Historic 5-1 victory in the UEFA Women's Champions League: "A fantastic performance from the players"

HB Køge Women made club history at Køge Idrætspark on Thursday evening with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Servette FCCF in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. The result secured the Swans' first-ever points in the competition – and they did it in style.

Following last week's narrow 1-0 away defeat to Arsenal FC, HB Køge Women returned to Europe's biggest stage on Thursday. This time, the Swans were back in front of their home supporters at Køge Idrætspark, where they delivered a historic night.

When the final whistle blew, the scoreboard read 5-1, and head coach Kristian Mørch admitted that the margin of victory had exceeded his expectations.

"No, of course I didn't expect that. It's beyond all expectations. I felt there was an opportunity for us to win the game and also to put our own stamp on it," said Kristian Mørch.

Servette showed quality in their build-up play in particular, forcing HB Køge Women to make adjustments as the game progressed. The Swans found the solutions, and afterwards, the head coach was full of praise for his players.

"Servette were better on the ball in their build-up than we had hoped, but we found solutions to that during the game. A fantastic performance from the players."

Clinical from set pieces

One of the major differences between the two sides was HB Køge Women's efficiency from set pieces.

The Swans were rewarded for the attention to detail and the work they had put in ahead of the game.

"It's about putting the players in situations where they can use their strengths. With set pieces, it's about sticking to our agreements, paying attention to the details and having quality in both the delivery and the runs into the box."

"We have players who are very good in the air, but we also have players who sacrifice themselves for others and make things difficult for the opposition," Mørch explained.

HB Køge Women had also identified certain areas around the Servette goal that they wanted to target.

"Nadia's goal comes in an area close to goal where she is really strong. We had identified that their goalkeeper didn't command that area as much. The same applies to the own goal, where we felt we could put the ball into that area because she rarely came out to claim those deliveries. And we also had a bit of luck with that one."

Historic points on the biggest stage

The victory was not only HB Køge Women's first of this season's league phase. The three points were also the club's first-ever points in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

For Mørch, the historic milestone was first and foremost the result of a huge collective effort.

"It feels like being part of a massive team effort. I also think this team and everything around it has been built to be able to perform on this stage."

According to the head coach, Thursday's performance was about more than simply trying to hold out and grind out a result.

"It's not just about trying to scrape something out of the game or being incredibly compact. We also want to contribute to creating a football match, and I think we did that."

Mørch also gave credit to Servette for their approach to the game and their contribution to an entertaining European night at Køge Idrætspark.

"Servette also deserve a lot of credit for the way they approached the game and for not simply trying to defend their way to a result. They came out and tried to play with us, which helped make it a great football match."

The victory is there to be enjoyed, but the next challenge is just around the corner

After a historic Champions League night, there is of course time to enjoy the victory. However, the schedule does not give the Swans much time to celebrate the three points before the next challenge arrives.

For the head coach, Friday will be about switching off and recharging.

"I think I'll go for a sauna and an ice bath tomorrow to reset my head a little. Then I'll spend some time with my family, and we'll make some homemade pizzas in the evening."

After that, attention will quickly turn towards the next match.

"On Saturday, we'll train very, very, very lightly. The downside of this is that three days after a European game, you simply can't be fully recovered. But we'll do everything we can."

HB Køge Women are already back in action on Sunday, when they travel to Farum for a top-of-the-table clash in the A-Liga against FC Nordsjælland. Kick-off is at 14:00.