Edström was the big Swedish football star of the 1970s. As early as 19, he was involved when little "Åtvid" pulled off Swedish football's first major international cup upset. After his career, he worked for many years as a football expert on P4 radio.
Åtvidaberg was drawn against Chelsea in the second round of the then Cup Winners' Cup in the autumn of 1971. The club from the small Östergötland industrial town surprised everyone by holding out for a 0–0 draw in the first match at Kopparvallen.
We had a joint dinner in Åtvidaberg and I remember them saying that "when you come to Stamford Bridge, you'll see some things". They were cocky, says Edström.
Got to play centre-back
Chelsea took the lead in the home match, but Roland Sandberg equalized in the 67th minute. Then left midfielder Edström, known for his strong heading, was ordered to drop back and support the defense.
I got to play centre-back for the last 20 minutes or so. They had a shot against the crossbar, otherwise I cleared most of it and we held out and advanced thanks to the away goal.
It was huge, huge. Enormous. The thing was that they had a giant team in Chelsea and had won the Cup Winners' Cup, says Edström and rattles off a bunch of profiles from Saturday afternoon's Tipsextra broadcasts from English football legends of the time.
Peter Osgood, David Webb, Charlie Cooke, Alan Hudson, Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris...
Edström was named match player in Åtvidaberg and received 300 kronor to shop for at the clothing firm Eric Skoglund.
But he lost his respect for striker Osgood after an incident in connection with the dinner in Åtvidaberg.
Slapped supporter
We were standing outside. An Åtvid supporter came by and said something stupid. Osgood grabbed him by the neck and slapped him down. Then he sank, and so did Chelsea in my eyes.
Djurgården starts at home on May 1. The return match is played in London on May 8.
What chance do you give Djurgården?
They've only scored two goals in Allsvenskan and have many injuries. But you should never say never, the chance is always there. Chelsea can underestimate them. They're probably grateful for the draw.
If Djurgården can keep it tight at home in the first match, like we did, maybe, maybe, says Ralf Edström.
