Fantastic. We go out in the second half and show who "Bajen" are, says Smilla Holmberg to Aftonbladet after the victory.
It is clear that coach Martin Sjögren will leave Hammarby after this season for a new assignment with the NWSL team Chicago Stars. In the final stages against Ajax, Dane Simone Boye Sørensen was substituted for a few last minutes in the Hammarby jersey – the defender will not be given an extended contract.
Leaving for abroad?
Was it also the last match for the blue-and-yellow national team player Smilla Holmberg for the Stockholm team? It is rumored that bigger clubs abroad are interested in the 19-year-old.
We'll see. I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can, being part of this club is something absolutely fantastic, says 2-1 goal scorer Holmberg to Aftonbladet.
The club from the Netherlands otherwise made a shock start to the return match at 3 Arena. Already in the fourth minute, Joëlle Smits put the ball 1–0 behind Hammarby goalkeeper Melina Loeck.
"It's not good enough. We started way too badly, we're not at 100 percent," Hammarby midfielder Emilie Joramo told Aftonbladet after the first half.
Thanks to the 3-1 win in Amsterdam last week, “Bajen” remained in the driving seat and in the second act the home team secured a comfortable victory. Japan’s Asato Miyagawa equalized after an hour and eight minutes later Holmberg thundered in 2-1.
Quarterfinals in February
Vilde Hasund scored in the 83rd minute to make it 3–1 and Hammarby advanced with a 6–2 aggregate win.
A double meeting with Portuguese Sporting awaits in the quarter-finals in February. Häcken secured promotion on Wednesday and will face Icelandic Breidablik in their quarter-final.
