Per Bohmann five points from Djurgarden Ghent at Tele2 Arena.
1. Season stop and weight…
Suddenly the season stopped and weighed. Perhaps writing a sentence was unreasonable. Djurgården had flown forward for several months, was three points off the top of the league and emerged as successful men in Europe. Two consecutive Allsvenskan losses shouldn’t shake this basically healthy association to its foundations, right?
But the fear of losing what you’ve painstakingly built in the blink of an eye can quickly create anxiety among supporters and members. Because really it wasn’t about Ghent or the group stage, but the most important thing: the Allsvenskan Supreme Battle. Sunday’s anxious derby against AIK, the taboo idea that both rivals in Stockholm risk eating the distance at the table, was already on the minds of people in the stands.
The crucial question: Has this concern also filtered through to the players?
2- Giganten Joel Asoro
Thomas Lagerlöf and Kim Bergstrand were at the start of the eleventh game Thursday night around AIK like Gent. The cogs were not played by Humpus Wendel and Rasmus Schuler, and Victor Edwardsen and Harris Radetenak rested. In total, there were six new players starting in the match against the Belgians compared to the fight against Häcken this weekend.
Rotation was of course a necessity and something the coaching duo had to, often but not always successfully, work with during the late summer and fall. Everyone could see that on paper it was the weak Djurgården who seized the revenge-thirsty Gent. On paper, yes.
Because when Judge Zhelim Sugiva blew the whistle, it was Djurgarden who seized him. After a minute or so, Joel Asoro releases Gustav Wickheim, who runs through and lashes out at Davey Rove.
Asuro immediately showed that he would be the best player of the night. Previously, the x factor was a peppy, blinking person. Now the striker is a mature team player and his teammates can trust him. Drink the asuro balls and it was an important point of play. When pressed, Alexander Vasyutin was able to ignite a lyre against the Asuro who bounced back again and again and won a duel against the Giant Jordan Torunariga. The single advantage of the giant Asoro slowly but surely became the entirety of Djurgården.
3. Three Zero Damn!
On the other end, Wikheim punched holes in Ghent’s clumsy hollow back with torn ball transmissions. 21 minutes later he finds Callie Holmberg. The man who had throughout the season displayed a large sign with “junk” written above him, professionalism and pride once thrown in. Holmberg suddenly looked like the old shooting king we remember and quietly put him at 1-0.
Gent wasn’t malicious, dribbling the crossbar and chasing the equalizer. But it was also a poorly organized and naive team that couldn’t handle their defensive play. Who wasted possession with poor decision-making, clumsy passing and excessive ambition. Before the end of the first half, the Belgians lost the ball when a helpful Emmanuel Banda broke it, and after an angry turn, Wickheim managed to push with a score of 2-0.
The ecstatic blue crowd couldn’t ask for more. However, that’s exactly what they got. In the last minute of the first half, Magnus Ericsson sent one of his patented cross-kicks that Panda was able to header into the goal.
Three zero curse.
4. Wasn’t Europe more difficult than this?
It just continued. Honestly, it was hard to digest what happened at the start of the second half at Tele2 Arena. This word is often misused, but it was quite surreal to witness the utter humiliation of Gent that lasted for just over ten minutes. It was as if Djurgården, under pressure in reserve, had to re-evaluate his view of the eligible Continental opposition in real time.
Europe… Wasn’t it more difficult than this?
Joel Asuro’s position with poor Jordan Torunariga at this point was so overwhelming that the 25-year-old, who played Olympic football for the German national team, should seriously consider ending his career. Asuro did exactly what he wanted with the heavily traumatized Ghent defenders (who were later replaced, which coach Hein Vanheisbrück must regard as a very merciful act).
Immediately after the break, Asoro rolled the ball back to himself and broke into a pass that Wickheim quickly fired to make it 4-0. He could have risen quickly to 5-0 had it not been for the unlucky offside whistle on Holmberg.
5. This was a feat, Djurgården
In the past half hour, Gent has cut twice and pressed for more goals. It was logical and something you just had to accept. Hjalmar Ekdal was already substituted injured in the first half and Jesper Löfgren/Marcus Danielson is not a consistent duo. At the same time, they had a three-man midfield with Banda, Sapovic and Elias Anderson in front of them. In the end, a general decline in the quality of the game is observed.
But it is a written comment.
I wrote about anxiety and worry at the beginning of the column and wondered if it had leaked to the team. Nothing could be further from the truth. Djurgården was not afraid, but brave. In a weak position, and with a round-eleven start, they were clear, stable, and organized.
In the first European group stage for the association, Djurgården was already ready in principle for the qualifiers, although there were still two matches left to play. It is incredibly impressive and a historical mark for the entire association. One must call things by a spade. This is nothing short of an achievement.