AB Beats Vendsyssel FF 3–0

AB claimed a hugely important victory at Gladsaxe Stadium on Friday evening, beating Vendsyssel FF 3–0. Following last week's defeat to FC Fredericia, it was important for AB to get back on track in their efforts to secure a place in the Top 6.

A crowd of 771 was in attendance, and the victory meant AB could take all three points into the international break.

AB made an excellent start, opening with their familiar pressing game and making life extremely difficult for Vendsyssel. The hosts created several chances, two of which were converted by Saliou Diop. He made it 1–0 after 12 minutes and doubled the lead in the 20th minute. The score remained 2–0 at half-time.

Shortly before the final whistle, Marco Ramkilde put the result beyond doubt with a goal to make it 3–0. It was great to see Marco Ramkilde back among the goals after struggling with injuries for an extended period.

It was a game of two very different halves. AB were largely in control throughout the first half. After the break, however, Vendsyssel came into the game much more and, for periods, put AB under considerable pressure. They also created a few chances that could easily have resulted in goals.

AB fought brilliantly throughout the match and deserve great credit for their performance. Gabriel Noga moved up from central defense to the defensive midfield position, replacing the suspended Søren Ilsøe. Noga handled the role perfectly, putting in a tireless and disciplined performance throughout the game.

Changes to the Starting Line-up

The coaching staff made several changes compared with last week's match against FC Fredericia. As mentioned, Gabriel Noga moved from central defence into defensive midfield. Adrian Koudelka took his place in central defense, while Tobias Damtoft started at right-back.

AB's Starting Line-up

Adam Benediktsson started in goal, with Tobias Damtoft at right-back and Marius Stenner at left-back. Adrian Koudelka partnered Aidan Liu in central defense. Gabriel Noga and captain Marco Vesterholm started in central midfield. Milan Silva Rasmussen played on the left wing, O'Vonte Mullings on the right, while Noah Engell partnered Saliou Diop up front.

How the Match Unfolded

As mentioned, this was a hugely important match against Vendsyssel FF, and AB showed plenty of energy and focus from the opening whistle. Just 23 seconds into the game, Saliou Diop found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

AB were flying and pinned Vendsyssel deep in their own half, moving the ball around their opponents with short, accurate passes. Milan Silva Rasmussen and Noah Engell were particularly impressive during this spell, producing some almost spectacular combinations.

The pressure paid off when Marco Vesterholm picked out Saliou Diop with an excellent pass, and the forward made it 1–0 after 12 minutes.

Vendsyssel were not without their threats, and shortly after the opening goal, Marius Stenner had to make a tackle to put the ball out for a corner. A long pass into the box had given a Vendsyssel player far too much space.

Twenty minutes into the match, Saliou Diop appeared to feel hard done by after believing he should have been awarded a free-kick, but instead received a warning from the referee. Diop let his feet do the talking, though. He intercepted a pass in Vendsyssel's half, found himself through on goal, rounded the goalkeeper and scored to make it 2–0.

A few minutes later, Vendsyssel had another opportunity, but Adam Benediktsson dealt with the attempt.

Marius Stenner then tried his luck with a powerful long-range effort from the right, but his shot went a couple of metres wide. Vendsyssel had several more opportunities, but their finishing was not up to scratch on the day.

Second Half

AB lost some of their momentum after the break and began to rely on long balls forward rather than moving the ball around and building their attacks. In the 62nd minute, Noah Engell received a pass in the middle of the pitch and drove towards goal, but his shot went narrowly wide.

After 68 minutes, AB made three substitutions. Casper Grening came on for Noah Engell on the left wing, while Mikkel Clement replaced Marco Vesterholm in midfield, with Adrian Koudelka taking over the captain's armband. Alfred Horup also came on at right-back, replacing Tobias Damtoft. Milan Silva Rasmussen then moved into a central attacking position.

Alfred Horup had only been on the pitch for a few touches before finding Saliou Diop in the box, but the opportunity went begging.

After 76 minutes, Marco Ramkilde came on for Milan Silva Rasmussen.

Vendsyssel then had a huge chance when former AB player Steven Simpson found himself completely unmarked in the middle of the box, but he sent his shot over the crossbar.

After 87 minutes, Jermain Fernandes replaced O'Vonte Mullings on the right wing.

As the clock ticked past 90 minutes, Marco Ramkilde rounded off the evening with an excellent goal to make it 3–0.

Captain Marco Vesterholm: “We were clinical with our chances today. We knew it was going to be a physical game. We embraced that side of it and won the duels we needed to win.

We showed plenty of quality in their half. So it wasn't just a battle of physicality. The second half became a bit scrappier, they changed their formation and we didn't quite manage to press as high up the pitch. We therefore had to fight our way through the rest of the game. We've generally been good at continuing to attack, but we ended up sitting a little too deep.

We knew they would come out all guns blazing in the second half. They had already made substitutions in the first half, so we knew their coach had probably had a few words with them at half-time. That made the first 10–15 minutes of the second half incredibly important. We couldn't afford to concede a goal. Perhaps that also made our approach a little too defensive.

But it worked out, and it was great to see Ramkilde get a goal to put the game to bed. He really deserved that,” Marco Vesterholm concluded.

Head Coach Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson: “Vendsyssel are a physically strong team. Their striker, Lasse Steffensen, is a dangerous player, so we had to be on our toes when dealing with him. I'm really proud of my team. We disrupted their game in the first half, and it seemed as though they panicked a little and made some changes. The pitch was also heavy and difficult to play on today.

In the second half, we made a few mistakes and gave them opportunities to launch counter-attacks. Overall, though, I never felt that we were in any real danger. It was also really good to finish the game with a third goal.

We defended very well, even though we allowed them to get into shooting positions in the second half. We gave the ball away too quickly and made a few poor decisions, but overall, our defensive performance was perfect.

Our captain, Søren Ilsøe, was suspended today, and he's a very important player for us. But we knew Noga could play in midfield and that he would deliver what we needed. I thought it was a comfortable win, and I'm so proud of my team today,” Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson concluded.

AB's next match will be played on Saturday, 21 November 2026, at 15:00, when they travel to face Esbjerg fB at Blue Water Arena.