After a fierce battle at Eleda Stadium in Malmö, Sergio Peña could score the equalizer, which meant 2–2, with a dream finish in the cross.
Thus, the Swedish championship team can conclude that the dream of a European Championship is not quite dead yet. But despite that, it was not just happy faces from the home players.
It's a bit sour. It feels like we're closer to 3–2 than them. So you're a bit angry now, says Taha Ali and continues:
We felt that we had control of the match. But "Gala" has quality. They don't need many chances to score. But it's clear, we're a bit disappointed.
17-year-old got the chance
Maybe 17-year-old Joakim Persson was the one who was most relieved about the equalizer.
MFF goalkeeper got the chance when Ricardo Friedrich was absent due to illness, and Johan Dahlin has been injured for a long time. Just eleven days ago, Persson made his A-team debut for the club. A match that was also his senior debut in all contexts.
But a meeting with Torslanda in the Swedish Cup is one thing. Galatasaray in the European League is another.
In the Turks' 2–1 goal, signed Yunus Akgün, Persson made a questionable intervention.
The cross means that Malmö's chance to reach the final still exists. The Skåne team is in 30th place out of the 36 teams playing in the tournament, with four points in six matches. The top 24 teams will advance to the final. Next, they will face a home match against Dutch Twente on January 23.
Elfsborg took an important win
A bit later, it was time for Elfsborg to complete the Swedish participation in the European Championship. Then it became a success for the Borås team.
At home at Borås Arena, the team took their second win in the European League, after defeating Azerbaijani Qarabag 1–0. Ahmed Qasem stood for the decisive nod at a corner after just over an hour of play.
The win means for Elfsborg that they take a big step towards the final. The team currently holds the 24th and final playoff spot, with seven points and two matches remaining.
For Elfsborg, French Nice awaits in the next round.
