Växjö got their season back on track with a win over Eskilstuna as Hammarby bettered KG and Linköping left Kalmar to lick their wounds once more. Elsewhere Vittsjö lost to LB07 as Rosengård eased away from Kristianstad and PIF bested DIF.
Växjö 2-0 Eskilstuna United
Felled by Annica Svensson 15 minutes into the tie, Anna Anvegård was left to hold her head in her hands after her subsequent penalty was easily dealt with by Emelie Lundberg. Brushing herself off and picking herself back up, the striker showed no lingering regret as she took the ball around Lundberg and rolled it into the empty moments later, net after being played through by Signe Holt Andersen. In a smooth attacking grove, the hosts continued to trouble the visiting defence before Andersen drew her own penalty having been leaned on by Matilda Plan. With spot kick duty moving to Jelena Čanković, the Serb converted with ease, letting Lundberg go to her right as she pulled the ball into the empty side of the net.
Kalmar 1-9 Linköping
Dispatching with Kalmar as if they were the Ukrainian champions, Linköping showed a ruthless edge that has been missing for large swatches of the season against the league’s whipping boy.
Despite going the right way, Lina Lundqvist failed to connect with Kosovare Asllani’s perfectly struck 27-minute penalty, the 25-year-old in for a busy afternoon. A charging run from Frida Maanum eight minutes later brought about the second of the match before Lisa Lantz nodded Asllani’s deep free kick beyond Lundqvist.
Set up by Johanna Rasmussen, Asllani made it four ten minutes into the second half ten minutes before Rasmussen added the fifth herself with a fine looping ball that crested over Lundqvist. Definitely battling away this season, Kalmar found a conciliation through Kristin Haugstad who slipped in front of Stephanie Labbé to nick the ball home, denying the Canadian of her second clean sheet in the league this season.
Putting herself around all match, Lina Hurtig finally opened her account for the season, bookending Filippa Angeldal’s low strike. First nodding Rasmussen’s cross home before firing into the open net after Tove Almqvist had drawn the ‘keeper out and cut back for her. With two assists to her name for the match, Almqvist added the ninth and final goal, again pulling Lundqvist in and letting her go to ground before skipping around and rolling the ball home.
Hammarby 2-1 Kopparbergs/Göteborg
Picking up for their last-minute concession last week, Göteborg got off to the worst possible start in Stockholm when Beata Kollmats’ misjudged back-pass slipped beyond Jennifer Falk and into the back of the net in the first minute. In a match with chances for both but little in the way of clinical finishing, Kollmats found herself involved again after the break as Emma Jansson’s shot deflected off of her shins to wrong-foot Falk and trickle in.
The match was to go from bad to worse for Kollmats as she went down shortly after challenging for an aerial ball to be taken off the pitch on a stretcher with a suspected concussion. On an evening to forget, the hosts did however, find a late conciliation when Taylor Leach arrived well to nod Olivia Schough’s cross beyond Emma Holmgren. The goal not enough to deny Hammarby all three points and lift them up the table as they claimed the first back-to-back league wins since June.
Vittsjö 0-1 Limhamn Bunkeflo
Two teams fighting to avoid the drop, LB07 picked up a useful win away to Vittsjö, closing the gap on their nearest rivals to three points – although VGILK have a considerably better goal difference. The decisive moment of the match came ten minutes into the second half when Rakel Hönnudóttir rose in the box to nod Anna Welin’s lofted cross over Shannon Lynn.
Without a cushion, the visitors were forced to ride their luck as Emma Lind was kept occupied throughout, Hönnudóttir’s goal the difference at the whistle.
Rosengård 3-0 Kristianstad
Springing back into second after KG’s loss the previous day, Rosengård were back to their ruthless best against a Kristianstad team who have their own designs on the top three. Needing just eight minutes to break the deadlock, the hosts didn’t look back after taking the lead through Glódís Viggósdóttir’s low strike from inside the box.
Opening her account for her new team, Celia Jiménez Delgado pounced on a lose ball as Fiona Brown’s initial shot took a second deflection when Anja Mittag tried to turn it home. The summer signing arriving in the box at the perfect time to fire home and give FCR the perfect cushion just before the break. The match put to bed on the hour when Mittag swept Brown’s neat cross home for her 12 goal of the season.
Djurgården 0-1 Piteå
Needing to be perfect for the rest of the season if they’re to push on and secure not just European football but the elusive Damallsvenskan title, PIF were given a helping hand early on in Stockholm. Always a threat at June Pedersen’s set-pieces, the team snatched the only goal of the game 20 minutes in when Kim Sundlöv went up with Emelie Lövgren and got the last touch to take the ball into the net.
Despite the hosts losing their first-choice goalkeeper late in the first half, the Blue Stripes didn’t have too much to worry about as Jennifer Pelley was rarely tested by Piteå’s speculative efforts. However, in a match without gilt-edge chances, the table toppers unquestionably did enough in the capital.
