Thorup: A fine start in Portugal

F.C. Copenhagen head coach Jess Thorup says the performance, not the result, was what he takes away from the 2-1 win over Halmstads in mid-season training on Sunday.

Goals from Mamoudou Karamoko and Pep Biel earned the Lions victory in their winter training camp in Portugal.

And Thorup was pleased with how his FCK side performed.

"As expected, we met a good Halmstads team, where it was difficult to find the spaces between their compact chains," says the boss.

"I think we tried, and it went well in some periods and less well in others.

"We won the match and we delivered with some good chances, but we would have liked to have created more seeing as we had the ball so much and were in firm control.

"But the final quality and the final finish were missing in the crucial situations, so there is a little more to work on yet."

Thorup fielded a relatively narrow squad on Sunday but there was reason behind that decision.

"All those who were not present today were out on the training ground this morning for a round of full training," adds the boss.

"We want everyone to be as close as possible to the top level when it gets serious in two weeks time, and for some it was better not to play a match today, but do full training instead."

Thorup was also able to give an update on how three of FCK's new signings – goalscorer Karamoko, Akinkunmi Amoo and Paul Mukairu – have settled in with the squad.

"Karamoko scored a goal today and this is always important for a striker. He is an agile player who looked good in the air and got to flick some balls on, he is good at showing himself," says Thorup.

"Mukairu showed good pace both in the offensive and in the defensive organisation, and he gave some momentum to the team.

"Amoo played the last half hour. It will definitely be exciting to follow him and see if he can turn his efforts into the output we need."

The goal that decided the match fell just after build-up in which Amoo was involved, shortly after he and Hákon Arnar Haraldsson came onto the field.

"There are some players whom it is good to have coming off the bench when the match opens up a bit," says Thorup.

"It was a good move where Amoo dribbled into space and played through Hákon, who was actually trying to play Pep through before a handball in the box led to Pep scoring the penalty.

"We've got some other types of players in, and we've also seen Hákon come in and be good at finding these spaces, which often come at the end of games.

"All in all, a great training match against a well-organised opponent, who made it difficult for us, and we also needed that at this point."

FCK's next training game is against FC Zenit on Thursday at 4pm.