Two Nadim goals secured three points in Hjørring

Saturday afternoon saw A-Liga action at Nord Energi Arena in Hjørring, as HB Køge Women travelled north to face Fortuna Hjørring. Meetings between the two sides always promise a good battle and closely contested matches, and Saturday’s encounter was no exception.

The match started evenly, with neither side really managing to take control in the opening stages. After just over a quarter of an hour, however, the first goal arrived – and it went the Swans’ way.

Rikke Marie Madsen broke down the right and delivered a low cross into the box. Sarah Thygesen made the run into the area, but a Fortuna player got to the ball first without managing to clear it properly. That gave Kyra Carusa the opportunity to shoot, but a fine save from the Fortuna goalkeeper kept the ball in play. Kyra was first to the rebound near the byline and cut the ball back to Nadia Nadim, who fired high into the net to make it 1-0.

However, it took Fortuna just six minutes to find the equaliser. A corner was not properly cleared by the Swans, and the ball fell to Janelle Cordia, who fired home from just behind the penalty spot to make it 1-1.

There was little to separate the two sides for the remainder of the first half, and they went into the break level at 1-1.

HB Køge Women came out strongest at the start of the second half. The Swans enjoyed more of the possession and had the upper hand – and they soon made it count.

After 62 minutes, Sarah Thygesen picked up the ball following a misplaced pass. Sarah looked to take on her direct opponent while another Fortuna player applied pressure from behind. She still managed to work the ball through to Nadia Nadim, who struck a low, powerful effort into the bottom-left corner to give HB Køge Women a 2-1 lead.

Fortuna pushed for an equaliser towards the end of the match and came close when an effort struck the crossbar. However, the home side could not find a way through, and HB Køge Women were able to take all three points back to Køge.

The victory keeps HB Køge Women top of the A-Liga with 18 points after seven rounds.

The Swans are back in action on Saturday, September 19 at 1:00 PM, when FC Midtjylland visit Køge Idrætspark. Tickets for the match are available at hbkogew.eventii.dk.

Watch the match highlights here

Fortuna Hjørring 1-2 HB Køge Women
0-1 Nadia Nadim (12’)
1-1 Janelle Cordia (22’)
1-2 Nadia Nadim (62’)

HB Køge Women starting XI
1. Alberte Vingum
3. Macy Schultz
4. Yukina Sakabe
7. Kyra Carusa
9. Nadia Nadim
12. Sarah Thygesen
17. Rikke Marie Madsen
23. Mille Gejl
28. Simone Boye
32. Emma Flick
33. Jereko

HB Køge Women substitutions
Catherine Paulson for Rikke Marie Madsen (56’)
Emelía Òskarsdóttir for Sarah Thygesen (76’)
Laura Hermann for Kyra Carusa (76’)
Augusta Callesen for Nadia Nadim (90’)

Fortuna Hjørring 1-2 HB Køge Women
A-Liga, Round 7
Saturday, September 12, 1:00 PM
Nord Energi Arena