Sirius continues to chase the club's first Swedish Championship title in football. But their form is faltering. In the previous round, they dropped points late at home against Elfsborg, and now they had another potential golden opportunity at home against AIK.
They deserve to win. It's too bad. We're not going to throw away this match, says Sirius' Isak Bjerkebo to TV4 Play.
Great anger at Sirius
The first half was temporarily halted when smoke from pyrotechnics in the stands spread across the pitch. The players made their way to the touchline during the interruption, which lasted about two minutes.
AIK were the first to find the net after the break. Axel Kouamé made it 1–0 with a well-placed long-range shot.
The visitors' lead was short-lived, however. Just a minute later, Joakim Persson scored for the third time in two games to equalize for Sirius.
But AIK continued to press. Just before the break, Taha Ayari was brought down in the penalty area by Soumah, and the referee pointed to the spot, sparking enormous anger among the Sirius players. Hove made no mistake from the spot, easily slamming in his ninth goal of the season.
A thrilling ending awaits?
After the break, Sirius pressed hard against an AIK side that defended tooth and nail. Joakim Persson came closest with just over 20 minutes left, but his header hit the post. No more goals followed, and the disappointed Sirius players sat on the grass after the final whistle.
Although there may not be loud cheers for the victory in the black and yellow parts of Stockholm, the mood is probably much brighter elsewhere in the capital. Djurgården and Hammarby now have one last golden opportunity to get seriously involved in the title race before the final rounds of the Allsvenskan.
Sirius have 55 points, with five games left to play. Djurgården have 47 and Hammarby 46, and both have a game in hand. It's set for drama.
"Of course it's nerve-wracking. I can't say that many in the team have been in this position. This is new for everyone. I get nervous sometimes, and some in the team are nervous, but we're going to get back on the horse," says Bjerkebo.
- Sirius, 55 points, 25 games
Remaining matches: Hammarby (away 29/10), Halmstad (home 3/11), Kalmar (away 8/11), Djurgården (home 22/11), IFK Gothenburg (away 29/11).
- Djurgården, 47 points, 24 matches
Remaining matches: Örgryte (home 24/10), IFK Göteborg (away 28/10), Degerfors (home 1/11), Halmstad (away 8/11), Sirius (away 22/11), Häcken (home 29/11).
- Hammarby, 46 points, 24 matches
Remaining matches: Mjällby (away 25/10), Sirius (home 29/10), Malmö FF (away 1/11), Elfsborg (home 6/11), IFK Göteborg (home 23/11), Västerås (away 29/11).
