Champs Close Season in Style

by Poul-Henrik Worm - May 24, 2008

 
▪ ASD Match Report: AaB Wins Crown

AALBORG, DENMARK - Having secured the championship last weekend, Aalborg BK finished the season in style with a 2-0 win over Odense BK in front of 12,620 spectators at Energi Nord Arena on Saturday afternoon, tying Brøndby IF's league record of 10 straight home wins.

▪ Califf Inks FC Midtjylland Pre-Deal
▪ Bradley Names Provisional 33
 

Danny Califf played his final game for Aalborg, wearing the captain's armband for the full 90 minutes in the central defense.

With league matters already settled for both teams, only honor was at stake, but it was enough to create a decently paced first half with the visitors putting the early pressure on the newly crowned champions.

Chances, however, were few and far between and it was 10 minutes before OB's Hans Henrik Andreasen put his head to a free kick from Chris Sørensen, but sent the attempt well over the crossbar.

Ten minutes later, Martin Pedersen fired off the first warning shot for the hosts with an attempt from outside the area, but sailed it over the bar again.

In the 26th minute, a poor pass from Califf was intercepted by Jonas Borring, who went up the middle and fired from the edge, but straight at Karim Zaza.

AaB came close in the very next minute when Thomas Enevoldsen raided up the right flank before sending Jeppe Curth through in the middle, but the top scorer's first touch was too long and Arek Onyszko picked it up easily.

Just after the half hour mark, Zaza was tested again when Peter Nymann fired off a good shot from outside the box, but the AaB keeper parried it out to the side.

The champions began to live up to their title, taking control of the game towards the end of the half and with five minutes left, a corner from Pedersen was cleared as far as Kasper Risgård who lobbed it back  into the area for Curth and Onyszko only just managed to get his hands to the header.

Two minutes later, however, Risgård lobbed another cleared corner back into the area, and this time, Steve Olfers showed up to tap it in for the opener.

OB tried to pull even just before the break, but Anders Møller Christensen's header from Sørensen's corner went over the bar.

The second half started as an even contest but againit was the visitors who would have the first chance four minutes in when a free kick from Christian Bolaños nearly beat Zaza, but the keeper deflected it out for a corner.

OB came close again in the 57th minute when Califf stuck his foot out to block a cross from Borring and nearly put it into his own net.

AaB would have their first chance of the half 16 minutes in, but Thomas Augustinussen's header from Pedersen's free kick went over the bar.

Four minutes later, Enevoldsen broke through the OB defense, but this time, a good save from Onyszko kept the visitors within one.

Enevoldsen tried again with 14 minutes left, but his header from Allan Olesen's cross went over the bar.

Two minutes later, a rebound from a Patrick Kristensen attempt finally found the head of Curth, who sent it past Onyszko to secure his position as the league top scorer.

With eight minutes left on the clock, a poor clearance from Michael Jakobsen fell to Bechara Oliveira, who nodded it on to Srdjan Radonjic, but his shot was straight at Zaza.

Three minutes later, it could have been three when Augustinussen was one-on-one with Onyszko after passes from Enevoldsen and Kristensen, but the Polish Keeper blocked the shot.

The scoreline held and for his last act as Aalborg BK captain, Califf could lift the Danish championship trophy.

"It was surreal last week, I think," said an ecstatic Califf after the game. "With still having work to do, it didn't really feel finished. Goodbyes feel a little bit awkward, but its a really good ending and I couldn't imagine leaving any other way."

"The game was back and forth. It wasn't the best game, but like we've done almost the entire spring, we did what we needed to to win and we bent but we didn't break."

ASD's Three Stars
#1 Steve Olfers
#2 Baye Djiby Fall
#3 Thomas Enevoldsen


Scoring
AAB - Steve Olfers 2 (Kasper Risgård) 43'
AAB - Jeppe Curth 17 79'

Line-ups
AAB - Karim Zaza; Michael Jakobsen, Martin Pedersen (Patrick Kristensen 63'), Danny Califf, Steve Olfers, Andreas Johansson (Benedict Vilakazi 86'), Thomas Augustinussen, Jeppe Curth (Simon Bræmer 81'), Allan Olesen, Kasper Risgård, Thomas Enevoldsen

OB - Arek Onyszko; Atle Roar Håland, Hans Henrik Andreasen (Bechara Oliveira 80'), Anders Møller Christensen, Thomas Helveg, Baye Djiby Fall, Chris Sørensen, Morten Bisgaard, Peter Nymann (Srdjan Radonjic 69'), Christian Bolaños, Jonas Borring

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