Hammarby Wins Derby Against AIK with Bea Sprung's Goal

She knows how to win SM gold after the years in Rosengård. There she managed three - and then she's only 20 years old. She also sensed where it was heading with last season's absolute superior team in Swedish elite football.

That's why she took the step to Hammarby this summer.

The first full hit came in the 7-0 crush against Växjö in the previous round.

Dream start

Three minutes into the derby at Kanalplan on Södermalm came the second. Hammarby pushed on directly with speed and people. Asato Miyagawa picked up a rebound from Smilla Holmberg's attack into the penalty area, served Sprung whose left shot slipped in behind Jada Whyman.

Dream start. Easily leading. But no walk in the park was waiting.

Hammarby's game superiority was marked, but the dominance led to few clear scoring opportunities. The reasons were mainly two. The precision in the decisive passes was often weak. And Whyman excelled in the AIK goal.

Instead of a redeeming 2-0 goal for Hammarby, AIK was close to equalizing. Adelisa Grabus, played forward in depth by Nova Selin, shot outside in a completely free position just before the break.

Hammarby scrambled together enough chances in the second half to secure the three points in good time, but it wasn't that kind of evening.

It didn't work out. It didn't go. The ability was lacking.

When the performance ability wasn't at the top, Hammarby leaned against a sufficiently high minimum level.

Bea Sprung:

Maybe not our best match, but I really think we deserve to win. Then there are sequences where both I and the team could have done it better, but it's a derby, a lot of emotions.

Three points would be taken and three were taken.

Instead of going for "two" in the end, we took a little longer time. The most important thing was to take three points.

Cup finals

Sprung sees every remaining match as a cup final.

Absolutely, that's how it is. I think it can be decided in the last round. There are several teams involved. It's going to be a race all the way, she says.

Already next Saturday, Häcken is waiting - a meeting that will likely have decisive significance in the gold struggle. A winner in Gothenburg takes a big step towards the possibility of lifting the Crown Princess Victoria's trophy later in the fall.

Häcken will regain the series lead with a win against Alingsås on Saturday.

Henrik Skiöld/TT