Hvidovre IF remain unbeaten after completing a comeback victory at home against FC Fredericia, handing Fredericia their first defeat of the season.
FC Fredericia, coached by Michael Hansen, started the game off brightly. They deployed a 1-4-2-3-1 formation and applied pressure frequently when defending. Hvidovre started off with a different shape and game model.
HIF played a 1-5-4-1 to start the game. They did not press often in the first half. Their-full backs did not attack often, so this truly was a back 5 and when in possession, looked to play long vertical or diagonal passes to release pressure. They lacked quality on the ball and failed to build successful attacks in the first 60 minutes or so.
FCF opened the scoring in the 24th minute from Lauritz Dauerhoj. This was from a 2nd ball after a corner kick was cleared, and the left-back was able to strike it on the full volley in the back of the net.
In the 2nd half Hvidovre committed more bodies forward when launching attacks. This paid off and the host found a equalizer goal in the 53rd minute through a great strike from Donovan Bagou. This striker worked hard in his entire shift. Bagou received the ball around the edge of the area, took a touch and finished nicely from outside the box. I will highlight him below in a video including other on the ball moments that stood out. 64th minute, HIF made a double substitution bringing on striker, Emmanel Aby and centre-back Nicolaj Jungvig. This was a pivotal moment because HIF coaching staff decided to change the formation to a 1-4-4-2 and press higher up the pitch. The formation change resulted in better chance creation and more duels won in dangerous areas of the pitch.
Late on in the 87th minute, Hvidovre completed the comeback win and dispatched a rebound from a saved penalty scored by Oliver Kjaergaard. The handball that won the penalty call was fortunate, but it was the result of consistent pressure in Fredericia’s own box. When you have several runners in the opponents box and are creating many chances, good things happen. HIF’s goalkeeper, Filip Dukic, played well and showed fast reaction saves and good handling not spilling rebounds. FCF did not have the quality from starters or bench players in 2nd half to break down HIF.
Standout players
Filip Dukic – (Hvidorve IF, GK, 27 yrs)
Dukic has returned to HIF for the 3rd time in his career. This seems to be the environment and level he belongs to. Dukic made good reaction saves and has solid distribution abilities. He is in the prime years of his career and I anticipate there is not much more upward trajectory.
Donovan Bagou – (Hvidovre IF, ST, 22 yrs)
Donovan Bagou scored a well taken goal to equalize. The goal showed composure and technical skill in a tough moment to execute at this level. Bagou showed strong hold up play in moments HIF played the ball long to advance play quickly. The player has the potential to reach a higher level, although the team’s current game model may influence how effectively he can develop and maximize his potential.
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