London Calling: Viborg’s Historic Visit To The Capital
“London calling, yes I was there too. And you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!” Even before the European draws were made I had The Clash’s classic song buzzing inside my head, hoping for the chance to welcome a Superliga team to the capital and be able to say “I was there too.” And sure enough, lady luck duly delivered.
As the draw for the Europa Conference League was made, West Ham emerged as Viborg’s potential opponents, should the Jylland outfit progress against the Faroese side B36, who would be similarly motivated by the prospect of a monumental away day in London.
Sure enough Viborg prevailed, 5-1 on aggregate, and returned from the Faroe Islands with the stage set for the team - and the supporters - to get planning for an away day none of them would be likely to forget.
The Conference League is one of the best things to happen to football in some time, certainly for teams outside of the big 5 leagues. Some supporters still give the competition short shrift due to it being the ‘third’ UEFA competition but when I spoke to Vito Hammershøy-Mistrati earlier in the year about what his experience of playing in the competition for Randers had meant to him, it was clear that the opportunities it presents for fans and players alike make it an incredibly valuable addition to the calendar.
Viborg’s season had begun with a bang. Beating the Champions FC København and the bronze medal winners Silkeborg set the tone and showed last season was no fluke, but starting at the early stages of Conference League qualifying means finding the energy for potentially six extra games right as the domestic season is getting going. Ahead of the first leg, Viborg had already played nine matches (five Superliga and four Europa Conference League qualifiers) to West Ham’s two (Premier League). Would the extra match fitness outweigh the increased fatigue? Only time would tell.
Match day arrived and during my lunch break I headed out to grab a coffee. I had to rub my eyes when on my walk home I encountered five guys in Viborg shirts and stopped them for a chat. They were brimming with excitement for the game - and the match day experience in general. “It’s the biggest match in the history of the club - I was five years old when Viborg was last in Europe.” I asked about what they were expecting from the match, “we have no expectations - to be honest I would just be really glad if Viborg scored a goal.”
I knew it was a big game, but the magnitude of it hadn’t quite hit me until this encounter. It certainly turned up my excitement levels for that night’s clash another notch, if that was possible.
The evening came and I headed to a pub in Liverpool Street to meet a few Viborg supporters who had invited me along to join them. With hundreds of green shirts filling the inside and outside, it made for an amazing scene. Everyone was laughing, singing, drinking and soaking in the atmosphere. In stark contrast to the scenes we’re often presented with in the English media of away fans creating havoc, the Viborg travelling support was a refreshing antidote - united with one another, in full voice, welcoming and good natured. Having just read Danish Dynamite I couldn’t help but noticing parallels with the ‘Roligan’ spirit of the Danish national team supporters that began in the 1980s.
Viborg fans in full voice at Liverpool Street before the match
Glenn had battled a logistical nightmare of a cancelled flight the previous day to make it to London, finding a last-minute flight to London via Amsterdam in order to make it on time.
“I remember 22 years ago we went to the European games against CSKA Moscow and defeated them 1-0 on aggregate over two legs. But this is bigger than that. For a start as we couldn’t play our home leg in our stadium, we had to play in Silkeborg, which back then was one of the worst stadiums in Denmark.”
After winning the 1st Division in the 2020-21, taking the league by storm in 2021-22 and winning the European playoff, was this the best couple of years he can remember as a supporter? “Yes, it must be and at the moment there’s a big hype around the city and the club - everywhere is green!”
I also chatted to Magnus, a dedicated Viborg supporter and who recently, with his brother, wrote an acclaimed 500+ page book on the club’s history since its foundation in 1896.
He’s seen his fair share of highs and lows over the years and pointed to a tattoo of his which helped illustrate the journey the club has been on.
Magnus’ tattoo to commemorate a memorable result in Viborg’s history
“I have this tattoo - we played a match 11 years ago when we were in the second tier (vs. Hvidovre) and as a club we were almost bankrupt and on the brink of relegation. We had to win to be sure to survive and we did, 3-2. So it’s quite surreal that 11 years after that we’re in London playing West Ham.”
