipped over, before a moment a freak confusion in the Jutland club’s penalty area gave Copenhagen a chance of the lead. In a melee of players in the box, Nordsjælland captain Andreas Bjelland bent over and picked the ball up, for no apparent reason. Maybe he thought the referee had blown his whistle, but whatever the reason Peter Rasmussen had no choice but to award a penalty.
Cesar Santin’s spot kick was saved well by Jesper Hansen, but Claudemir was there to prod in the rebound and give FCK a half-hour lead. Two minutes later and their tally was doubled, this time assuredly from the spot. Bolaños chipped over to Zdenek Pospech during a counter attack, and the Czech was pulled down by Enoch Adu before he could get a shot away. The referee gave an immediate penalty and a yellow card for Adu. Santin made sure his shot found the net this time round.
At 2-0 the Danish champions cruised comfortably through half time and deep into the second half, until a Christian Gytkjær flicked header on 75 minutes halved the deficit. A nervous final quarter of an hour ensued for FCK, who missed numerous chances to wrap the game up. Zanka was forced into two terrific challenges to keep the away side at bay, and his determination proved fruitful as the Lions claimed all three points at the full time whistle.
Ståle: - Bolaños was our best player
After the match, Solbakken appeared pensive about the manner of his side’s victory, more releaved that no new injury worries occurred in the wake of FCK’s visit to Rubin Kazan next Wednesday:
- Apart from the result, there's not much we can get out of today’s match, except that we got through it without risking too much, and so we have all hands ready for Wednesday's match in Russia.
Solbakken also reserved special praise for Bolaños, who showed flair and determination through the Nordsjælland match:
- I think every man put in a good effort today, but there is one player who must have special praise, which is Christian Bolaños. He was incredibly good both with and without the ball, and was our best player in today's match.
Santin: - I did not hear any whistle
Following the double penalty drama in the first half, FCK.dk caught up with Santin to ask him what happened in all the confusion:
- The first penalty was not a good shot, but otherwise I was OK. Although I had missed the first kick, I knew I had to take the second attempt, and am also ready to take it the next time we get a penalty. The first penalty was a bit strange to see him (Bjelland) pick up the ball, but a penalty has to be given, and I did not hear any whistle.
UEFA glory on the horizon
The win keeps F.C. Copenhagen in a commanding lead at the top of the Superliga, as their gap between second placed FC Midtjylland stretched to 19 points. However, the Jutland club has one game in hand over Copenhagen, who must now turn their attention away from domestic action and towards Europe.
Rubin Kazan await the Lions on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League, with Solbakken and his squad aware that three points would secure safe passage to the knockout stages of the competition.
If you thought it was cold inside PARKEN on Sunday, weather forecasters are predicting a chilly -7ºc to greet the teams when they walk out at the Tsentralnyi Stadion at 18:30 on Wednesday.
