The pictures at Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg on Easter Monday were something that neither Gais nor Sweden's national team coach Graham Potter wanted to see.
Gustav Lundgren, a national team player, suddenly lay down on the grass and limped during the warm-up shortly before the Allsvenskan season opener at home against Djurgården.
"Something happened to his heel," Gais coach Fredrik Holmberg told TV4.
“Suffer with him”
Holmberg didn't know how badly Lundgren was injured at the time.
I just hugged him. He didn't look very happy. We'll see, he said.
The 30-year-old right winger came on in the 81st minute on Tuesday last week when Sweden qualified for this summer's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Seven minutes later, Lundgren was heavily involved in Viktor Gyökeres' decisive 3-2 goal - after a flurry of chances - in the playoff final against Poland.
You feel for him. He has been looking forward to this so much. He is in such good shape too. I suffer with him, Fredrik Holmberg said.
Lundgren made his national team debut in November last year when Potter named his first squad for the final two World Cup qualifying matches and he scored in the 1-1 draw against Slovenia.
Gais, who finished third last year, were the better team against Djurgården, who finished fifth in 2025, during the first half. Jacob Rinne made several fine saves and kept the Stockholm team in the match in front of 17,165 spectators.
“A steady opener”
Djurgården's Piotr Johansson doesn't really agree.
"Steady opener. If we improve a few things, I think we can get three points," Johansson told TV4.
He was right. In the second half, it was Gais goalkeeper Kees Sims who had to work instead, and in the 65th minute the winning goal was scored.
Gais lost the ball and, with a brilliant direct pass from Oskar Fallenius, Patric Åslund was completely clear. A chance he didn't miss.
"Unbelievable. Great fun. It's a perfect Monday in my opinion," Åslund told TV4.
With fifteen minutes left, Oscar Pettersson hit the post for Gais. Samuel Salter finally got the ball into the net, but was wrongly flagged for offside.
"It's clear that the margins are against it. Offside or not, I have no idea. I haven't seen it, so I don't know," Pettersson told TV4.
