AB Gladsaxe played their 10th game of the season today. VSK Aarhus hosted the match on a very wet artificial turf, but this didn’t seem to cause any problems for AB’s technical play. AB showed quality and great maturity, taking the victory 3-1. This was achieved through a strong team performance and goals by Marco Ramkilde to 1-0 (20′), an own goal to 2-0 (37′), and Tobias Damtoft to 3-0 (79′). VSK Aarhus reduced the score to 1-3 (87′) in the dying minutes of the match.

AB’s starting lineup
For the third game in a row, the coaching team had opted to re-start the same 11 players. The starting lineup was therefore: Adam Ingi Benediktsson in goal, Frederik Lindgaard on the right side of defense, Adrian Koudelka and Noah Ibsen in central defense, and Tobias Damtoft on the left side of defense. In the central midfield were Marco Vesterholm and Søren Ilsøe (captain), O’Vonte Mullings on the right wing, and Jonathan Mathys on the left wing. Up front were Noah Engell and Marco Ramkilde.

Match Report

AB got off to a really good start and put a lot of energy into the game. The game was set up in VSK Aarhus’s half, and AB quickly gained control of the game, which flowed well with quick combinations. AB put heavy pressure on VSK Aarhus, and the ball was played well around the pitch. AB had most of the possession, and VSK Aarhus were rare visitors in AB’s half. VSK Aarhus occasionally played their way out of AB’s high press really well, but AB’s defense took care of the opportunities that arose as a result.

In the first twenty minutes, AB had several chances. Marco Vesterholm received a cross in the box and got a shot off, but the ball was blocked. Likewise, O’Vonte Mullings received a really good pass after a switch across the field, but his shot was also blocked. He made amends for that when he drove the ball forward on the pitch shortly after. He was tackled, but the ball went further forward on the pitch, where Marco Ramkilde got hold of it and dribbled towards goal, scoring confidently to 1-0 after 19 minutes of play.

AB continued to have the upper hand, and Noah Engell got a shot off after a great run forward on the pitch, but VSK Aarhus failed to avert his shot, which instead became an own goal after 37 minutes of play, bringing the score to 2-0 at halftime.

2nd half

Marcus Immersen came onto the pitch from the start of the second half, taking over Marco Ramkilde’s place. VSK Aarhus came onto the pitch with renewed energy and got a share of the game. AB continued their solid play and the good vibes from the 1st half and played very controlled. O’Vonte Mullings dribbled quickly forward on the pitch and unfortunately slipped and slid into a VSK Aarhus player. The referee pulled out the yellow card, and as O’Vonte Mullings had a yellow card from the 1st half, the referee pulled out the red card after 65 minutes of play.

AB naturally had to change their formation and style of play with only 10 players on the pitch. Jonathan Mathys left the pitch and Marc Dal Hende came on and was placed in a 5-man defense. Alfred Horup came into midfield and Noah Engell left the pitch. After 75 minutes, Ægir Jarl Jónasson came onto the pitch in place of Marco Vesterholm. After just two minutes, he passed to Tobias Damtoft on the wing, who probably intended to cross to Marcus Immersen in the box. However, the ball was blocked by the defense and went over the goalkeeper and into the net for a 3-0 lead.

VSK Aarhus played their way to a couple of chances, and after 86 minutes VSK Aarhus’s Bastian Andersen was completely free in front of goal and he could reduce the score to 1-3. Jeppe Gertsen came onto the pitch and replaced Noah Ibsen in defense. VSK Aarhus had a couple more attempts, but Adam Ingi Benediktsson was ready in goal and AB fought the victory home. It was a solid effort and a really good game.

Captain Søren Ilsøe is very satisfied with the result: “When we look at the result, it was a convincing victory. It was almost like two matches in one – a first half and a second half. In the first half, VSK Aarhus was very passive and gave us a lot of time on the ball. Then they changed their game in the second half and came back much better with new energy. We were prepared for them to come out strong in the first 10 minutes of each half, as most teams do.
We got an early red card, which changed the match, as we usually dominate more than we did in the second half. It’s also because we changed our formation and altered our game plan, becoming a bit more defensive in our play with a 5-back line. So it’s clear that they got more possession, and if we give them time, they’ll certainly pass the ball around a few times.”
We’re well-positioned in our formations and we’re working incredibly hard, constantly communicating with each other. That’s how we manage to score the 3rd goal, which wins us the match. It’s a bit unfortunate that they get their goal, as it’s from a half-chance, but well struck. I actually think that’s the only real opportunity they had – the one where they score. I believe we kept them from creating any big chances. It’s not always easy to play against a newly promoted team, but we come away with a victory. We shouldn’t be upset with ourselves just because we only play 45 really good minutes. Sometimes you end up playing a bit more primitively and we get a red card – but we win the match and that’s the most important thing,” concludes Søren Ilsøe.

Head coach Joey Gudjonsson again gave great credit to the players: Now we have three wins in a row. We have worked really hard the last three weeks. We want to train as we should play. We have a really good team and we cooperate well. Our pressure today was absolutely incredible. We eliminated their chances when we were still 11 players on the pitch. We dominated them, and they are certainly not a bad team. They are well organized, they could play directly and they have physically strong players up front.

They gave us a tough game in the 2nd half when we lost O’Vonte. It wasn’t the best for us, and he was just unlucky both times, where he slips and gets a player tackled.

But great credit to the players – we needed energy when we were only 10 players on the pitch. We didn’t want to just lean back and hope we could drive the victory home. So we fought for the 3rd goal, and we got it. It killed the game. Basically, I’m a little disappointed with the goal they got – but you can’t get everything you want. It was very positive, the way the players showed character and fought – and also nice that Marco Ramkilde scored again.

We said it before the game that we came here to take the 3 points – and we took them!”, concluded Joey Gudjonsson.

The next match will be played on Friday, October 10 at 7:00 PM against Skive IK at Gladsaxe Stadium.