Erling analyserar IFK Norrköping-FC Rosengård

Hello, fellow football fans!

The sun came up today, too!

I have to admit, it took two painkillers to get going after the bus ride home from our match in Norrköping.

You surely know by now that FC Rosengård lost that crucial "six-pointer" against IFK Norrköping, 2–1.

Once again, Rosengård conceded the decisive goal in stoppage time. There were two minutes of added time remaining when Norrköping managed to score that vital goal.

That goal really tightened up the league's relegation battle; since Växjö managed to secure a point in their match against Vittsjö, Rosengård slipped back into the relegation playoff spot - now sitting just one point above the drop zone.

With seven rounds left to play, it is clear that we - the fans who stick by our favorite team through thick and thin - are in for a tough autumn.

Back to Sunday's match.

I have to admit that when the game kicked off, I was - as always - optimistic and confident that Rosengård would win.

Rosengård started very well, creating a golden opportunity on their very first attack, which reinforced my feeling that Rosengård would take the win.

Of course, football is never that simple - as anyone involved in the sport knows—so Norrköping’s opening goal came against the run of play... After a perfect cross, they headed the ball in to make it 1–0.

And they went into the halftime break with the lead.

In the second half, coach Fran decided to make some substitutions in an attempt to pull a goal back; the equalizer (1–1) came somewhat luckily, courtesy of an own goal by a defender.

Hope was reignited for those of us in the stands, and I felt that Rosengård was pushing for the win and those crucial three points. But they couldn't find any rhythm in their play; instead, there was a lot of stress and sloppy execution on the decisive passes. A shot against the outside of the post by Molly Johansson was probably the closest they came to scoring.

Unfortunately, Rosengård completely lost their defensive shape in the final minute, allowing Norrköping to score the crucial winning goal.

Was the result fair?

Yes—since the aim of football is to score goals, and the home team scored two (or three, if we count the own goal), you could say the result was fair.

Rosengård’s inability to score persists, and you can't win matches that way.

There are seven rounds left in the OBOS Damallsvenskan, and the situation is reminiscent of last year.

So, what suggests that Rosengård will manage to avoid relegation again this year?

I think we have a deeper and better squad than last year. Even though there are many players on the injury list, the coaching staff can still field a strong starting eleven.

It’s just a matter of getting the scoring going!

Rosengård plays again as early as Wednesday—an away match against Eskilsminne in the Swedish Cup... Let’s hope we see some goals and a win.

Then another challenge awaits on Sunday when Piteå visits Malmö IP.

It promises to be another nail-biter for those of us in the stands...

Let’s hope we see a Rosengård side that comes out and treats its loyal fans to a good, exciting football match.

Kick-off at 1:00 PM.

See you there!