The 2020 Danish Cup final was played on 1 July 2020 between SønderjyskE and AaB at Blue Water Arena, Esbjerg, a neutral ground. The final was the culmination of the 2019–20 Danish Cup, the 66th season of the Sydbank Pokalen. Originally scheduled to be played in May, the final was delayed due to the COVID-19 shutdown through Europe.

SønderjyskE won its first major championship of any kind in its 13-year history, beating AaB 2–0. It was SønderjyskE's first ever appearance in the Danish Cup final. AaB appeared in its 12th Pokalen final, having previously won the cup in 1966, 1970 and 2014, finishing as runners-up for the 9th time, adding 2020 to its second-place runs in 1967, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2004 and 2009.

By virtue of its victory, SønderjyskE earns a place in at least the second qualifying round of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.

Teams TeamPrevious finals appearances (bold indicates winners)SønderjyskE0AaB11 (1966, 1967, 1970, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2009, 2014)

Venue In just third time in cup history, the final was played in a venue other than the Copenhagen Sports Park (1955–1990), or Parken Stadium (1993–2019). Blue Water Arena in Esbjerg hosted its first ever Sydbank Pokalen final in 2020. Odense Stadium hosted the 1991 final while the 1992 final was played at Aarhus Idrætspark.

Route to the final

Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away). SønderjyskERoundAaBOpponentResultOpponentResultByeFirst roundByeBoldklubben Viktoria5–0 (A)Second roundNørresundby FB8–0 (A)Hvidovre IF4–2 (A)Third roundVejgaard BK6–0 (A)Brøndby IF1–0 (A)Fourth roundHB Køge3–0 (A)Randers FC2–1 (A)QuarterfinalsF.C. København2–0 (H)AC Horsens2–1 (H)SemifinalsAGF3–2 (H)

Effects of COVID-19

In addition to the scheduling changes caused by the national COVID-19 shutdown, the final match was delayed for 14 minutes in the first half due to a group of fans not adhering to social distancing guidelines.

The limited capacity crowd of 1,750 (10% of capacity) included an allotment of 725 tickets for each team's fan base, provided they sat 2 meters apart. Just before the 30-minute mark of the first half, a group of Ultras from AaB had grouped together and refused to move, despite pleas from the club's coaches and other fans. This group was subsequently ejected from the stadium and, after a 14-minute delay, the game resumed.

Match Details

GK 28 Sebastian Mielitz DF 12 Pierre Kanstrup DF 2 Stefan Gartenmann MF 6 Eggert Jónsson MF 90 Mads Albæk MF 8 Christian Jakobsen MF 7 Julius Eskesen MF 9 Alexander Bah MF 29 Victor Ekani FW 15 Johan Absalonsen FW 10 Anders Jacobsen Substitutes: DF 26 Patrick Banggaard MF 77 Rilwan Hassan MF 22 Emil Frederiksen MF 24 Rasmus Vinderslev FW 47 Artem Dovbyk GK 1 Nikola Mirković FW 20 Peter ChristiansenCoach: Glen Riddersholm GK 22 Andres Hansen DF 3 Jakob Nielsen DF 26 Rasmus Thelander DF 5 Jores Okore DF 6 Kristoffer Pallesen MF 17 Kasper Kusk MF 21 Patrick Olsen MF 10 Lucas Andersen MF 8 Iver Fossum MF 16 Magnus Christensen FW 9 Tom van Weert Substitutes: MF 27 Søren Tengstedt MF 23 Robert Kakeeto MF 25 Frederik Børsting DF 24 Mathias Ross DF 2 Patrick Kristensen GK 1 Jacob Rinne DF 32 Kasper PedersenCoach: Jacob Friis

Assistant referees: Heine Sørensen, Amir SabicMatch rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Seven named substitutes, of which up to five may be used.

References