by Rainer Fussgänger
For Kopparberg/Göteborgs FC it has been quite a diappointing season so far. I remember well how coach Torbjörn Nilsson told us in April at the pre-season press meeting in Göteborg that his team would try everything to win the championship this year and that they would have a fair chance to win the gold medals. Months later, Göteborg is much more than 10 points behind the leading teams of Malmö and Tyresö.
Last week on Thursday though, Göteborg claimed a title. They won the Swedish cup final against Marta’s Tyresö by winning the final at home 2:1 after extra time. It was most of all a great performance of Göteborg’s defense that decided the game. And quick forward Christen Press. Press gave Göteborg the lead in a very early stage of the match and if Tyresö’s goalie Carola Söberg hadn’t performed a great save on Yael Averbuch’s freekick, the match would have been decided after the first half.
The second 45 minutes Tyresö was a lot better and as it is very often, Marta scored the equalizer that took Tyresö to extra time. Then, in the second half, Marta’s fellow Brazilian Elaine brought down Press and Marlene Sjöberg took the penalty and scored the decisive goal. Sjöberg repeated last year’s effort of taking the deciding penalty against Tyresö which still stands without a title.
Five games of round 20 were played on Sunday.
Jitex BK vs Umeå IK 1-1
Attendance: 174
Jitex: Sofia Skog 25′
Umeå: Ogonna Chukwudi 16′
Jitex’ coach Stefan Rehn spoke afterwards of an important point that his team won. It was a pretty even match in Göteborg and the best news about Jitex is not that they have 20 points now, but that the municipality of Mölndal just outside Sweden’s second largest town Göteborg has promised to build a little stadium for Jitex. Hopefully they will have more than just 174 people watching them in the new arena which is expected to be ready in 2014.
Kristianstads DFF vs Tyresö FF 0-2
Attendance: 934
Tyresö: Kirsten van de Ven 68′, Kirsten van de Ven 77′
National team keeper Hedvig Lindahl tore her ACL a couple of weeks ago and was replaced by Hanna Persson. In her third game for Kristianstad she had to leave the pitch after a foot injury ten minutes into the match. Plan B had to be realize and coach Elisabet Gunnarsdottir gave her midfielder Katrin Omarsdottir order to replace Persson. Omarsdottir did a great job and was called a natural talent after that. Tyresö won finally by 2-0 after two goals of Dutch WNT striker Kirsten van de Ven and has a theoretical chance to win the chammpionship left.
Djurgården vs Vittsjö GIK 1-1
Attendance: 321
Djurgården: Matilda Rosqvist 72′
Vittsjö: Sofie Andersson 6′
Djurgården would have needed a victory against Vittsjö, but the guests from Skåne took a quick command on the game and team captain Sofie Andersson scored goal #10 of the season. Djurgården came stronger in the second half, but did not manage to score more than the equalizer by Rosqvist which leaves them at 16 points now, three behind safe territory with two games left.
KIF Örebro vs Piteå IF 1-2
Attendance: 333
Örebro: Linda Hallin 33′
Piteå: June Pedersen 62′, Jennifer Nobis 89′
In a match with a lot of nerves Jennifer Nobis gave Piteå three very important points taking her team away from the relegation zone and probably to another season in Damallsvenskan. Örebro is in big trouble now, but has a final game at home against jumbo AIK.
Linköpings FC vs Kopparberg/Göteborgs FC 3-2
Attendance: 407
Linköping: Manon Melis 7′, Nora Holstad Berge 76′, Lisa DeVanna 83′
Göteborg: Christen Press 63′, Christen Press 69′
Both teams wanted to compete with Malmö and Tyresö when the season started. Now they are far behind and fight for the bronze medal in the league. Good performance by both teams with Göteborg a little tired three days after the cup final where they defeated Tyresö after extra time. Christen Press has now scored an impressive 17 goals.
LdB FC Malmö vs AIK 5-0
Attendance: 710
Malmö: Anja Mittag (PK) 22′, Ramona Bachmann 27′, Ramona Bachmann 29′, Ramona Bachmann 55′, Sofie Anker Kofoed 72′
Malmö took the first of two necessary steps to a third consecutive championship in Sweden. Most things were about Swiss WNT striker Ramona Bachmann. She was brought down in the penalty area and German WNT forward Anja Mittag gave Malmö the lead with her goal #21 this season. Then the Bachmann show started with a hattrick. The second of her goals led commentators to compare her speed and technical skills to the one and only Lionel Messi, an incredible performance by Bachmann.
On Monday, Pia Sundhage presented her first roster for Sweden’s game against Switzerland in Växjö next week. Very few surprises. The only new name was very much expected: Elin Rubensson of LdB FC Malmö. For the injured Lindahl Carola Söberg comes in as the third goalkeeper. In total, 24 players are called, 23 of them have served under former coach Thomas Dennerby already. Pia named former Dennerby assistant coach Lillie Persson her assistant forward coach.