FC Midtjylland were held to a 1-1 draw by Egnatia in their Conference League opener on a pitch condemned as dangerous by Rasmus Kristensen. Cho Gue-Sung equalised for the Danish champions after Ildi Gruda had put the Albanian side ahead.
Rasmus Kristensen was scathing in his criticism of the conditions in Elbasan, where the match was relocated from Tirana due to demonstrations. "It wasn't just in one place. It was everywhere," said Kristensen. "That's where I would say it was dangerous to play the match."
The player explained he found 20-30 stones during the warm-up and that an effort to remove them involving 20-30 people had only cleared about 15 percent. "I've tried bad pitches, but dangerous pitches are beyond the limit, I think," he added. He stressed that a fall or a sliding tackle could risk cutting or tearing the leg.
The match
FC Midtjylland started poorly and fell behind after 26 minutes when Altin Kryeziu from the right found Ildi Gruda, who headed past Nordin Bakker. Bakker started in goal for the injured Elias Olafsson. Seven minutes later came the equaliser, as Rasmus Kristensen's cross found an unmarked Cho Gue-Sung who headed home easily.
After the break, FC Midtjylland dominated but lacked the final creative spark. Mads Bech came close with a header from a corner that was cleared off the line. With ten minutes left, Mikael Uhre thought he had scored the winner, but the referee saw a foul in the build-up and VAR confirmed the decision.
Focus on Viborg
The result means FC Midtjylland have one point after their first Conference League group stage match. The team now turns focus back to the Superliga, where they sit second with 22 points from 10 games. They are unbeaten in their last five league matches with three wins and two draws.
The next challenge is an important clash against third-placed Viborg in Sunday's league fixture. With just three points to leaders Brøndby and two points down to Viborg, the match carries significant weight for the standings. After the Viborg match, the next European task awaits against Belgian side St. Truiden at home in Herning.
The report in full is at Ritzau
