AB Gladsaxe played the first home game of the 2023-2024 season today. Brabrand IF came by at Gladsaxe Stadium, and the stage was set for a match against a physically strong team. The match ends in a 1-1 draw, with AB’s lone goal being scored by Tim Freriks.
Before the match, former AB player Peter Løvenkrands was praised for a long and illustrious career, which led to a cup final and a bronze medal in 1999. He then continued his career at Rangers, Schalke 04 and Newcastle.
AB started in the same line-up as for the match against Nykøbing FC last week:
1. Indy Groothuizen
3. Erik Lindell
4. Adrien Koudelka
5. Rasmus Brodersen
6. Daniel A. Pedersen
8. Emil Wass
11. Killian van Mil
19. Christian Wagner
22. Tim Freriks
24. Marc Garly Pedersen
40. Harsh Askham
AB got off to a good start, and as expected, Brabrand was very much in their own half of the pitch for most of the 1st half. Sporadically, they came forward on the field, but AB quickly captured the ball. There was no shortage of chances. Killian van Mil, Emil Wass and Tim Freriks accounted for more. The combinations were fine, but it became too cumbersome and slow for AB to break down Brabrand’s chains. After 30 min. Brabrand tackles the ball and sends it behind AB’s defense. Indy Groothuizen misjudged the situation and got too far out of his goal. Brabrand’s Mikkel Frandsen was able to send a flat shot into the goal to lead 1-0. AB continues to both produce chances, but also to waste them. The half-time score was therefore 1-0 to Brabrand.
The 2nd half continues as the 1st half, and only after 65 minutes, the goal comes after 3 relatively big chances, where the shots either landed past or Brabrand’s goalkeeper took the shot. The equalizing goal came after 69 min. Marc Garly Pedersen breaks Brabrand’s play and plays on to Emil Wass, who with a perfectly timed pass finds Tim Freriks between Brabrand’s two central defenders. Tim takes the ball with him and scores ice-cold to equalize 1-1.
With 15 minutes left, the game was still open, and both teams went for the win. Brabrand makes a transition where AB’s defense cannot keep up. The ball lands in the goal, but luckily the referee sees that there is a hand on the ball. Brabrand gets more chances in this period, and it burned tremendously at times. 3 minutes into the referee’s overtime, AB’s defense is rounded, and a completely free Brabrand player could have decided the game, but shoots past. AB has a shot in the 94th minute but over the goal. In the 98th minute, there is again a Brabrand player who gets hold of the ball, but Hakim Sighaoui comes to and plays the ball away from him.
After the game, AB head coach David Roufpanah said: “It was a tough game, as we expected. It’s football and we had many good periods in the match, where we play good football. We have to be careful when we play against teams that play in a different way. We have to be prepared to play against that kind of football. It was unfortunate with the goal that put them ahead. I think we should play with more patience. But all in all, we play our way to enough chances to make the goals needed to get the win.”
Captain Daniel A. Pedersen said these words about the match: “I am very disappointed that we did not win. We give them an unnecessary goal in the first half. Then we also know that it will be difficult against Brabrand. They retreat deep on the field. It will be difficult to find any room to play in. If they couldn’t win the game, then they would at least be happy with a draw. We also have several chances to score. Nor am I satisfied that it will be so open in the end. It’s about finding the balance between chasing a lead goal and at the same time making sure you don’t get a goal against you. But in general, we have to make sure that it doesn’t get so exciting, by taking advantage of the chances we get at the start of the match. We dominate the game and should have won. I feel that we are on the right track. We just need the last thing to be really good. But I have a great belief that it will come. Fortunately, we have another game on Friday, so we have to go out and score some goals. It will be much more fun to get ahead. If we had been ahead in the game today, Brabrand would have had to open up. Then we would have had a little more room to play in.”
The next match will be played on Friday 18 August 2023 at 19:00 at Gladsaxe Stadion, where HIK will pass by. Buy tickets for the match right here.
See line-ups, substitutions, warnings, and times for goal scores.
