The scenes at Gamla Ullevi in Gothenburg on Easter Monday were something that neither Gais nor Sweden's national team manager Graham Potter wanted to see.
National team player Gustav Lundgren suddenly went down and limped during the warm-up shortly before the Allsvenskan season opener at home against Djurgården.
I was just going to step back and take a small explosive step, and then I felt something happen, Lundgren told TV4 after the season-opener defeat.
“A little in shock”
It was the Achilles tendon that ruptured without close contact with any other player.
"You're a bit in shock. I haven't really understood it, even though I understand that it's serious," he says.
There are a lot of thoughts. A lot of wonderful things to look forward to. But, as I said, I'm mostly shocked right now.
The 30-year-old right winger came on in the 81st minute in Tuesday's match as 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.
Of course you would have wished it had been a different occasion to go there. When you have a lot to look forward to and have the chance to experience a World Cup, it would have been fun, says the Gais star.
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.
This season will be tough to get back to, more or less. I understood pretty quickly from the doctor that it's serious and that it will take a long time to get back.
Åslund decided
Last year's third-placed Gais were the better team against Djurgården, fifth in 2025, in the first half. Jacob Rinne made several fine saves and kept the Stockholm team in the match in front of 17,165 spectators.
In the second half, Djurgården took control and in the 65th minute the only goal of the match 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 tells TV4.
With fifteen minutes left, Oscar Pettersson hit the post for Gais. Samuel Salter finally got the ball in the goal, but was wrongly flagged for offside.
