Can you lose Malmö? Can AIK beat Malmö? Can Malmo even concede a goal?
Yesterday we said no.
Now we say Joe.
And now we know that even champions can’t win a gold medal with Team B.
One must appreciate when someone, out of absolute devotion to duty, throws himself into situations of utter contempt for death.
Player of the match in Friends Arena? The woman who, after a frustrating 90 minutes, stood on the sidelines and watched MFF game engine Sergio Peña walk off the field and knew what she had to do.
The Peruvian was crazy, clapped his hands together, looking like he wanted to fight with the best. Come on, Merda, why the hell didn’t we hurry up the heijo and put the ball up?
By all means, but here came a woman with a mission. She smiled and put her arm around Peña.
– Come here! You have received a Sponsor’s Award for Best Player, congratulations!
Hats off.
The shepherd girl survived, and she succeeded AIK also.
Some opportunities are greater than others
What did we already know? That AIK never loses when he scores the first goal, that Malmo FF Don’t give up on any goals. By all means, AIK did not beat Malmö FF.
But don’t worry, the wings weren’t at stake here.
The MFF has moved to the capital for a stage race that may determine the full half of the Allsvenskan. It’s like watching a great cyclist make his way up the mountains, through injuries and storms, lactic acid and his wicked foes. Today’s stage was Mont Ventoux, the hardest it could be: AIK in Solna, torrential rain and real grass, Wednesday’s match without the pressure of Hell when AIK wrestled against IFK Gothenburg last Saturday. Malmo came without Lacey Nielsen and a half-dozen other senators (Anders Christiansen, Soren Rex, Oscar Lewicki, Isaac Kis Thelin, Johan Dahlin after the break), AIK had to start without Christopher Nordfeldt in goal.
Here’s it: if those who hunt the big blue sky in this series really want to trap the heroes, they have two more chances than the others. Home matches against weak Malmö.
Hammarby seemed very happy with the result they got.
How caring, brave and supportive will AIK be?
A little Si, quite a bit, at least for a start.
AIK waited for the match, while MFF took off well. Sergio Peña dominated the playmaker role, and Bilal Hussein was covered. Ola Toivonen fell and found the solutions, Jordan Larsson had a stirrup erdal in his butt and it was hard to get through.
A team that stands firm – even when there are cold storms
In short, it was a very good team (MFF) against a very consistent player (AIK), a team that was the best in 70 percent of the field (MFF) against a team that cared a lot about the other 30 (AIK). Sergio Peña’s frustration was mounting: he took over and controlled the match as if he had oceans of time, constantly seeing all the attempts stranded around the opponent’s penalty area. Malmo found his way behind AIK’s first pressure, they turned matches well and moved forward in waves, but Veliko Permancevic dried up – they found him mostly with players up front – and Malik Abu Bakari still struggled to judge properly.
Milos Milojevic tried with the little room to maneuver he had, then made the switch after the break, first with Toivonen 10th behind Abobakari and Permanshevic, then with the backline and Joe’s heavyweight Inge Bergit ahead.
Bartosz Grzelak did not have to shovel so much. He has a consistent team even when there are cold storms. A quarter later, AIK coach Bilal Hussain was coming out of the shadows, and a few seconds later he took a step forward for the first time with the ball. He threatened, turned around, and a moment later Joe Mendes cut, fired, and scored his first AIK goal, a rebound by Dennis Hadzikadyunic.
He was a little lucky there, Mendes, but other than that there was very little in this match that was about luck or the afterlife.
Was about to explode with frustration
It is no coincidence that Malmö FF, without a starting half, has difficulty in the parts of the field where it is more difficult to play. When they tried to incorporate play in the penalty area for the past half hour, it was clear that they were playing without the telepathy and conviction found in players who have played 50 games together, or more than at least three. And it’s no coincidence that AIK is really comfortable even in match images like this.
They stand there with their coordinated defenders, with their quick balls to outside linebackers, with the speed, imagination and loyalty of Nicholas Stefanelli and Jordan Larson. They are standing there, most of all, with a robotic room where Sebastian Larsson doesn’t even have to touch the ball to make a ++++ match, where Bilal Hussein needs a few moments with the ball to decide.
To weather a storm that didn’t really set off, Grzelak moved into a five-way defense with Per Karlsson up front, then came an MFF foul, a free kick and 2-0 from Sebastian Larsson. Professional victory, one hundred percent work shift. No cries on the sidelines, no provocations, just a couple of young children while Sergio Peña was exploding in frustration.
Malmö FF conceded goals, and they lost to AIK. AIK never loses when they score the first goal.
And what do we make of it?
For Malmo it wasn’t a crossroads, they know they have heavy artillery to include when the damage list is sparse. They can comfort themselves with it. But here Friends Arena is swinging, here AIK leads the league, and here the condemnation comes from shots into the ground.
MFF has never lost faith in any gold. But they just saw AIK invade their own.
