Sirius continue to chase the club’s first Swedish Championship title in football, but their form is faltering. In the previous round, they dropped two points at home against Elfsborg with a late goal, and they now had another potential golden opportunity at home against AIK.
Sirius made the better start when Marcus Lindberg tried to score from a tight angle near the byline, but AIK goalkeeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt managed to keep out his attempt.
AIK also came close to taking the lead early on. Johan Hove had a golden opportunity to make it 1–0, but Mohamed Soumah got in the way and blocked his shot.
Sirius furious
The first half was temporarily halted when smoke from pyrotechnics in the stands spread across the pitch. The players made their way to the touchline during the interruption, which lasted about two minutes.
AIK were the first to find the net after the break. Axel Kouamé made it 1–0 with a well-placed long-range shot.
The visitors’ lead was short-lived, however. Just a minute later, Joakim Persson scored for the third time in two matches to level the score for Sirius.
But AIK continued to press. Just before half-time, Taha Ayari was brought down in the penalty area by Soumah, and the referee pointed to the spot, prompting furious protests from the Sirius players. Hove made no mistake from 12 yards, calmly slotting home his ninth goal of the season.
A thrilling ending awaits?
After the break, Sirius pressed hard against an AIK side that defended tooth and nail. Joakim Persson came closest with just over 20 minutes left, but his header hit the post. There were no more goals, and the Sirius players sat on the grass looking dejected after the final whistle.
Although there may not be loud cheers for the victory in Stockholm’s black-and-yellow part, the mood is probably much brighter elsewhere in the capital. Djurgården and Hammarby now have one last golden opportunity to get seriously involved in the title race before the final rounds of the Allsvenskan.
Sirius have 55 points, with five games left to play. Djurgården have 47 and Hammarby 46, and both have a game in hand.
- Sirius, 55 points, 25 games
Remaining matches: Hammarby (away 29/10), Halmstad (home 3/11), Kalmar (away 8/11), Djurgården (home 22/11), IFK Gothenburg (away 29/11).
- Djurgården, 47 points, 24 matches
Remaining matches: Örgryte (home 24/10), IFK Göteborg (away 28/10), Degerfors (home 1/11), Halmstad (away 8/11), Sirius (away 22/11), Häcken (home 29/11).
- Hammarby, 46 points, 24 matches
Remaining matches: Mjällby (away 25/10), Sirius (home 29/10), Malmö FF (away 1/11), Elfsborg (home 6/11), IFK Göteborg (home 23/11), Västerås (away 29/11).