Brondby IF faced significant challenges against Vejle Boldklub in the Danish Cup competition on Thursday evening. The Jutland-based 1st Division club took the lead and, in the second half, earned a penalty kick.
However, thanks to an outstanding penalty save and a late goal, Brondby managed to grind out a 2–1 victory in Vejle. With this result, the Superliga club from the Copenhagen suburbs advanced to the fourth round of the Danish Cup tournament.
This was Brondby's first cup match of the season, as they—like the other major Danish clubs—entered the tournament at a later stage.
Vejle, the current leaders of the 1st Division, got off to a strong start. In the 38th minute, the home side took the lead through a superb goal by former Brondby player Mathias Jensen.
Vejle had been putting the visitors under intense pressure, and when the ball was headed out to Jensen, the 21-year-old midfielder did not hesitate. He struck the ball from distance; it sailed past the Brondby defense and past goalkeeper Patrick Pentz.
It was Jensen's first goal in a Vejle shirt since moving from Brondby just before the transfer window closed in early September.
The visitors responded quickly, however. Bartosz Slisz played a through-ball to Marcus Younis, and the Australian fired a low shot into the net off the post.
Vejle continued to look dangerous early in the second half.
Wahid Faghir headed the ball into the Brondby net, but the striker had pushed a defender in the back during the challenge, and the goal was disallowed. Fifteen minutes later, Brondby found themselves in trouble again when Vejle's Bismark Edjeodji was brought down in the opposition's penalty area.
Gustav Marcussen stepped up and struck a good penalty, but Pentz pulled off an outstanding save. Instead, it was Brondby who scored the decisive goal in the 84th minute.
Mads Frokjaer played a precise pass to the Japanese player Sho Fukuda, who put the ball into the Vejle net to seal a 2-1 victory.