Elfsborg giant step towards the gold – beat IFK Göteborg
Elfsborg giant step towards the gold – beat IFK Göteborg
IF ELFSBORG
Published 30 Oct 2023 at 21:09,updated 31 Oct at 08.10
UnmutePauseFull screen
Annons 1 av 2 : (0:04)
Allsvenskan on the rise: “He is the league’s best young player”
IFK Gothenburg’s coach Jens Askou.
Photo: ADAM IHSE / TT NEWS AGENCY
Irritated and dramatic.
This is how Elfsborg’s 2–1 victory against IFK Göteborg can be described.
Now the team from Borås can become Swedish champions on Sunday.
– It is easy to lose focus. What we can influence is to put in a good performance against Degerfors, says coach Jimmy Thelin.
When Fredrik Klitte kicked off the match, it was the home team in blue and white who were the strongest. Emil Salomonsson tested from distance and forced Hakon Valdimarsson into a qualified save after five minutes of play.
IFK Göteborg dominated the game in the first half, but it was Elfsborg and Per Frick who scored the first goal of the match. Simon Hedlund won a duel with IFK Göteborg left-back Oscar Wendt, advanced into the penalty area before playing a diagonally inwards pass to Per Frick who slotted in 1-0 to Elfsborg.
In the second half, the match changed and Elfsborg took over more and more. Then IFK Göteborg stood up and equalised. Astrit Selmani scored a hard cross from the left wing which was headed into the own goal by an Elfsborg defender.
Elfsborg decided late against Blåvitt
By then, 76 minutes of the match had passed.
Just seven minutes later, the game swung again. Then substitute Alexander Bernhardsson got the ball to the left in the offensive half of the pitch. The 25-year-old looked up and spot-kicked 2-1 to Elfsborg in Pontus Dahlberg’s far corner.
– Bernhardsson makes an incredible individual performance that decides this match. It is very strong. A real dream date. We are humbled by the points we took today, says Jimmy Thelin.
Frick: “Absolutely crazy”
The match ended 2–1 to Elfsborg, who can now become Swedish champions already on Sunday. If Malmö FF does not defeat Häcken away from home, the Borås team will win SM gold if they defeat Degerfors at home.
– It gets nerve-wracking all the way. I personally think Bravida Arena is one of the toughest away games of the year, so we hope that Häcken will put up a good fight there against Malmö – then we’ll see, says Elfsborg’s goal scorer Per Frick about the antagonists’ match at Hisingen.
Describe the feelings after this match.
– Crazy. It’s indescribable to win here, it always is against Gothenburg away, so it’s the best feeling you can have. To also do it in this situation, after a match where we underperform, then it will be extra nice.
If, on the other hand, MFF wins its match against Häcken, a directly decisive match for the SM gold awaits in the last round when Elfsborg visits Malmö.