The weather gods have been kind to Malmö all autumn. Consequently, the crowd was able to enjoy the final rays of autumn sunshine this past Saturday as Hammarby came to visit—a Hammarby side that has been chasing the Swedish champions all season, only to finish in second place once again.
I chose to position myself in the standing section to soak up the sun, while also feeling optimistic that RosengĂĄrd might be able to snatch a point.
When our excellent stadium announcer, Jeanette Rosengren, read out the team lineups, we were all surprised to see that coach Fran Alonso had opted to change goalkeepers, entrusting the position to Saga Andersson. It was somewhat unexpected, given that Moa Edrud had put in a stellar performance in the previous match against Växjö.
Saga Andersson, however, played a very strong game, proving she is ready to compete for a starting spot.
Rosengård started the match well; when Remy broke away from her defender and set up Bryleeh for a one-on-one with the keeper—a golden opportunity to make it 1–0—my hopes for a pleasant Saturday afternoon grew.
Unfortunately, Holmgren, in the visitors' goal, made a fine save, and on the ensuing counterattack, Hammarby managed to score to make it 1–0. The goal felt undeserved at that stage, and you could see the shoulders slump among all of us in the stands.
The visitors took control of the game, pushed Rosengård back, and created several chances to put the match out of reach. As the clock ticked toward three minutes of stoppage time, my thought was: “Hold the 1–0 score until halftime; then the coaching staff can make some adjustments, and Rosengård can get back into the match.” But once again, my hopes were dashed. Following a fine piece of play, Hammarby extended their lead to 2–0, making for a heavy walk to the dressing room for the home side.
In the second half, Rosengård showed a completely different attitude and began winning their duels. They also created a few good scoring chances, though they couldn't quite find the back of the net. This second half was one of Rosengård’s best performances this autumn, providing plenty of positives to carry into the final match of this year’s OBOS Damallsvenskan—taking place this Sunday against BP in Stockholm. Those following the league will know that, following this defeat, Rosengård now sits in the relegation playoff spot. This comes after Norrköping defeated Växjö 1–0, a ​​result that relegated Växjö to the Elitettan.
The situation heading into the final round is as follows: for Rosengård to climb above Norrköping and secure their place in the Damallsvenskan for 2027, they need a win against BP, combined with a loss for Norrköping against AIK. Given that Norrköping has put in several strong performances since their coaching change, they should likely be considered the favorites against AIK.
I will be on-site at Grimsta to follow the drama between BP and Rosengård, while keeping an eye on the match in Norrköping via my phone.
So, we’ll speak again after the match.