Sport Round-Up: FCM eyeing first European last-16 tonight

Elsewhere, Thorbjørn Olesen is back to winning ways on the links and Nikolaj Ehlers reaches 500 games in the NHL

Loïc Padovani

Feb 23, 2023

It’s all up for grabs for FC Midtjylland. The match … and a record.

Following a frustrating 1-1 draw versus Sporting in Lisbon last week – the Portuguese equalised in the 94th minute after Emam Ashour shocked the hosts – FC Midtjylland will need to finish the job at home in Herning tonight to qualify for the last-16 of the Europa League.

Should they manage it, it will be the first time the club reaches a last-16 in Europe.

FCM fans will be hoping that youngster Gustav Isaksen can replicate his hat-trick on Monday in the Superliga.

“You know that every time the ball comes out to Gustav Isaksen, something happens. Something spectacular. He is not just a magician without tricks. It’s going to happen and he’s deciding football games at the moment. This could send FCM to the round of 16,” said DR football pundit Andreas Kraul.

A huge achievement to make
With the away-goals rule no longer applying, the Danes will need a win to advance and the players are ready to write the club’s history.

“When I went to Portugal a week ago, I thought it was almost impossible for FCM. I don’t think that anymore”, said TV2 football expert, Morten Bruun.

FCM CEO Claus Steinlein has long conveyed that his team should be in the European top-50, a lofty ambition that will require succes tonight.

There’s nothing wrong with FCM’s form. The Wolves beat Viborg FF 4-0 away on Monday, while the Portuguese won 3-2 away at Chaves.

The match will kick off at 18:45 at MCH Arena and be aired on TV2 Sport.

Jonas Vingegaard starts 2023 campaign
Danish cyclist Jonas Vingegaard will take part in his first race of the season following a deserved break over the winter. The 2022 Tour de France winner is racing today the O Gran Camino stage race in northern Spain. His sports director at Team Jumbo Visma, Frans Maassen, affirmed that the Dane was well-prepared and motivated to face his rivals again.

Danish golfer triumphs in Thailand
Thorbjørn Olesen, 33, won the Thailand Classic last Sunday. The Dane got his seventh win on the DP World Tour, also known as the PGA European Tour. Thanks to this performance, he climbed into fifth place in the European rankings, which is led by French golfer Victor Perez. The Dane hopes similar performances will give him access to even bigger tournaments.

Kevin Magnussen in pre-season testing
With the Formula 1 series ‘Drive to survive’ is coming out on Friday, Kevin Magnussen is going to take part in his first laps in 2023 with his new Haas car in pre-season testing sessions in Bahrain today. His teammate Nico Hülkenberg has already got in a morning session, scoring the sixth-fastest time overall. The Dane will see the afternoon session and have three days to get settled before the lights go green on the first race of the season in less than two weeks.

Ehlers hits big NHL milestone
Nikolay Ehlers reached his 500th NHL game last night, becoming only the fifth Dane in history to manage the feat. The Winnipeg Jets wing even managed to score in the game, which ended in a 1-2 loss to the New York Islanders. The Jets are second in their division and in fine position to qualify for the NHL playoffs this season.

Danish track record broken
Yesterday evening, Mette Graversgaard bested her own national record in the 60m hurdles at the World Indoor Tour in Madrid. Her of 8.00 seconds was one hundredth better than her previous mark. However, she finished fourth in the final, which was won by Reetta Hurske of Finland in a time of 7.79 seconds.