Last season was clearly one to cherish. Not only for the achievement but the fact that the playoff that earned them a place in Europe was won against Lars Friis, the manager who left them mid-season to join AaB.
“If I had written a novel about last year people would have said it was too corny. That’s just the way it happens! I think it shows that how we play was not just up to our coach but instead a part of the club’s strategy.”
And off the pitch, there was a sense that having showed London what great travelling support looks like this week, the return leg next week will be an opportunity to show what a raucous home atmosphere looks like, “Yeah, West Ham can expect an atmosphere they won’t have experienced in England!”
Outside the pub I was introduced not only to the club’s owner, who was mixing with the fans and enjoying the occasion, but also club legend Søren Frederiksen, held in great esteem not only at Viborg as their top scorer and former caretaker manager but also at Aalborg. He clearly holds a special place in the hearts of fans having produced so much magic on the pitch and helped them stave off relegation during some of the darkest days in the club’s history.
After a few rousing chants which saw the several hundred Viborg fans outside the pub all link arms and jump in unison, the sea of green shirts headed to the Tube towards the London Stadium.
I arrived at the stadium and picked up my press accreditation - granting me access to the press box and the post-match press conference - something I don’t take for granted as someone who started covering Danish football as a passion rather than a job.
The media entrance at the London Stadium, home of West Ham United
Before heading in I had a quick chat with Max, a Spurs fan with a soft spot for Viborg and his friend Frederik, a lifelong fan of the green and whites.
Frederik talked about the magnitude of the occasion. “I’ve been reading Magnus’ book on Viborg during the summer and thinking woah, there’s so much history here. But I have the feeling that we are writing the next chapter of that history right now and I’m a part of that, everybody is a part of that and it’s an amazing feeling.”
He also spoke about the sort of atmosphere Viborg fans are capable of creating. “In England there are no drums, no big flags, no flares - we have another culture in Denmark. I’m not sure today how much chance we have on the pitch, but I’m confident we have a great chance in the stands to show London and West Ham we’re here and we’re loud.”
Before leaving, I couldn’t resist asking about Lars Kramer and what he might be feeling during the game. The former Viborg defender moved to AaB this summer immediately after winning the European playoff with Viborg, in order to reunite with his former manager Lars Friis. “I think he’ll be playing on his PlayStation!” he said with a laugh as they headed off towards the away end.
I headed into the stadium and despite getting lost between media lounge and press box (the security guard told me I was in good company as Gary Neville had made the same wrong turn the previous week) found my seat just as the players were warming up. With none of the pressure to get an article on the game out that same evening the mainstream media journalists faced, I focused on the lineups and started scribbling notes in a notebook (the paper ones, in case anyone can still remember those) while the sound of people busily typing away around me filled the air.
A panoramic shot of the stadium just before kick-off
The view from the press box was amazing. The pitch feels far away, something that has always been the case wherever you sit at the London stadium, but for someone analysing the game the perspective makes spotting tactical systems and movements much easier. I also had a screen next to me for any replays and highlights which was helpful in double-checking whether what I had seen in real-time was correct.
A view of the pitch from the press box - and the monitor
The match itself started at an electric pace, with Viborg pressing high up the pitch, into the West Ham penalty area at times. Jay-Roy Grot, formerly of Leeds United, was using every inch of his 6ft4 frame to impose his physicality on the West Ham defenders and looked tailor-made for the rough and tumble of a Premier League centre back pairing.
I’ve been a huge admirer of Justin Lonwijk this season and he showed no sign of being overawed by the occasion, proving to be a constant source of danger and invention and producing a Cruyff turn midway through the first half so silky that it sent his marker for a sit down on the London Stadium’s immaculate turf.
Looking to the stands, Viborg fans were in fine form, their songs dominating the soundscape in this corner of East London. The only time they paused for breath they were met by a “who are ya?” from the West Ham fans in the adjacent block, to which the Danes provided an immediate, full-volume response.
On the pitch Viborg were more than holding their own, patiently building when going forward, dictating the tempo and never being afraid to stop and reset if the right opportunity didn’t present itself.
