Copenhagen Cruise Past Debrecen in Comfortable Conference League Win
FC Copenhagen have all but secured their spot in the Conference League play-off round after putting themselves in a commanding position with a 3-0 first-leg win away to Debreceni VSC.
It wasn't a vintage performance from the Danes, but efficiency was enough to see Bo Svensson's side leave Hungary on Thursday with a comfortable away victory. Brazilian pair Gabriel Pereira and Robert, along with veteran striker Andreas Cornelius, all found the net to give Copenhagen a strong grip on the tie ahead of next Wednesday's return leg at Parken Stadium.
Despite going unbeaten so far this season, Copenhagen have looked short of their best rhythm in both the Danish Superliga and on the European stage — and that struggle was evident early on, as Debrecen took the game to their visitors from the opening whistle. The Hungarian hosts created several early scares in the first fifteen minutes, testing goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski and forcing the away side onto the back foot.
Copenhagen struggled to work their way out of the pressure, but the tie shifted in their favor midway through the first half. In the 20th minute, Marcos Lopez whipped in a corner that Gabriel Pereira rose highest to head home, giving the visitors the lead against the run of play — and a much-needed lift in confidence.
The goal transformed Copenhagen's performance, and just under fifteen minutes later they doubled their advantage in bizarre fashion. A sloppy Debrecen clearance fell to Robert, who launched into an acrobatic overhead attempt; the ball took a wicked bounce, clipped a defender, and looped over the helpless goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
The second half was quieter, with Copenhagen again failing to generate much going forward. Andreas Cornelius wasted two good chances to extend the lead with around fifteen minutes to go, but made amends deep into stoppage time — rising to meet a Mohamed Elyounoussi corner and heading home confidently to complete a 3-0 win that leaves Debrecen with a near-impossible task in the return leg.