Örgryte has been tipped to be a bottom team this year. However, the newcomer stood up very well in the wind at Gamla Ullevi - and earned a point against big club Malmö FF.
After the final whistle, a commotion broke out between several players in midfield, including Tobias Sana and substitute Malmö star Anders Christiansen.
However, Sana downplays the argument afterwards.
It wasn't like in the Brazilian league, where people beat each other up, says Sana with a big smile.
Perhaps, the Öis midfielder admits, a little frustration on both teams was behind the brief altercation.
"If you play in MFF, you always go for victory. But it was just as frustrating for us, we wanted to win, of course," says Sana, who has played for Malmö before.
Christiansen, for his part, dismisses the questions about the commotion completely.
"We don't talk about all that 'gossip journalism.' We can talk about football instead," says the Dane.
Long break
The match was largely influenced by storm Dave.
“Don't go out into traffic unnecessarily,” was the advice from SMHI.
But the Allsvenskan premiere - and Örgryte's comeback after 16 years outside the top league - still attracted 13,360 supporters, including over 4,500 Malmö supporters who had traveled to Gamla Ullevi.
However, it wasn't Dave who stopped the match after just a few minutes. Instead, it was disturbances in the stands that led to a break of over 20 minutes.
Newcomer Örgryte has had a relatively weak pre-season. But so has Malmö FF, who now had to settle for one point in the Allsvenskan premiere.
National team midfielder Taha Ali flashed a few times on Malmö's flanks, but otherwise bottom-of-the-table Örgryte created by far the sharpest chances in the first half.
“Right direction”
At the start of the second half, a goal put Örgryte in front. After a long throw-in and a bit of pinball in Malmö's penalty area, the ball ended up with Anton Andreasson, who scored 1–0 from close range.
The lead held until there was just over a quarter of an hour left, when Erik Botheim intercepted a rebound and made it 1–1.
"No one is happy that you don't win the first match. But conversely, everyone also knows that it is difficult to face a newcomer," says Anders Christiansen.
We show good morale and make good substitutions. So it's still a step in the right direction.
