FC Copenhagen Stuns Brøndby, Dashing Rivals’ Danish Title Dreams

On Sunday afternoon, FC Copenhagen decisively dashed Brondby’s hopes of clinching the Danish title, handing them a 3-0 defeat in the latest instalment of the “New Firm” derby held at Brondby’s home ground.

This victory marked FC Copenhagen’s third consecutive win in the Superliga championship playoffs, and it was their most commanding performance of the season so far.

The spotlight was on FC Copenhagen’s German goalkeeper, Diant Ramaj, who returned to derby action following a three-match suspension for an incident involving a headbutt on Brondby’s Thomas Mikkelsen three weeks ago.

Despite the intense scrutiny, Ramaj performed admirably, emerging as a key player in the first half.

Just one minute into the match, he was called into action, making a critical save as Mathias Kvistgaarden broke free after Jacob Neestrup’s side lost possession in midfield.

The visitors appeared somewhat rattled at the beginning, committing a number of errors. However, FC Copenhagen gradually regained their composure, though they struggled to create opportunities against Brondby’s well-structured defence.

A little over half an hour in, Kvistgaarden was given another opportunity to score when Benjamin Tahirovic delivered a fantastic through-ball, but once again Ramaj was there to deny him.

FC Copenhagen somewhat unexpectedly took the lead just before half-time. A seemingly innocuous cross from Giorgi Gocholeishvili was flicked on by Thomas Delaney, allowing the in-form Jordan Larsson to capitalise, slotting the ball home from close range for his fourth goal in as many games.

Brondby emerged from the break with renewed energy and quickly crafted two promising chances, but once again Ramaj was equal to the task.

With neither side boasting support from their fans, the intense atmosphere traditionally associated with a derby was noticeably absent.

The home supporters were muted once more when Victor Froholdt found the back of the net after 63 minutes, driving the ball into the top of the net to extend the lead to 2-0.

As the clock ticked down, Brondby’s defence faltered again, allowing Brazilian Gabriel Pereira to find space at the back post and make it 3-0.