There was a lot of talk pre-match about the West Ham squad value (€360m according to Transfermarkt.com vs €8m for Viborg) - an indicator of the individual quality they possess. Sure enough this quality came through in West Ham’s first real attempt on goal - Maxwell Cornet selling Nikolas Bürgy a dummy before spinning, crossing and putting the ball on a plate for Gianluca Scamacca to score his first West Ham goal with a close range header.
Viborg continued to play their game, Jan Žamburek almost latched onto a nice through ball and Lonwijk had a shot from distance that went narrowly wide. With the score 1-0 at halftime there was definitely a sense that West Ham might have underestimated their Danish opponents.
The second half begun much as the first half had ended, with possession evenly balanced and both sides creating chances. On the 64th minute, Christian Sørensen stretched for an interception, prodding the ball towards Jared Bowen who jinked inside and crashed a low shot from outside the box into the near post side of the keeper for a great goal. 2-0 and the perfect example of how a player of Bowen’s quality will snatch the faintest sniff of a chance.
It’s no secret that Christian Sørensen is one of the most dangerous players in the Superliga in terms of chance creation. In the first half it felt like West Ham knew this and were preventing him from getting into too many good crossing positions. But sure enough Viborg kept trying to get their star man in position and just a few minutes after Bowen’s goal, Sørensen found himself with space on the left and crossed the ball with precision to the leaping Jakob Bonde who headed home right in front of the travelling support, who went wild. I felt a rush of pride that a Superliga side, not given a hope by the bookmakers, had not just come and held their ground but scored on away turf.
Viborg fans go wild as Jakob Bonde wheels away in celebration following his goal
The goal gave Viborg confirmation that they could hurt West Ham and they continued to push for an equaliser, with substitute Nils Mortimer producing a thunderous shot that was tipped over the bar with a strong hand from Alfonse Areola.
But just as Viborg were pushing for their second, they were undone by another superb piece of individual quality, as substitute Said Benrahma’s fresh legs and elite dribbling took him all the way to the byline to cross for an easy tap-in from Michail Antonio to make it 3-1.
The remaining minutes played out with tired legs beginning to show on both sides but no change in the scoreline. As the full-time whistle blew I sent a tweet that summed up how I felt at that moment - and still do.
I made my way down to the media room for the press conference, where manager Jacob Friis and midfield general Jeppe Grønning arrived to talk about the game. I didn’t want to miss a rare opportunity to hear them do a press conference in English and ask a few questions myself following such a huge game for the club.
Jeppe Grønning and Jacob Friis at the post-match press conference
I asked Friis about the situation with Said and Jatta which saw them denied entry to the UK due to visa issues, a farcical situation given the timing of the draw made it impossible to obtain them in time, something UEFA must surely have to work with the UK government on ASAP. He did concede that Said would probably have started but didn’t want to use the situation as an excuse. I then asked Grønning about how the intensity was out on the pitch against the Hammers compared to a top Superliga match. He felt that the biggest difference was not so much the intensity but more the individual quality. Viborg’s captain went on to talk about the experience of playing in such a match and such a stadium as a “fairytale” and added “I never expected to play in a stadium like this one…but we’re not here as tourists and we showed ourselves - and Denmark - in a good way,” before talking about his pride in both the team and the fans.
Friis was asked about the second leg and whether Viborg still had a chance of qualifying for the group stages, to which he replied “of course and we will go for it 120%.” The manager also produced the quote of the night when he said “maybe the hole is dug, but we’re not in it yet!” - a sign if ever there was one of Viborg’s self-belief and fighting spirit. There was a real sense that the tie was far from over, and with a packed stadium in Viborg and a similar show of passion and energy on the pitch, you never know what might happen.
I left the stadium and headed home into the night, delighted to have experienced this historic game for Viborg and spent some time with some of the people to who it mattered to most. “London calling to the faraway towns…” well I’ll have my eye on one such town (well, city) in particular next Thursday. Let’s hope they can make it another one to remember.
