Remarkably, the hosts almost took the lead after only 15 seconds when a through ball allowed Dario Osorio to break free of Genk’s defence and in on goal, but his effort was well blocked by Hendrik Van Crombrugge.
In a lively opening, Thorsten Fink’s side also came close to taking a very early lead after only five minutes, as Ecuador international Yaimar Medina’s close-range shot from an acute angle flashed narrowly wide of the post.
Midtjylland recovered from that scare and edged in front shortly after the quarter-hour mark thanks to some poor goalkeeping from their opponents. Osorio’s speculative long-range effort was spilled by Van Crombrugge, and Cho Gue-sung reacted quickest to poke the ball home from only a few yards out.
The Danish outfit threatened to double their advantage midway through the first half, but Cho’s firm shot was parried away from danger by Van Crombrugge. Their lead may have been slender at the break, but it was one Midtjylland’s play thoroughly merited.
The opening stages of the second half lacked the intensity of the opening 45 minutes, resulting in a much quieter affair. Chances were often limited to ambitious efforts from long range which troubled neither goalkeeper.
With 20 minutes of normal time remaining, Cho was presented with a big opportunity to kill the game off following a counter-attack, but his attempt from inside the box was scuffed and lacked power, leading to a comfortable save which kept the visitors in contention.
With time beginning to run out, Genk displayed more urgency and really should have equalised when captain Bryan Heynen was allowed a free header in a very dangerous position, yet his effort sailed way over the bar to the disbelief of the travelling supporters.
While his side may have made heavy weather of the closing stages, Midtjylland head coach Mike Tullberg will be delighted with his team’s return to winning ways in Europe, which stretches their unbeaten run in all competitions to four games.
After missing out on the chance to record a third UEL victory in a row, Genk’s hopes of a top-eight finish now hang in the balance with two league phase matches remaining.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Dario Osorio (Midtjylland)