Esbjerg vs Vejle

Vejle controlled the first half and took a deserved lead through Tobias Bach in the 35th minute. The attacking midfielder, 23, finished calmly to put the visitors ahead. The score remained 1-0 at the break.

Four minutes into the second half, Mike Vestergård doubled Vejle's advantage with a strike from midfield, making it 2-0 and putting the Superliga side firmly in control.

Esbjerg, competing in the Danish 1st Division, hit back almost immediately. Lucas From pulled one back in the 57th minute to make it 2-1, and the momentum shifted decisively. John Kolawole levelled in the 73rd minute, and Marcus Hansen completed the turnaround by firing Esbjerg ahead in the 79th minute — three goals in 22 minutes.

Just when it appeared Esbjerg had secured a comeback victory, Vejle's Ghanaian forward Bismark Edjeodji struck in the 90th minute to earn a share of the spoils and cap a frenetic affair.

Esbjerg's first goal — Lucas From's 57th-minute effort — changed the complexion entirely. Until that point Vejle had looked comfortable at 2-0. Once Esbjerg had one back, the hosts pressed with confidence and Vejle, who had made several substitutions by that stage, struggled to regain their shape. The 16-minute spell between the 57th and 73rd minutes saw the game flip from a comfortable Vejle lead to a level contest.

John Kolawole (Esbjerg) — The midfielder was a second-half substitute who scored the crucial equaliser and drove his side forward during the comeback. His energy tilted the midfield battle in Esbjerg's favour.

Lucas From (Esbjerg) — Started the revival with his 57th-minute goal, the catalyst for everything that followed. His movement in the box unsettled the Vejle defence.

Bismark Edjeodji (Vejle) — The 19-year-old Ghanaian striker kept his composure to score the stoppage-time equaliser, sparing Vejle from defeat.

Lundrim Hetemi (Vejle) — As reported by VAFO, Hetemi made a welcome return from a long-term knee injury, starting the match and providing a stable presence in Vejle's first-half dominance.

Player of the Match: John Kolawole

The betmana match widget shows six goals from six different scorers, with no cards issued — typical of a pre-season friendly focused on fitness rather than intensity. Vejle's first-half control (1-0 at HT, extended to 2-0) contrasted sharply with their second-half collapse, suggesting squad depth and match sharpness remain works-in-progress ahead of the 2026/27 Superliga campaign. Esbjerg's three-goal burst in 22 minutes indicates promising attacking cohesion under head coach Sancheev Manoharan, who rotated his entire squad across the 90 minutes.

The draw marks the opening pre-season fixture for both sides. Esbjerg's 1st Division campaign begins on 25 July at home to Kolding IF. They face Aarhus Fremad (4 July), CD Mafra (11 July) and FC Fredericia (18 July) in further friendlies. Vejle, preparing for the 3F Superliga, host Randers FC on 3 July before facing Hillerød (11 July) and Hvidovre (18 July). The competitive league meeting between these two sides is scheduled for 21 August in the 1st Division.

A chaotic pre-season opener that told both managers plenty. Vejle will be concerned at how quickly a 2-0 lead evaporated once Esbjerg found their rhythm. Esbjerg, by contrast, will take heart from their fightback. Neither side will read too much into the result — fitness and minutes were the priority — but the defensive lapses on both sides will be reviewed before the real action begins in late July.