The setting was not a problem. The stands were packed with people, with around 4,000 away supporters in attendance. Those who had hoped for entertainment and finesse had to settle for a battle.
It strongly leaned towards the only 0-0 match of the premiere round, but a major blunder in the Gais defense paved the way for the late decision.
Celina threw himself forward and headed in Dino Besirovic's cross.
AIK hardly deserved three points in terms of play, in a match that Gais largely dominated. AIK had only two shots on goal.
As newcomers, Gais won both meetings with AIK last season. Something Mikkjal Thomassen got to experience right at the beginning of his tenure as AIK coach.
It can't get any worse, he says to Max about the losses.
With the Faroese's arrival last summer, the steep climb up the table began, culminating in a final third place.
Many new players
A largely new team was put on its feet in the premiere. New acquisitions Filip Benkovic, Aron Csongvai, Jere Uronen, Johan Hove, and Andronikos Kakoullis all got a chance. Andreas Redkin, 18, was also given a chance and made his Allsvenskan debut.
It's largely back to square one for Thomassen. Defensively, it was just as organized and robust as last autumn. But offensively? There's room for improvement.
Gais pushed on. Heavy and goal-oriented, but a defensively oriented AIK held out. Oskar Ågren's header just outside on Kevin Holmén's free kick was the closest to a goal the match offered before halftime.
We create a lot, but it's the final pass, the final shot that's missing, says striker Lucas Hedlund to Max.
Words he could have repeated after 90 minutes.
Cibicki back
At Finnvedsvallen, Carl Johansson saw his early lead for Värnamo – Simon Thern's deep pass was top-class – equalized by Sirius' Jocke Persson.
66 minutes into the match, Pawel Cibicki made his Allsvenskan comeback after six years' absence. A temporary return. A new suspension awaits – due to him training with Värnamo before his previous suspension was served.
He won't be able to play again until mid-May.
Cibicki got an excellent opportunity to decide with a quarter of an hour left, but Ismael Diawara saved.
Instead, Marcus Lindberg scored Sirius' winning goal with five minutes left.
