Impressive 3–0 Victory Over Vendsyssel FF

AB faced the other team promoted from the 2nd Division last season, Vendsyssel FF, today, August 16, 2026.

AB won 3–0 in front of 1,124 spectators at Nord Energi Arena in Hjørring. All three of AB’s goals came in the first half, with Milan Silva Rasmussen, Noah Engell and Casper Grening getting on the scoresheet. Compared to the previous match against Hobro IK, which ended in a narrow 1–0 defeat, the coaching staff made a few changes.

AB had to field an entirely new center-back pairing, as team leader Marc Dal Hende stayed in Zealand with a minor injury. Søren Ilsøe therefore took over the captain’s armband.

With Adrien Koudelka still undergoing rehabilitation, Aidan Liu partnered Gabriel Noga in central defense. Both performed very well, despite having only recently joined the club and therefore having had limited time playing together. Midway through the second half, Gabriel Noga was replaced by Mikkel Brund, who settled into the center of defense and maintained a high level.

There were also changes further forward, with Jonathan Mathys starting on the bench and Casper Grening taking over on the left wing. Tobias Damtoft started at right back, with Frederik Lindgaard on the bench.

AB’s starting lineup was therefore: Adam Benediktsson in goal; Tobias Damtoft at right back, Travian Sousa at left back, Aidan Liu and Gabriel Noga at center back; Søren Ilsøe and Marco Vesterholm in midfield; Casper Grening on the left wing, O’Vonte Mullings on the right, and Noah Engell alongside Milan Silva Rasmussen up front.

How the game unfolded

The match started evenly, with both teams looking to establish control. The strong crosswind took some getting used to, and much of the play took place in midfield. Vendsyssel applied pressure and had their biggest chance when Adam Ingi Benediktsson failed to control the ball, allowing it to fall to an advancing VFF player. He got a shot away, but fortunately Adam Ingi Benediktsson recovered brilliantly to make the save.

AB grew into the game, and after 16 minutes Noah Engell received the ball and drove forward. He played it to O’Vonte Mullings, who delivered a perfect pass to Milan Silva Rasmussen. Milan rounded a couple of defenders and fired the ball into the net to give AB a 1–0 lead after 17 minutes.

Less than 10 minutes later, Noah Engell was involved again after having an outstanding game. He was fouled just outside the box and took the resulting free kick himself, sending the ball into the top corner to make it 2–0.

Vendsyssel created a few counterattacking opportunities, but Adam Ingi Benediktsson dealt with their efforts. After 25 minutes, Vendsyssel won a free kick directly in front of goal that could have created a dangerous opportunity, but AB’s wall was well positioned and blocked the shot. After 30 minutes, Noah Engell was involved once again, finding O’Vonte Mullings, who laid the ball off to Casper Grening. Casper struck a great shot into the net to make it 3–0.

Overall, the combination play between the players was excellent, with great intensity and a high tempo. AB looked well organized throughout the first half, and that continued after the break. Søren Ilsøe and Marco Vesterholm worked tirelessly in midfield throughout the match, making it difficult for Vendsyssel to build their attacks.

Vendsyssel naturally had to chase goals, and with the wind at their backs, you might have expected them to push hard. They created a few chances, but failed to convert them. AB stuck to their game plan, playing quickly and applying controlled pressure. Vendsyssel pushed forward late in the game, but never created any major chances. Frustration began to show, resulting in a few physical exchanges between the teams, but there were no further goals.

Substitutions

70th min.: Casper Grening replaced by Jonathan Mathys

70th min.: Gabriel Noga replaced by Mikkel Brund

77th min.: Milan Silva Rasmussen replaced by Saliou Diop

88th min.: Noah Engell replaced by Tobias Hageltorn

88th min.: Søren Ilsøe replaced by Alfred Horup

Compared to the match against Hobro, AB not only created chances today, but also converted them into three excellent team goals. It was a fantastic performance from AB, who could make the long journey home with all three points in the bag.

Captain Søren Ilsøe said it was a complete performance: “It was a solid performance from start to finish. We knew what they wanted to do and what they are good at. We didn’t allow them to create many big chances today, and I also felt that we had more energy than them. We came with what we wanted to bring, and when we do that, we win football matches. The difference today compared to the Hobro match was that today we finished the chances we created.

We played with a new center-back pairing, and they haven’t played much together. I don’t think you could tell, and it went really well. When you consider what Marc normally brings to the games, they did a really good job.

When you make some changes, we obviously all have to communicate a little more, and I think we handled that from the first whistle. It was a 100% deserved victory. Of course, they had a few half-chances, but overall we dominated the game both with and without the ball. So it was three well-deserved points for AB.

Our style of play is to be intense for all 90 minutes, so our game plan doesn’t change just because we take the lead. We don’t want to sit back. We want to push forward and score more goals — we just didn’t manage to do that in the second half.

We knew that if they were going to do something, it would be in the first 10 minutes after halftime, because they had probably received a bit of a talking-to at halftime. They tried to beat us physically, but I don’t think they managed to do that. That was the difference — we came out well this time and were good for 90 minutes. When we do that, there aren’t many games we don’t win.”

Head coach Fannar Berg Gunnólfsson was pleased with the performance: “It’s very difficult to come here to Vendsyssel and play. They are a very physical team. Against that background, I thought the referee did a good job today and made decisions fairly for both sides.

We had to be on our toes, and we were. We took the lead and were 3–0 up at halftime. In the second half, we had to control the game more and avoid getting into situations that could make things difficult for us. We managed to do that. I’m obviously very happy with how we played in the first half, and I’m very satisfied with how we controlled the second half without dropping the tempo. So it was a really good victory.”

Next up: AB return home on Saturday, August 22 at 6:30 PM, when Hvidovre IF visit Gladsaxe Stadion.