With just two match weeks left, the top three remains barely separable with Piteå still leading the way after a late win over Kalmar as Rosengård eased past Hammarby and Göteborg bested Växjö. Elsewhere, Kristianstad mounted a fine come-back to deepen LB07’s misery as Djurgården eased away from danger with a win over Vittsjö and Eskilstuna left Linköping with three points.
Linköping 0-1 Eskilstuna United
Finishing the season far stronger than they started, Eskilstuna continued their late rise up the Damallsvenskan table with a narrow win in Linköping. After an open match, the game was decided ten minutes into the second half when Ngozi Okobi nodded in her first goal for two years. Having copped plenty of stick for LFC’s last match (a 4-2 loss to Piteå), 17-year-old Julia Nyström fared far better against United, and stood up to the test well, denying clear goalscoring opportunities for the visitors throughout.
Kalmar 1-2 Piteå
With a big test awaiting next week, PIF were forced to wait for their opening goal against already downed Kalmar. Not looking overly sharp in the final third, the table toppers finally took the lead after the hour when Madelen Janogy slipped Andrea Norheim’s pass into the far side of the net. Four minutes after linking for the first, Norheim was on the receiving end of Janogy’s lay-off, the young Norwegian cutting the ball into the near corner.
The visitors were made to sweat in the last knockings as the hosts pulled one back three minutes from time, Anna Wretman’s late lob a mere conciliation for Kalmar.
Kristianstad 4-2 Limhamn Bunkeflo
Two goals down six minutes in, KDFF pulled off the comeback of the weekend as they strode out 4-2 winners at the Kristianstads Fotbollsarena. Enjoying a profitable first season in Sweden, Rakel Hönnudóttir nodded the visitors ahead in the fourth minute before Mia Persson double the lead two minutes later. Leaving Emma Lind rooted on the spot, Ogonna Chukwudi pulled one back for the hosts eight minutes later, adding a second on the stroke of half time at an uncleared corner.
Adding her fifth for the season, Rita Chikwelu unleashed a dipping rocket from outside the box early in the second half to give the hosts the lead for the first time. Enjoying the best season of her career, Amanda Edgren put daylight between the two, moments later with a header that squeezed beyond Moa Olsson.
Djurgården 2-0 Vittsjö
Still looking for safety, DIF gave their survival hopes a big boost with a win against a Vittsjö side who will be desperate to avoid the drop themselves. Netting her fifth since returning to Sweden over the summer, Julia Spetsmark got the hosts off of the mark in the tenth minute with a looping header. Having set Spetsmark up with a lofted cross, Irma Helin bagged her second assists of the day just before the break when she played in Mia Jalkerud for the captain to roll the ball into the bottom right corner.
Växjö 0-4 Kopparbergs/Göteborg
Keeping themselves in the race for a European finish, KG left it late to secure the points at the Myresjöhus Arena. Having taken the lead 11 minutes in through Rebecca Blomqvist, the in-form attacker striding through the defence before placing the ball into the far corner.
It wasn’t until the last eight minutes that the visitors found a cushion in the match, Elin Rubensson’s close range effort added to four minutes later by Blomqvist. Following Blomqvist’s low brace, second half substitute Amanda Johnsson Haahr rounded off the scoring, slotting Pauline Hammarlund’s square ball home at the far post.
Rosengård 5-1 Hammarby
A goal to the good three minutes in when Sanne Troelsgaard swept the ball into the bottom left corner, the hosts added a second 20 minutes in when Lisa-Marie Utland nodded the ball home. Under the cosh, the visitors found a route back into the match five minutes into the second half as Astrid Larsson slipped the ball beyond Zećira Mušović.
Any hopes of a comeback were however, short-lived as Ebba Weider reopened the gap seconds after coming on, slotting into the empty side of the net from Fiona Brown’s cut back. Regaining top spot in the race for the golden boot, Anja Mittag added a fourth with a well-placed lob over Emma Holmgren four minutes from time. The match wrapped up in stoppage time when the German picked out the left side of the goal as Holmgren started for the right.
