Greg . 1 day ago

Allsvenskan review: Mjallby held but extend lead as Hammarby lose to GAIS

If Mjallby do go on to win a maiden Allsvenskan title, they will look back on yesterday as one of the key moments in the 2025 season, as they were held at home by Djurgarden but extended their lead at the top as Hammarby were defeated by GAIS.

Elfsborg's loss on Saturday ensured Hammarby remained the only team within 10 points of the leaders going into their Round 20 fixture against mid-table Djurgarden.

The Iron Stoves have been a tough nut to crack of late, and their recent resurgence looked to be continuing on 35 minutes when they took a deserved lead.

August Priske won the ball high up the pitch and slipped in Tokmac Nguen, who finished well.

That goal looked to be enough for Mjallby to finally lose their unbeaten home record at Strandvallen this season, but in the 95th minute, an unlikely hero had other ideas.

A hopeful ball into the box was picked up at the back post by Romeo Arrhenius, he cut the ball back to Uba Charles, and he guided it through the crowd to score his first goal for the club.

Mjallby have now gone 12 matches since their only defeat of the season - a run which began with a win at Djurgarden.

The 1-1 draw means the visitors have quietly gone five matches unbeaten, but stay well outside the race for Europe.

Having salvaged a point, what could have been a disastrous afternoon for the leaders took another turn for the better as the full-time whistle blew in Stockholm to signal Hammarby had been beaten 2-1 at home to GAIS, extending Mjallby's lead at the top to five points.

The visitors were handed the opportunity to take the lead on 12 minutes when Sebastian Tounekti fouled Harun Ibrahim inside the area.

Ibrahim took the penalty himself and sent Warner Hahn the wrong way to underway the scoring.

Any signs of fatigue from the Hammarby players after their European exit at the hands of Rosenborg on Thursday seemed to have been put to bed when they equalised just three minutes later - a free-kick from 25 yards was curled expertly into the top corner by Nahir Besara.

The Bajen were very much the team on top for the rest of the half, but could not find a way through the physical GAIS defence and had multiple penalty appeals turned down.

The home side's pressure continued into the second half, but in the end, their lack of cutting edge cost them dearly, as GAIS grabbed all three points with just two minutes to play.

Amin Boudri slipped a through ball to Edvin Becirovic, and despite a tight angle, he managed to beat Hahn at his near post.

It's a second defeat in five Allsvenskan matches for Hammarby, with both coming against GAIS.

Meanwhile, the Mackerels have bounced back after their loss to Goteborg last time out which ended their long unbeaten run and now sit fifth, one point behind third-placed Malmo.

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