AB Back on Track with 3-0 Win Over Esbjerg fB

AB followed up their cup triumph on Wednesday in style with a fantastic 3-0 victory over Esbjerg fB in Saturday’s match at Gladsaxe Stadion.

The game ended 3-0, with Saliou Diop elegantly chipping the ball over Esbjerg goalkeeper William Lykke to give AB a 1-0 lead in the first half. In the second half, O’Vonte Mullings made it 2-0 after a brilliant cross-field pass from Casper Grening. As the stadium clock passed the 90-minute mark, Milan Silva Rasmussen took matters into his own hands and put the game beyond doubt with a 3-0 finish.

It was a close and evenly contested match in many ways, with plenty of play at both ends. However, the difference between the two teams was clear to see. AB’s attacking play resulted in big chances, while Esbjerg fB’s possession mostly led to promising situations or attacks that ultimately came to nothing.

Before kick-off, Søren Ilsøe was honored for making his 100th appearance for AB and received a commemorative 100-match shirt from Chairman of the Board Brian Grieco.

The match was watched by 1,067 spectators, with Saliou Diop named Player of the Match.

AB’s Lineup

The coaching staff made a few changes for the match against Esbjerg fB compared with the previous game against Hillerød Fodbold. Gabriel Noga was suspended and was replaced by Adrien Koudelka at center back. Tobias Hageltorn was replaced by Casper Grening on the left wing.

Adam Benediktsson started in goal, with Tobias Damtoft at right back and William Warrer at left back. Aidan Liu partnered Adrien Koudelka in central defence, while Søren Ilsøe (captain) and Marco Vesterholm played in midfield. Casper Grening started on the left wing, O’Vonte Mullings on the right, with Milan Silva Rasmussen and Saliou Diop up front.

First Half

Both teams pressed high from the start, with plenty of physical battles in midfield. AB spent the opening 15 minutes settling into the game, but kept Esbjerg from creating any clear-cut chances. Both sides looked to attack on the counter.

After 18 minutes, AB were rewarded for their efforts after winning the ball on the right. Milan Silva Rasmussen drove forward and carried the ball across midfield. Casper Grening made a run on the left, drawing the attention of the defence. Milan then played the ball to Saliou Diop on his right. Diop took a touch before elegantly chipping the ball over the goalkeeper to put AB 1-0 ahead.

Ten minutes later, Milan Silva Rasmussen was involved again, this time finding Casper Grening between two defenders, but Grening’s finish was not quite right.

Following the opening goal, AB saw more of the ball and finished off several attacks, although a second goal did not come.

The defence had plenty to deal with and was caught out a couple of times, with the back line not always completely in sync. However, this did not lead to any major chances for Esbjerg.

Second Half

Esbjerg came out of the break applying significant pressure in search of a quick equaliser, but they were unable to find one. AB’s defence and midfield stood strong, with tight marking making it difficult for Esbjerg to find openings.

Ten minutes into the half, Tobias Damtoft played a good ball to O’Vonte Mullings, who found Saliou Diop, but his effort went wide. Esbjerg also moved the ball forward quickly, but they were unable to make the most of the chances they created. After 60 minutes, Casper Grening sent a cross into the box, where O’Vonte Mullings was completely unmarked and calmly finished to make it 2-0.

The first substitutions followed, with Jermain Fernandes coming on for Casper Grening on the left wing. Tobias Hageltorn also entered the game, replacing Saliou Diop up front. Esbjerg fB naturally had to push forward in search of a goal to get back into the game. They struggled to create anything clear, and within two minutes AB had two big chances that could have put the game beyond doubt.

The first came when O’Vonte Mullings fired just wide. The second followed after Marco Vesterholm intercepted a pass in midfield and played in Jermain Fernandes, who also sent his shot wide.

With 20 minutes of normal time remaining, Adrien Koudelka was replaced by Mikkel Clement, who moved into midfield, while Søren Ilsøe dropped into central defence alongside Aidan Liu. Marius Stenner came on at left back, with William Warrer leaving the pitch.

Esbjerg increased the pressure in the closing stages in an attempt to find a goal that would bring some tension back into the game. AB defended superbly and resisted the pressure.

After 80 minutes, Alfred Horup came on and took over on the right wing, with O’Vonte Mullings making way. As the clock passed 90 minutes, Alfred Horup played the ball to Jermain Fernandes, who found Milan Silva Rasmussen. He raced towards the penalty area before curling the ball around the advancing Esbjerg goalkeeper and into the net to make it 3-0.

Esbjerg had one big chance in stoppage time, which James Ampofo probably should have converted, but the ball stayed out of the net.

AB captain Søren Ilsøe said patience was the key to the victory: “We stuck to our game plan, we were patient and mature in the way we pressed. I think Esbjerg tried to deal with us well, but we were more intense – I feel like we wanted it more.

Esbjerg played well during the first 20 minutes or so, when we struggled to get hold of the ball. After that, we grew into the game and created some big chances, which also means that it is fair that we win 3-0. It was an even game in terms of possession and play, but when you look at the chances, we had much more.

Esbjerg had some opportunities early on and a big chance at the end where they could have scored. We had several chances of high quality, so it is fair that we win.

Especially in the second half, they kept their play in front of us, and that is when we are really good at applying pressure. We took advantage of that, were patient, waited for the chances to come and played a lot on the counter. We scored, Esbjerg didn’t, and we were effective.

We come away from the game with a really good feeling, and that was something we had talked a lot about being important before the international break. So we left everything out on the pitch. It was the same way we beat Sønderjyske as we did today – patient and mature.”

Head coach Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson highlighted the team’s belief in their approach: “Today, we weren’t good in the first 15 minutes. We were a little on the back foot and weren’t proactive enough, as we need to be. We struggled a bit against them, they played through us and we made several defensive mistakes. But when we allowed them to have the ball, they couldn’t find any solutions. Looking at the game as a whole, we never lost our grip on it, even though our play wasn’t at its best.

We have been punished so many times so far when we have had periods where we haven’t played well. I want to give the boys a lot of credit because they played really well today.

The win today and the win on Wednesday are both very important, and it’s great to take those successes into the break. It’s a good feeling. We haven’t played badly this season, but in some games things haven’t gone our way. We have continued to believe that what we have been doing is the right thing. The breakthrough has come this week with these two fantastic wins. We haven’t panicked even though things haven’t worked out for us; we have continued doing what we do really well. Sometimes you feel that football is unfair, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Even when you play well and lose, it doesn’t feel fair.

I also want to say that having more than 1,000 spectators here today makes me really happy. The support our fans give the boys is absolutely fantastic, and it gives us so much energy to keep fighting on the pitch.”

Next Match

AB’s next match will be played on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 19:00 at Gladsaxe Stadion, when Aarhus Fremad come to visit.