Football In Denmark

Nyhavn, Copenhagen

A few weeks ago I went on a city break to Copenhagen for the weekend. Being under eighteen (and travelling with my dad) meant that, sadly, I was unable to experience the Danish nightlife. So what did I do instead? I spent my Saturday evening at Parken, Denmark’s national stadium, watching FC København versus FC Nordsjælland.

Parken is home to FC København and the Danish National Team (also known as the Landsholdet). A week before my arrival on Danish soil, Denmark played one of their World Cup qualifiers at the stadium and, despite Denmark being dominant against the Czech Republic, the match ended in a 0 – 0 draw.

Parken, Denmark's national stadium

Thankfully, the next week’s Superligæn match provided much more excitement, although because this match featured last season’s winners (Nordsjælland) and the regular winners of the league (FCK), I expected it to be quite a close call. Despite sitting in the “neutral” section of the stadium, the atmosphere was still good although, admittedly, it was dominated by København fans. However, the best chants and cheers definitely came from ‘Sektion 12’, or the Lower B stand, which was clearly made up of the most passionate FCK fans.

København dominated in the 45 minutes, but the half remained goalless until a fantastic strike from Michael Parkhurst at the start of added time gave FCN the lead. Disappointing, as by now I’d decided to adopt FCK as a team that I’d support (or at least one I’d always have a soft spot for – I even bought a scarf from the club shop).

Despite this, all was not lost. Super-sub Igor Vetokele netted one for FCK from Kris Stadsgaard’s corner, and around 20 minutes later Andreas Cornelius, a 19 year old recently called up for the Danish National Team, made it 2 – 1 to the home team. Needless to say, at this point the atmosphere was absolutely fantastic.

The game really won me over to Danish football, as well as the holiday itself making me love Denmark. If, or hopefully when, I visit for a second time, watching FC København play again is a definite must.