Villa Lidköping won their second consecutive Swedish Championship gold, a first in the club's history, when they defeated Edsbyn in the Swedish Championship final on the men's side with 7–3.
And it never became particularly dramatic.
As early as the fifth minute, the West Gothia team took the lead, when Gustav Friman served up some bandy treats. And it came conveniently on a personal level.
Friman, according to SVT, played his last bandy match in his career during the final in Västerås, before he hangs up his skates to focus on his pilot studies instead.
"A bit worried"
And then the goal fest continued for Villa Lidköping.
1–0 became 5–0 before the first half was finished, and despite his enormous experience, 41-year-old Per Hellmyr was goalless at halftime.
It's not good. We're not getting it. You're a bit worried right now, said the Edsbyn player to SVT at halftime.
The second half became a bit more subdued. Despite Edsbyn doing what they could, and eventually breaking the zero, the lead was insurmountable. The white-clad team reduced the lead three times, but the final score was 7–3 to Villa Lidköping, who had been struggling with illness ahead of the match.
"We clench our fists"
I don't know how many in the team are sick, but we're fighting and shitting in it in this match. It's really strong of us, says Villa's Petter Björling to SVT and continues:
Somewhere I think we clench our fists and show what a fantastic bandy team we are. Regardless of who we put out on the pitch here, everyone gives 100% and it's completely magical.
The gold was the club's fourth ever, but historically significant. Never before has Villa Lidköping taken two Swedish Championship golds in a row. The previous ones came in 2019, 2021, and 2024.
In the women's final, Villa Lidköping fell to Västerås with the same score, 7–3.
After the men's final, an ambulance had to drive onto the inner pitch, and thus the prize ceremony had to wait. This was after Edsbyn player Jesper Granqvist got a stick to the throat.
According to SVT, Granqvist's condition is calm, and he is being taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. The Edsbyn player is also said to have climbed into the ambulance on his own.
