It was windy, it rained and the pitch was slightly muddy but it was a good day for a game. Stabæk finished 2nd in Norway last season and proved a worthy opponent although clearly not in the shape Copenhagen is in. For most of the game the lower 3rd of the Danish league would have had no business in it. Our defense was quite solid, the offense snappy and everyone hard working. An encouraging experience.
Most of the sun rays of the day are in this picture.
1st half
(Line-ups are approximate as some substitutions were made outside the half time break.)
Ailton - Allbäck
Grønkjær - Kvist - Hutchinson - Silberbauer
Jensen - Zanka - Laursen - Pospěch
Christiansen
Allbäck had scored for 1-0 by the time I arrived which was only a little late. In short we had the ball while Stabæk managed a couple of counters that Jesper Christiansen saved. Ailton Almeida made it 2-0 by hammering a loose ball in the net just before the half-time whistle.
2nd half
Junior - Nordstrand
Grønkjær - Nørregaard – Würtz - Sionko
Wendt - Zanka - Laursen - Pospěch
Christiansen
A more aggressive offense rattled the struggling Norwegians further backwards. Sionko had to leave the game to have his eyebrow stitched back together but for the playing time he got he was on fire. 3-0 by our new striker, José Junior, who played the beginning of 2nd half in an all-Brazilian attack. With 10 minutes to go Zanka made it 4-0 on a corner kick follow up header that made us forget Hangeland.
Man of the match: Mathias 'Zanka' Jørgensen [Wikipedia] - for someone turning 18 in two months this was an outstanding performance. Topped with a goal.
Most reassuring: Ulrik Laursen. Given the captaincy in Michaels Gravgaard's absence and living up to the trust by playing with the confidence and authority of a star player of years of team experience.
Most exciting: The offense in general. Four equally competent yet different strikers, very prolific wingers and Atiba Hutchinson getting back into shape.
Morten Nordstrand battling Christian Keller for the ball.
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