FC Copenhagen secured their fifth consecutive Superliga victory with a narrow 1-0 away win over Brondby on Sunday. Striker Andreas Cornelius came off the FC Copenhagen bench to head in the decisive goal in the 79th minute.
With this derby win, the home side boosted their top position in the Danish Superliga and now enjoy a five-point lead over FC Midtjylland, who drew 1-1 with OB on Saturday.
The visitors had the upper hand from the start but failed to make any real impact. After a nervous start, Brondby gradually found their feet in the match, which featured numerous duels and physical challenges.
Midway through the half, FC Copenhagen midfielder Mads Emil Madsen had a golden opportunity but headed the ball over the bar. Teammate Viktor Dadason fared even worse; left completely unmarked in front of goal, the striker headed wide of the target.
Brondby managed a couple of weak long-range efforts at the other end, but it was hard to see who could break the deadlock. Somewhat unusually, the home team did not field a natural centre-forward.
FC Copenhagen had the best chance of the first half when the in-form winger Robert Silva headed the ball against the post. William Clem managed to unleash a powerful shot before the break, but Brondby goalkeeper Patrick Pentz parried the ball out for a corner.
The visitors created the best chances in the second half but often lacked sharpness and clinical finishing.
Mohamed Elyounousi played the ball across to two teammates. Dadason attempted a backheel finish, but the ball rolled wide of the post, drawing a complaint from his teammate Robert.
Coach Bo Svensson responded to the lack of goals by bringing on Cornelius in place of Dadason in the 72nd minute. This proved to be a good move.
In the 79th minute, he was in the right spot to head the ball into the net, sparking wild celebrations among the travelling fans, who responded by throwing flares onto the pitch.