Allsvenskan Round-Up: Djurgården Finds Form as Champions Malmö Claim Another Victory

UEFA Conference League quarter-finalists Djurgarden secured a vital victory ahead of their upcoming clash, triumphing over Sirius with a narrow 1-0 win. Meanwhile, Malmo continued their strong start to the season as one of four teams to have achieved two wins from two matches, managing to edge past Elfsborg with a 2-1 scoreline.

On Monday night, Malmo notched their second single-goal victory of the season, albeit with a bit of luck against Elfsborg. The drama unfolded just 30 seconds in when a foul from Colin Rosler on Taylor Silverholt resulted in a penalty for Elfsborg. Simon Hedlund stepped up to take the spot-kick, but his shot was expertly saved by Ricardo Friedrich.

More excitement came at the start of the second half when Anders Christiansen found a gap in a congested area and slotted the ball home, putting Malmo ahead.

Hedlund, keen to make amends for his earlier miss, brought Elfsborg level with a well-placed shot from outside the box with 20 minutes remaining.

This equaliser came against the flow of the game, but Malmo quickly regrouped and restored their lead just seven minutes later. A fantastic run from Taha Ali culminated in a precise finish from Arnor Sigurdsson into the bottom corner, leaving Elfsborg with just one point from their two matches.

After suffering a defeat to the champions in their season opener, Djurgarden were eager to bounce back on their short trip to Uppsala on Saturday. Despite sending several dangerous balls into the Sirius penalty area, they struggled to convert before half-time.

The home side’s defence was finally breached six minutes into the second half when Adam Stahl’s effort from just outside the box took a deflection off Tobias Carlsson and found the back of the net.

Though Djurgarden squandered further chances through the rest of the game, Stahl’s lone strike was sufficient for a 1-0 victory.

In a match that stole the spotlight, AIK made a stunning comeback from 3-1 down to claim a 4-3 win against Norrkoping.

Sotirios Papagiannopoulos had the unfortunate distinction of scoring an own goal during the first half, handing Norrkoping the lead. AIK equalised just before the hour mark thanks to Aaron Csongvai, but two goals from Christoffer Nyman appeared to put Norrkoping in control.

AIK’s John Guidetti reduced the deficit with 16 minutes remaining, followed quickly by a corner that was bundled in by Mads Thychosen to level the match.

In a thrilling finish, the Strawberry Arena erupted in the 90th minute when a strike from Thychosen was fortuitously deflected into the path of Johan Hove, who scored the dramatic winner, lifting AIK to six points after two games, while Norrkoping continues to lead the league in both goals scored and conceded.

Currently surprising everyone at the top of the Allsvenskan are newly-promoted Degerfors, who followed their 5-0 opening day victory with a 1-0 win over Varnamo, courtesy of an early own goal from Hugo Andersson.

Goals from Shaquille Pinas and Nahir Besara in a 2-0 triumph over Brommapojkarna ensures that both Hammarby and Degerfors have the same perfect record of six points and six goals scored without reply.

A second-half goal from Max Fenger provided Goteborg with their first points of the season, winning 1-0 against Halmstad.

Newcomers Oster also hit the board with a 2-0 victory over Hacken at home, with David Seger scoring the first top-flight goal at the Visma Arena in 11 years, followed by Alibek Aliev, who sealed the win.

Finally, Mjallby have managed two draws from their opening matches, with their latest coming in dramatic fashion against GAIS. The visitors thought they had snatched victory in the 90th minute when Ibrahim Diabate scored, but a header from Tom Pettersson in the 96th minute from a corner salvaged a 1-1 draw for the home side.