Christian Noboa scores the only goal of the game on penalty

Photo: Sportsagency.dk

Head coach Ståle Solbakken had the freedom of a fully fit squad ahead of his side’s final away game of the UEFA Champions League group stage. Only one change was made to the starting line up: Jesper Grønkjær replacing Cesar Santin up front for the clash against Rubin Kazan in Russia.
by Joe Short
The players entered the Tsentralnyi Stadion under -2ºc, which proved to be an influence on the game itself. It was FCK who started the brightest, Oscar Wendt slicing wide before Christian Bolaños side-footed over on 13 minutes.

Kazan began to work their way in to the match however, and created a variety of half chances. First Aleksandr Ryazantsev squeezed a shot wide from a tight angle after 25 minutes, while Sergei Kornilenko also missed the target shortly afterwards.

Zanka prevents certain goal
The cold conditions were beginning to show, as chances became few and far between. Passing on the frozen surface was not helped by poor pitch conditions, yet both teams played with attacking intent. Mathias Zanka pulled off a superb block to clear a Kazan chance in the 33rd minute.

There was a brief penalty scare when Claudemir ran in to Ryazantsev, colliding with the Kazan player who immediately hit the floor. The referee Martin Atkinson stopped play at once, and booked the Russian for simulation.

Handball gives Kazan the lead
A let off maybe, but two minutes into first half stoppage time Copenhagen’s luck ran out, as Atkinson spotted a Grønkjær handball in the box. Captain Christian Noboa took the spot kick, firing high into the roof of the net to give the home side the lead.

The Lions started the second half as well as the first, but no concrete opportunities arose. Zdenek Pospech worked his way into space three minutes after the restart, but his shot was well saved by Sergei Ryzhikov at the near post. Wendt also had an effort blocked, as FCK looked to grind down a resilient Kazan defensive line.

Crossbar denies N’Doye
On the hour mark Bolaños shot way over the crossbar when others were in space, while at the other end Dame N’Doye showed his defensive capabilities, heading clear successive crosses. More neat passing from Copenhagen ensued, but the away side simply could not penetrate their opponents.

They were so close to doing so with fifteen minutes remaining: substitute Kenneth Zohore laid off to N’Doye, who prodded a shot at goal. The ball floated above Ryzhikov in goal, and agonisingly bounced off the crossbar. Bolaños was there for the rebound, but the ball had already ballooned out of play before he could reach it.

Kazan switched to a 4-5-1 formation for the remaining ten minutes, and created a half chance seconds after, but Petr Bysrov’s effort was a real daisy cutter which dribbed harmlessly into Johan Wiland’s hands.

Zohore swings final effort goalwards…
The siege of the Kazan goal continued in the final stages of the game. N’Doye had a penalty appeal turned down, while a Wendt free kick failed to reach anyone in a white shirt. Wiland still had to be alert at the other end however, tipping a shot from Gökdeniz Karadeniz over the bar.

In the dying seconds of the game the Lions thought they had snatched a thoroughly deserved point. Zohore controlled Wiland’s long ball and turned beautifully. His lashed left footed shot hit Ryzhikov in the chest – the only place to deny a goal – and bounced clear of danger. FCK had no time to mount another attack before Atkinson brought the game to a close.

The Copenhagen team immediately went over to their travelling support of hardcore FCK fans, to thank them for travelling so far to support the side.

A 1-0 defeat in freezing Russia is not the worst result by any means. Copenhagen are still a point above Kazan in Group D, and a win against Panathinaikos in PARKEN on 7th December would be enough to see the Danish champions through to the knockout stages for the first time in the club’s history.



RUBIN KAZAN: 1 F.C. COPENHAGEN: 0
FC Copenhagen: Wiland, Pospech, Zanka, Antonsson, Wendt, Bolaños, Claudemir, Kvist (C), Vingaard, Grønkjær, N'Doye.

FC Nordsjælland: Ryzhikov (GK), Ansaldi, Navas, Ryazantsev, Kasaev, Noboa (C), Kaleshin, Bocchetti, Karadeniz, Natcho, Kornilenko.

Referee: Martin Atkinson (Eng)

Goals: Noboa (45’+2)