After a stormy week with a change of coach in Malmö FF, which before the match against Värnamo had only taken three points in the last four rounds, MFF defender Pontus Jansson had a clear message:
Now it's time to stop talking. Now we go out and talk through the results on the pitch.
But after 30 minutes of play, the Skåne team did not have much to talk about. The new energy that coach Mravac was supposed to bring to the team was not there. The MFF players were running mostly on empty and created nothing.
Disappointed coach
Anes Mravac was also disappointed with his players when he commented on the start of the match on HBO Max:
I don't think we're intense in the things we do on the pitch. Neither defensively nor offensively. We have to run more and win more duels. We have to do the basics better.
He didn't get happier when Värnamo perked up before the break. Mohammad Alsalkhadi had a good counter-attack chance in the 37th minute and two minutes later Ajdin Zeljkovic made it 1-0 to Värnamo with a good shot.
Malmö FF took over the match and Emmanuel Ekong equalized to 1-1 after a fine run through Värnamo's defense and three minutes after the break, Pontus Jansson headed in 2-1 after a free kick from Gabriel Busanello.
Malmö FF was on its way to three important points to have a small chance of European games next year. That's why it was a cold shower when Värnamo's Zeljkovic in the 59th minute got a new powerful shot that meant 2-2. In addition, Värnamo's Alsalkhadi, seven minutes later, had a good shot that forced Malmö goalkeeper Robin Olsen to make an advanced save.
Successful substitution
Malmö's coach responded with a double substitution. Anders Christiansen came onto the pitch and just 12 minutes later he gave Malmö the lead with 3-2 on a long shot. The goal punctured Värnamo and Malmö's victory was a fact. The team's first league victory in a month and a week.
After the match, the new MFF coach Mravac asked for patience:
There's a lot that's new for us. It didn't look perfect all the time, but we'll continue to build on this very strong victory.
