There was a derby atmosphere at Gamla Ullevi. Battle on the stands, battle on the pitch, when Gais and Hammarby clashed.
And in the end, it was a goalless draw in the match.
Spring's surprise team Gais met in-form Hammarby when the Allsvenskan resumed in Gothenburg. The battle began on the stands even before kick-off, with over 5,000 traveling Hammarby supporters firing up with Bengal lights, tifo, and singing on a sold-out arena.
Stepping out into this atmosphere is an experience. Good pressure from both sides. The intensity of the match came from there, says Hammarby's coach Kim Hellberg.
The first half was a battle of positions where Hammarby pushed and Gais had to fight back. One battle within the battle was Hammarby's speedy Bazoumana Touré against Gais captain August Wängberg. Time and again, they clashed on the left flank, where Wängberg mostly managed to ward off dangerous passes.
A contact sport
Football is a contact sport. And we're stepping up and so are they, so it becomes a lot of duels. It was a good clash, he says after the match.
In the second half, it was Gais who took over more and more and attacked. New acquisition Lucas Hedlund, with a past in Utsikten, presented himself with some sharp scoring chances. But without result.
Also, Hammarby's new acquisition Victor Eriksson received praise for his performance.
He was one of the better ones on the pitch, says coach Kim Hellberg.
The final seconds became dramatic. Alexander Holmström falls in the penalty area and the Gais crowd shouted for a penalty. Afterwards, Gais coach Fredrik Holmberg wanted to downplay the incident.
It feels like double standards to be against VAR and then comment on referee decisions. I love that we have it the way we do. That it's human decisions that are behind it, says Fredrik Holmberg.
The battle was over
When referee Victor Wolf finally blew the whistle for the last time, the battle was over. Shared points and the teams continue to shadow each other in the table. Seven yellow cards say something about the match's intensity.
The meeting at Gamla Ullevi was the first between the two teams in league play in almost ten years. The last time they met was on October 26, 2014, 3,542 days ago, also in Gothenburg. It was a match in Superettan and it also ended with a goalless draw.
