AIK finished twelfth in the Damallsvenskan table and were therefore forced to qualify to defend their spot in the league. But it was Umeå, seeking advancement from Elitettan, that had the upper hand in the qualifying match after their 1-0 win at home a week ago.
However, when everything was to be decided in the return match at Skytteholms IP, AIK shifted into an extra gear right from the start, and the guests from Västerbotten had a hard time keeping up.
As early as the third minute, Beata Olsson – who had a goal disallowed in Umeå – was able to score 1-0 for AIK with a long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
I felt that I had it in me, I've been thinking all week that it would be so nice to score early and we managed to do that, she said in Viaplay during the break.
When Japanese player Haruna Tabata then extended the lead to 2-0 in the 22nd minute, the turnaround was a fact, and it was Umeå's turn to chase goals.
I fully enjoyed it, I thought that such opportunities only come once in a lifetime, as they say. I tried to spread it to the team and had so much fun today, says AIK's Adelisa Grabus.
Despite Umeå doing their best, there were no more goals in the match, and AIK thus secured another season in Damallsvenskan.
It's tough. We felt that we could be competitive and tried to force it in the end, and came close several times, so it's bitter that it didn't go all the way, that we stumbled on the goal line, says Umeå captain Alexandra Sandström.
