Damallsvenskan 2010, round 20

Only two games left to go, as Damallsvenskan 2010 comes to a close. The race for the top spots is over, the plummet to the lower league is confirmed for AIK. Attention now turns to the important question of who will manage to finish 10th and above the relegation line...


26 september
LdB FC v. AIK 3 - 0 (1 - 0)
Goals: 28' Kathryn Gill (passning Frida Nordin) 1-0; 86' Kathryn Gill (passning Frida Nordin) 2-0; 87' Frida Nordin 3-0
Warnings: AIK Petronella Ekroth 22'; LdB Nera Smajic 72'
Source: damfotboll

The first versus the worst. LdB had already won the league title with their 1-1 draw against Kopparbergs/Göteborg last week, and continued on their winning form against last-place AIK, who could earn at best only 6 more points on the season and are therefore now relegated for certain. LdB played without Therese Sjögran and Linda Forsberg, pushing Pavlina Scasna back to the midfield, and giving Gill a chance to start up front and shine with two goals. Nordin also showed her worth with two assists and a goal of her own.


Umeå IK v. Tyresö FF 0 - 3 (0 - 1)
Goals: 32' Helén Eke (passning Sofie Persson) 0-1; 51' UIK own goal 0-2; 62' Kirsten van de Ven 0-3
Warnings: UIK Anna Paulson 88'
Ejection: TFF Carola Söberg 79'
Source: damfotboll

Time was when a newly-promoted team beating UIK would have made the headlines, but UIK's slump is hardly news anymore and so the red card to TFF's keeper tops the reports. It is unclear to me exactly what happened here, although TFF coach Tino Katsoulakis called it unfortunate, and UIK coach Joakim Blomqvist says the expulsion was the least that could be done, given the foul. The result is the same: TFF will play LdB next week, without benefit of their top keeper.


Jitex BK v. Kopparbergs/Goteborg 0 - 4 (0 - 1)
Goals: 39' Johanna Almgren (passning Caroline Näfver) 0-1; 67' Jane Törnqvist (passning Lisa Dahlkvist) 0-2; 78' Lisa Dahlkvist (passning Sara Lindén) 0-3; 80' Sara Lindén (passning Olivia Schough) 0-4
Source: damfotboll

The second installment of this derby, with second-place K/G maintaining its bragging rights as the Best of the West.


Djurgården IF DFF v. Sunnanå SK 1 - 2 (0 - 0)
Goals: 53' Linda Fransson (passning Perpetua Nkwocha) 0-1; 68' Emma Lundh 1-1; 87' Alexandra Nilsson 1-2
Source: damfotboll

Sunnanå's win over Djurgården gives them valuable points as they try to avoid relegation; they maintain tenth place and two points over Hammarby.


27 september
KIF Örebro v. Kristianstads DFF 3 - 0 (1 - 0)
Goals: 45' Hanna Ågren (passning Sanna Valkonen) 1-0; 55' Sanna Talonen (passning Elin Magnusson) 2-0; 90' Sanna Talonen (passning Elin Magnusson) 3-0
Warnings: KDFF Margret Lara Vidarsdottir 83'
Source: damfotboll


Linköpings FC v. Hammarby IF DFF 1 - 2 (1 - 2)
Goals: 32' Madeleine Tegström 0-1; 38' Therese Brogårde (passning Hodan Siid-Ahmed) 0-2; 42' Josefine Öqvist (passning Louise Fors) 1-2
Warnings: HIF Minna Meriluoto 17'; HIF Tempest-Marie Norlin 73'
Source: damfotboll report, hope lives

'The hope is alive!' cries the first-report headline for this match, an important victory for 11th place HIF over 3rd place LFC, and surely the upset of the day. HIF, fighting for its place in Damallsvenskan 2011, started better than they could have hoped, with Tegström apparently beating LFC's offside trap, and then Brogårde heading in a long free kick. Everyone looked for a tough second half when LFC's Öqvist reduced the differential just before the break. But LFC did not play as if they were a top team, according to their coach Jörgen Petersson, who picked out Linda Sällström and Faith Ikidi as his best players. His team now faces other relegation contenders in their last two games, and surely this result gives those teams some heart.

HIF coach Lars Pihls credited Susan Varli and Siid-Ahmed as his most valuable players, and veteran Kicki Bengtsson makes the match report for having played a whole 80 minutes of the game.