Brøndby lift cup after final thriller
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Article summary
Brøndby IF have won the Danish Cup, beating Esbjerg fB by 3-2 in the final at Copenhagen's Parken Stadium, a success that earns them a 2008/09 UEFA Cup berth.
Article body
Five-goal thriller
Brøndby always held the advantage in Copenhagen, but the goals either side of half-time from Samuel Holmén and Max von Schlebrügge were cancelled out by two strikes by Søren Rieks. However, EfB ultimately had no answer to Martin Retov's goal after 84 minutes to give the trophy to Brøndby.
Ebb and flow
The victory secures UEFA Cup qualification for a Brøndby side sitting ninth in the 12-team Danish Superligaen. Their half-time lead was earned by Holmén's 15th-minute effort but lasted only as far as the 61st minute when Rieks rounded off a fine Esbjerg move. Von Schlebrügge headed Brøndby back in front seven minutes later, only for Rieks to restore parity after 79 minutes. The final, watched by a crowd of 33,154, then reached its climax as Retov turned in a cross from Chris Katongo.