Linköping managed to stay top of Damallsvenskan with a tight win over Kristianstad on a weekend that saw Rosengård do their best to keep pace with a big win over Göteborg as LB07 and Kvarnsveden grabbed their first wins of the season. Elsewhere Piteå picked up a narrow win over Hammarby and Eskilstuna came from behind to beat KIF.
Kristianstad 1-2 Linköping
LFC took a quick lead over their hosts in Skåne on Saturday, Marija Banušić able to link up with Emma Lennartsson at the top of the box to see the former break beyond the defence and slip the ball beyond Brett Maron. The striker picking up a knock to the ankle for her efforts and unable to continue, Linköping forced to go out without the league’s top-scorer immediately making them look a little toothless.
Carrying a narrow lead through to half-time, the hosts improved after the break and found a deserved equaliser after sustained pressure that had seen them cannon the woodwork seconds before, Amanda Edgren’s deft header too much for Cajsa Andersson. Though it’s still early in the season, LFC are no strangers to leaving it late as they proved once more with Tove Almqvist’s 89th minute winner, the young attacker already looking like she’d provide plenty of important goals this season.
Vittsjö 2-3 Limhamn Bunkeflo
Despite having the better of it in the early exchanges, Damallsvenskan newcomers LB07 went behind in the first-half to a clinical Linda Sällström penalty, the Finnish international able to bury her spot kick in the top left corner. Able to keep Shannon Lynn busy in the first-half the visitors didn’t let their heads drop and found parity just before the break when Michaela Johnsson swivelled away from three defenders in the box before firing into the far corner. Already seeing less of the ball in the second-half, Bunkeflo took a surprising lead five minutes after the restart, Anna Björk Kristjánsdóttir able to direct a dangerous corner past the traffic in the box. The lead was however short-lived as Sällström drew Vittsjö level again within seconds with a jumping header, to meet Hannah Wilkinson’s pin-point cross.
Needing four bites of the cherry, Mia Persson finally got the goal she deserved when the visitors had a flurry of possession in a half dominated by Vittsjö. Ten minutes left on the clock as she slipped between the centre-backs to curl Iina Salmi’s through ball past Lynn.
The win is LB07’s first of the season and it sees them spring out of the danger-zone and up to eight.
Djurgården 1-2 Kvarnsveden
Looking for their first win of the year, Kvarnsveden were dealt a hammer blow at the Stockholms Olympiastadion when Johanna Axfeldt was shown a straight red for clearly handling Tempest-Marie Norlin’s shot off of the line. Sheila van den Bulk able to covert the resulting penalty with ease, but from there on out Djurgården failed to sparkle, Kvarnsveden doing enough defensively to keep them out.
A goal up with a man advantage, the hosts were still pushing for a second goal around the hour, their backline too high and they were easily caught out by goal-machine, Tabita Chawinga. The Malawian able to latch onto Elizabeth Addo’s long ball, turning away from her marker Chawinga raced into the box, leaving Guðbjörg Gunnarsdóttir on the deck before rounding her and rolling into the open net. Still not looking as composed or dangerous as last year Djurgården continued to push for a second goal, desperate for a winner but they failed to carry a significant threat and were undone once more by Addo feeding Chawinga. The deadly striker able to hold her run before racing onto the threaded pass, defenders snapping at her heels as she rolled the ball under substitute goalkeeper Petra Kümin to give KIK their first win in stoppage time.
Rosengård 5-0 Kopparbergs/Göteborg
Frustrated for the majority of the first-half in Malmö, Rosengård hit their visitors for three goals in eight minutes on another evening to forget for Göteborg. Able to hold on until six minutes before the break, KG were left exposed when Jennifer Falk could only parry Lieke Martens’ deep free kick back into the box. Sanne Troelsgaard able to watch the ball bounce in front of her before lashing the ball back to the open goal. The lead doubled three minutes later when the hosts countered through Lotta Schelin, the Swedish international well found with a long-ball over the top from Ella Masar, her composure never leaving her as she flicked the ball across the box past Falk and into the far corner.
The match put beyond any reasonable doubt two minutes after the break when Masar and Schelin switched roles for the Swede to lay the ball off to American, Masar’s overlapping run not picked up as she ran onto the ball and fired into the far side of the goal. Rosengård weren’t done there, the hosts consistently able to play in and around their opposition, cutting through them with ease and it wasn’t long until Masar made it four. Able to pick up Martens’ quick pass, the number #30 cut into the box at the same angle and wrapped up her brace with an identical goal hit low past Falk and into the far side of the net. A live wire in the match, Martens managed to bag herself a goal late in the game after a deft one-two with Anja Mittag. With the goal in her sights, Martens showed just enough of the ball to get the ‘keeper to commit early before jumping around her and blasting the ball into the open goal as she went spilling to the ground.
Hammarby 0-1 Piteå IF
In a game shaded by the visitors, Hammarby failed to show their best, Piteå able to hold onto the narrow lead they picked up twenty-four minutes in through when Ellen Löfqvist broke the deadlock by heading Ronja Aronsson’s free kick into the waiting net as Emma Holmgren came out to claim. The chances continued to flow for the traveling team and although they couldn’t find a clinical finish to them will be happy with all three points.
Eskilstuna United 2-1 KIF Örebro
Keeping up the trend of only scoring from outside the box this season, Emma Jansson hit a stunner from range into the top right corner, even minutes into the match to leave Emelie Lundberg no chance and Eskilstuna trailing at home. In no mood to see their unbeaten record this year dissolve, Petra Andersson restored parity with a firm header ten minutes later, the ball happily diverted into her path by Carola Söberg as she cleared Fiona Brown’s initial effort. Having been growing into the game just before the goal, the equaliser only served to cement the hosts into the match as they pushed to the front foot and continued to create openings, Mimmi Larsson and Brown particularly lively. The home pressure paid off just before the break when Larsson took the ball deep into the box before squirming her shot under Söberg.
The game opened up after the break and KIF found more half chances but Eskilstuna continued to dominate, persistently carrying a threat when they went forward. A flurry of corners leading to the perfect opportunity to put the game to bed when Malin Diaz was tripped in the box by Julia Spetsmark. The chance wasted by Brown from the spot as Söberg managed to get a firm glove on her penalty, the ‘keeper quick to wrap both hands over the loose ball as it spun on the line.
Despite a number of good chances, the hosts couldn't further their lead but retain their second spot in the table.
