FC Copenhagen Stuns Brøndby, Dashing Rivals’ Danish Title Dreams

On Sunday afternoon, FC Copenhagen dealt a severe blow to Brøndby’s hopes of clinching the Danish title, as the visitors triumphed 3-0 in the much-anticipated “New Firm” derby, leaving the home side humiliated.

This victory marked FC Copenhagen’s third consecutive win in the Superliga championship playoffs and was undoubtedly their most dominant performance of the season.

German goalkeeper Diant Ramaj was back in action for FC Copenhagen, making his first derby appearance since being handed a three-game suspension for head-butting Brøndby’s Thomas Mikkelsen three weeks ago.

Despite the immense pressure surrounding him, Ramaj proved pivotal before half-time, showcasing his skills early on. Within the first minute, he pulled off a crucial save when Mathias Kvistgaarden found himself clear on goal after Brøndby lost possession in midfield.

Initially, the visitors seemed slightly rattled, committing several errors, but FC Copenhagen gradually settled and began to apply pressure, although they struggled to penetrate Brøndby’s tightly-knit defence.

At the half-hour mark, Kvistgaarden was presented with another opportunity to score, but Ramaj was again on hand to deny him after a superb through-ball from Benjamin Tahirovic aimed at the Celtic-target forward.

Just before the half-time break, FC Copenhagen unexpectedly took the lead. A seemingly innocuous cross from Giorgi Gocholeishvili was flicked on by Thomas Delaney, allowing the in-form Jordan Larsson to find the net from close range, marking his fourth goal in four matches.

The home side entered the second half with renewed vigour, quickly creating two solid chances, but once more, Ramaj was equal to the challenge.

With neither set of fans in attendance, the atmosphere failed to capture the intensity usually associated with a derby between two of Denmark’s top teams.

The Brøndby crowd was silenced again in the 63rd minute when Victor Froholdt scored, striking the ball into the roof of the net to extend the lead to 2-0.

With just over a quarter of an hour remaining, Brøndby’s defence faltered yet again, allowing Brazilian Gabriel Pereira to find space at the back post to score and make it 3-0.