AB Beat Kolding IF to Make It Four Wins in a Row

In front of 818 spectators at Gladsaxe Stadium, AB secured a 1–0 victory on Saturday afternoon to make it four consecutive wins. It was a match played in difficult conditions. Strong winds blowing lengthwise across the pitch and pouring rain made the surface soft and extremely difficult for both teams to play on. The game was also evenly balanced for much of the afternoon. That changed in the 83rd minute, when O’Vonte Mullings cut across the pitch and dribbled past three Kolding players just outside the penalty area before laying the ball off to Noah Engell, who fired it into the far corner, leaving Kolding goalkeeper Adam Danko with no chance.

AB’s Starting Lineup

The coaching staff selected exactly the same starting lineup as in the previous two matches.

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

How the Match Unfolded

The difficult weather made it hard for both teams to find their rhythm throughout the match. As the game progressed, the pitch also became uneven and heavy. For long periods, the match developed into a physical battle, with the ball difficult to control.

The biggest chance of the opening 20 minutes fell to Kolding IF. A cross-field pass found a Kolding player completely unmarked on the right. He delivered a good cross into the penalty area, but the two Kolding players who had pushed forward were unable to reach the ball.

A few minutes later, Kolding IF launched a counterattack and moved quickly up the pitch. AB’s defence managed to dispossess the attacker, and the ball fell just outside the penalty area. The resulting shot sailed over the crossbar.

After 26 minutes, Casper Grening had to leave the pitch, with Noah Engell coming on to start on the left wing. Milan Silva Rasmussen was soon moved to the left wing, while Noah Engell moved into a central position. AB created several shooting opportunities, with Saliou Diop, Aidan Liu and Gabriel Noga all trying their luck, but none of their efforts was accurate enough to beat Adam Danko in goal.

Early in the second half, Kolding created a major chance when a cross from the right found a Kolding player arriving unmarked at speed in the penalty area. He headed the ball towards goal, but Adam Benediktsson threw himself down to make an excellent save.

AB then had two big chances of their own. One was blocked by the defence, while the other ended in the goalkeeper’s arms.

Following a corner, Marco Vesterholm had a good opportunity with a shot, but it went over the crossbar.

With 20 minutes of normal time remaining, Jermain Fernandes came on to play on the left wing, replacing Milan Silva Rasmussen. At the same time, Adrien Koudelka came off, with Tobias Damtoft taking over at right-back.

In the 83rd minute, AB finally broke the deadlock thanks to an excellent piece of individual play from O’Vonte Mullings. He cut across the pitch and dribbled past several defenders before setting up Noah Engell, who hammered the ball into the net. A fantastic goal from the two AB players!

In the dying minutes, Tobias Hageltorn came on for O’Vonte Mullings on the right wing. AB battled their way through the remainder of the match to secure the win.

It was never going to be a classic football match, but it delivered three fantastic points.

Captain Søren Ilsøe said the players had a good handle on Kolding:

“We had really good intensity today and believed we could win. I think that, regardless of whether things were going their way or ours, we always had the feeling that we could score. We created a lot of good chances, but we were just missing that final touch.

The pitch was difficult, the surface was soft, and Kolding were a strong opponent. Despite that, I think we managed to play the kind of football we want to play and put them under pressure in the final third. We had some good chances in the first half, and we were better positioned on the pitch in the second half.

We made a few small adjustments at half-time and managed to force Kolding into the situations we wanted them in. We won the ball and played forward. There was also real quality in the goal we scored, and then we saw the game out with experience, something we have done well in recent matches.

I felt we had them under control. They created a few half-chances, but I don't think they ever became truly dangerous,” Søren Ilsøe concluded.

Head coach Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson described the performance as fantastic:

It was a really difficult match. The weather was terrible, with strong winds blowing along the pitch, and the surface became very heavy. The players deserve enormous credit—they kept fighting and fighting. They misplaced a few simple passes, but we continued to do the right things defensively. In the end, we showed real quality and scored a very good goal. What a performance from my players!

Kolding faced the same conditions, and in the first half they had a few counterattacks where we gave the ball away far too easily. But they didn't seriously threaten us. In the second half, they did have a good header when we switched off for a moment.

I always felt we had the match in our hands, even though it was difficult for us to create clear-cut chances. I think we had more than 20 shots during the game, which I am very pleased with, even if we didn't manage to get more of them on target and into the net. A fantastic performance from all the players today,” Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson concluded.

Upcoming Matches

Betano Pokalen: AB face Brøndby IF on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, at 19:30 at Gladsaxe Stadium.

Betinia Liga: AB travel to face FC Fredericia on Saturday, 31 October 2026, at 13:00 at Monjasa Park.