AB Advance to the Fourth Round of the Danish Cup!

AB faced Sønderjyske Fodbold on Wednesday evening in the third round of the Betano Pokalen. On paper, it was a meeting between a Superliga side and a team from the 1st Division. Over the course of the match, that difference was anything but obvious.

A total of 931 spectators made their way to Gladsaxe Stadion, and those supporting AB had plenty to celebrate, while the Sønderjyske supporters had to make the long journey home, almost all the way to the border, after a cup exit that perhaps came sooner than they had expected.

AB won the match 3-1, with goals from Casper Grening to make it 1-1, Jermain Fernandes for 2-1, and Saliou Diop for 3-1.

The AB coaching staff chose to rotate the squad, giving some players a well-earned rest while giving others who have not seen as much playing time an opportunity to play.

AB’s Lineup

AB’s newest signing, Marius Stenner, made his debut at lightning speed, starting at left back. Jermain Fernandes, who made his debut against Hillerød Fodbold on Saturday and played the final 10 minutes, started on the left wing. Adrien Koudelka made his first start following his lengthy injury layoff.

AB’s starting lineup featured Marcus Bobjerg in goal, Alfred Horup at right back and Marius Stenner at left back. Adrien Koudelka partnered Gabriel Noga in central defense, while Søren Ilsøe (captain) and Mikkel Clement played in midfield. Jermain Fernandes started on the left wing, Casper Grening on the right, with Milan Silva Rasmussen and Tobias Hageltorn up front.

First Half

AB once again started the match with a high and intense press. After just two minutes, Søren Ilsøe played the ball to Milan Silva Rasmussen, who found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

AB controlled much of the play, while Sønderjyske looked for opportunities on the counter and created dangerous attacks down the wings, with plenty of crosses into the box.

AB created numerous chances through shots from outside the box and efforts that Sønderjyske goalkeeper Nicolai Flø either saved or watched go wide. Søren Ilsøe and Mikkel Clement did a good job spreading the ball around in attack and disrupting Sønderjyske’s buildup through the midfield.

Gabriel Noga had several good efforts, while Tobias Hageltorn also managed to get a couple of shots away. Milan Silva Rasmussen found Casper Grening, who continued the move to Alfred Horup. Horup shook off his opponent with a turn around him, but his effort was kept out by Nicolai Flø.

Jermain Fernandes then unleashed a great shot, forcing Nicolai Flø to make a full-stretch save and tip the ball around the post for a corner. The corner eventually fell to a Sønderjyske player, who accelerated forward, but Marius Stenner caught up with him and made a crucial tackle close to AB’s goal, sending the ball out for another corner.

Marcus Bobjerg guarded AB’s goal and proved decisive with several fantastic interventions. Shortly before half-time, the ball fell fortuitously to a Sønderjyske player who found himself completely free in front of goal. Marcus Bobjerg bravely threw himself into the challenge and managed to clear the danger.

Second Half

At the start of the second half, Aidan Liu came on for Adrien Koudelka in central defense. Saliou Diop replaced Milan Silva Rasmussen up front.

AB made a strong start to the second half and created several opportunities in one attack before the ball was eventually sent wide, with AB missing the chance to get on the scoresheet.

Instead, it was Sønderjyske who opened the scoring. Matthew Hoppe fought his way to the ball on the left before cutting inside. After carrying the ball across the middle and dribbling past two or three AB players, he fired into the net to give Sønderjyske a 1-0 lead.

That lead lasted just three minutes. Casper Grening picked up the ball on the left, dribbled inside and, with a perfectly placed finish, sent the ball into the far corner after 61 minutes to make it 1-1. After 69 minutes, Tobias Damtoft replaced Casper Grening. Damtoft moved to left back, while Marius Stenner was pushed further forward onto the left wing. After 73 minutes, Sønderjyske created a counter-attacking opportunity and appeared to have a chance to shoot, but the play was stopped for offside.

Following an AB corner, Aidan Liu attempted an acrobatic overhead kick with his back to goal, but the effort sailed well over.

Mikkel Brund came on after 74 minutes to replace Marius Stenner, who had enjoyed a fantastic debut. After just a few days of training, Stenner stepped straight into the team and delivered a very strong and solid performance. He was deservedly voted Player of the Match by the spectators at Gladsaxe Stadion.

Sønderjyske continued to apply pressure and created a counter-attack in which Mikkel Brund had to track Ismail Seydi, who narrowly missed a huge opportunity by sending his effort just wide of the post.

After 81 minutes, Mohamed Cherif tested Marcus Bobjerg with a good shot, but Bobjerg once again proved to be a reliable last line of defense. Just one minute later, he produced another huge save.

Then Jermain Fernandes took matters into his own hands. After receiving a perfectly weighted pass from Mikkel Brund, Fernandes dribbled past a couple of defenders, used a shot fake to create space and fired the ball into the top corner to give AB a 2-1 lead in the 86th minute.

Villum Gyrup replaced a hard-working Alfred Horup. With just two minutes of normal time remaining, Marcus Bobjerg was once again forced into action, getting down to save a very good shot. Then, in stoppage time, Saliou Diop received a pass from Tobias Damtoft between two defenders and fired into the net to make it 3-1, which proved to be the final score.

Captain Søren Ilsøe was pleased with the performance and what it means going forward: “It went just as we had hoped. The whole team simply played good football today. Sønderjyske had their moments as well, but I think that over 90 minutes, we were the better team. The 3-1 scoreline is a pretty good reflection of how the game played out. We played quickly, played through their press and got through the lines, and I just think we were more switched on than they were. So it was fully deserved that we won. We have a very defined style of play, so it’s relatively easy for new players to come into the team, which is really positive. A lot of players had a really good game, and we had three different goalscorers. Nobody dropped off. We had a really good goalkeeper, so it started from the back, and everyone played well all the way up the pitch. When the team plays well, we all look good and we gain more confidence. It looked good today, and we’ll take that with us into the next games. We played with intensity and played faster than Sønderjyske, and we made them run a lot. They had some good chances during the game, but so did we, and I think we were better on the ball. We haven’t scored that much lately, so it was good to get three goals today.”

Assistant coach Benjamin Chor praised the huge effort from the squad: “We’ve missed winning. That’s what we always go for. We want to win everything we can get our hands on. It was great to get that feeling back again – especially on the back of the performance we put in today. We feel like we have a luxury problem when it comes to making changes to the team. The guys showed that today – both those who started and those who came on. It was a huge effort.I really think we looked like a team today. Individually, I think we stepped up in some of the areas we’ve been talking about, and we showed some of the things we’ve been missing in the details over the past few weeks.

We made some good saves today, just as we also put goals in the back of the net. We managed to swing the game in our favor. We’ve also needed a bit of luck to go our way and to feel that winning feeling again and get back on track. We have absolutely not been satisfied with the results, and even though we always feel that we deserve more, the results don’t lie. Today was fully deserved. Even if we had needed extra time, I feel we would have gone all the way.”

AB have now advanced to the fourth round of the Betano Pokalen. The draw for the fourth round will take place on Thursday, September 17, 2026, determining which teams will face each other for a place in the next round.

AB’s next Betinia Liga match will be played on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 14:00, when Esbjerg fB visit Gladsaxe Stadion.