Elfsborg eased back into the top spot of the standings of the 2012 Allsvenskan thanks to a narrow win and some help from an unlikely source.
Elfsborg is locked in a neck-and-neck race with BK Häcken for the Lennart Johansson trophy. The two teams entered Round 25 tied on points but Häcken held first place thanks to a vastly better goal difference. Both teams entered the round with 46 points. Elfsborg, however, took sole possession of first place when it beat Örebro 1-0 and got a huge hand from IFK Göteborg, which held Häcken to a 1-1 draw. After an abysmal start to the season, the Blåvitt are suddenly playing kingmakers as they make a late bid for a European spot. Göteborg has defeated Elfsborg and Malmö in the past two weeks, results that threw the title race open. Now, with its draw against Höcken, the Blåvitt may have just opened the door to Elfsborg to claim the title it seemingly had sewn up back in August.
The draw with Häcken also gave new hope to contenders Malmö and AIK, both of which claimed wins in Round 24.
Elfsborg leads the league now with 49 points while Häcken has 47 and Malmö 46. AIK is five points back with 44.
Elfsborg 1, Örebro 0
BORÅS – Elfsborg moved back into first place with a 1-0 win over Örebro Sept. 30 at Boras Arena. Stefan Ishizaki celebrated his return to the starting lineup after a hamstring injury by scoring the lone goal of the game. Ishizaki tapped in a pass from Oscar Hiljemark in the 69th minute to give Elfsborg the win. With the defeat, Örebro is now sure of relegation.
Malmö 2, Syrianska 0
SÖDERTÄLJE – Malmö kept pace with league-leading Elfsborg after beating Syrianska 2-0 Sept. 30 at Södertälje Football Arena. Malmö took the lead in the 42nd minute on an own goal. Simon Thern doubled the lead in the 51st minute off a pass from Erik Friberg.
AIK 2, Sundsvall 2
SUNDSVALL – AIK rallied from a 2-1 deficit to claim a 3-2 win over Sundsvall Sept. 30 at Norrporten Arena. Mohamed Bangura scored twice for AIK – putting the Gnaget in front after 18 minutes and tying the game in the 71st minute. Ari Freyr Skulason and Emil Forsberg scored to put Sundsvall in front. Viktor Lundberg scored the game winner at the 75-minute mark for AIK.
Helsingborg 3, Åtvidaberg 0
HELSINGBORG –Nikola Djurdjic scored in his fifth consecutive match to help lead Helsingborg to a 3-0 win over Åtvidaberg Oct. 1 at Olympia Stadium. The Serbian striker notched HIF’s third goal of the game. Alvaro Santos and Walid Atta also scored for Helsingborg.
Norrköping 7, GAIS 2
NORRKÖPING – Five different players scored to lead IFK Norrköping to a 7-2 blitzing of GAIS Oct. 1 at Nya Parken. Peking built a 4-1 first-half lead on a pair of goals by Nikola Tkalcic and single tallies from Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson and Christoffer Nyman. Thorvaldsson, Isaac Thelin and an own goal built the tally to seven. Romario Pereira and Jakob Olsson scored for GAIS.
Mjällby 1, Djurgården 0
STOCKHOLM – Mjällby nipped Djurgården 1-0 Oct. 1 at Stockholm Stadium. Par Eriksson scored the lone goal of the match. The goal was his 11th of the season.
Göteborg 1, Häcken 1
GÖTEBORG – Häcken dropped off its championship pace after playing to a 1-1 draw with IFK Goteborg Oct. 1 at Gamla Ullevi Stadium. Häcken took the lead in the 35th minute on a Martin Ericsson goal. The visitors, however, went down a player in the 64th minute when Jonas Bjurström received a red card after he collected his second yellow of the match. Göteborg quickly took advantage as Hannes Stiller tallied in the 71st minute to tie the match.
Gefle 0, Kalmar 0
GÄVLE – Gefle and Kalmar played to a scoreless draw Oct. 1 at Strömvallen Stadium.
by Chipp Reid
