Zero degrees. Important points on games and bad memories from last year.
Gold-chasing Hammarby had a tough evening in Jämtland.
But the team managed to get away from the back goal - and eventually won the match fairly in Östersund.
After a smooth and eventful first half where Hammarby started best and Alexander Kacaniklic had two chances (one in the bar) already in the first ten minutes, but where the fine attacking play was interspersed with a weak defense, the decision came at the beginning of the second.
Hammarby played as a good forward as usual, but not particularly backwards. The team needed to win to have the chance to win the gold - but the memories of last year, when the team lost the last round in Östersund and the team lost third place, were there.
After Dino Islamovic was on the flip to score 1–0 in empty goal, Kacaniklic and goalie Imad Khalili countered 0–1 immediately after. An absolutely crucial sequence.
- We were not satisfied at the break, but we accepted the fact that we must raise ourselves. But Östersund is a good much better team than their table position. And it was tough. I got a bang right away that felt like Terminator had gone ahead, Nikola Djurdjic said about his match.
When Östersund got organized on defense and took over the team for a period. Instead, it was Dino Islamovic in ÖFK who created chances and at the end of the first half two real chances came a little random in Hammarby's penalty area.
"It was probably unfortunate that I didn't score," said Östersund's Felix Hörberg, who shot Hammarby defender Mads Fenger in the back on the finish line.
Immediately after, Rewan Amini received the ball and pushed Davor Blazevic to a nice save.
- It was a swinging half, a good match. But we must control it in others. For they are dangerous ahead, Felix Hörberg thought.
It was swinging for a short while in the second, but after Imad Khalilis's controlled finish to 1-0, Hammarby took over again. Jeppe Andersen shot in the post, and Muammer Tankovic as well.
When Nikola Djudjic scored 0-2 on Darijan Bojanic's neat free kick, it was Hammarby's 71st goal - record for the Allsvenskan.
But Hammarby is not Hammarby unless chances are released. Simon Kroon was given a free kick and scored a goal in the 84th minute.
But despite a couple of nick positions at the end, Hammarby held off to victory.
"It will be a fun, but different, task to finish at home with a chance of victory," Hammarby coach Stefan Billborn said after Hammarby's seventh straight victory.