FC Midtjylland took an early lead and looked set for a routine win in Odense, but a red card changed the outcome of the match. Instead, OB completely dominated the second half. The Funen side equalized through Noah Ganaus and created a flurry of chances to take the lead.
However, thanks to a stellar performance by goalkeeper Elias Olafsson and the woodwork acting as an ally, the visitors managed to leave Funen with a 1-1 draw.
Things had started according to plan for the visitors in Odense on Saturday, as the in-form Friday Etim once again demonstrated his high-caliber finishing ability. Major summer signing David Martinez teed up the ball for Etim, who fired it into the net with a powerful strike using the inside of his foot.
The Midtjylland side had the game well under control, but an injury to center-back Magnus Jensen forced coach Mike Tullberg to make an early substitution. The relatively untested Abdou Ndiaye was sent into action, and the 20-year-old quickly showed his qualities.
Just over half an hour in, he brought down Topi Keskinen and received a booking; ten minutes later, he was in trouble again. Ndiaye went into a tackle far too clumsily and received a second yellow card.
After an hour, OB created their first major chance through Noah Ganaus, but Elias Olafsson pulled off a brilliant save. A few minutes later, Ganaus had an even better opportunity, but Olafsson shone once again, just managing to get his fingers to the ball, which subsequently struck the underside of the crossbar.
In the 70th minute, the woodwork once again came to the rescue of the team from Central Jutland. Topi Keskinen’s long-range effort forced another great save from Elias Olafsson before the ball hit the angle of the post and bar.
With fifteen minutes remaining, the Central Jutlanders finally succumbed following a sustained period of intense pressure from OB.
Alexander Ahl-Holmström won a duel at the back of the pack and headed the ball across to Ganaus. This time, Olafsson stood no chance against the tall striker, who made it 1-1, which also turned out to be the final result.