Kalmar happy with one point against Mjällby

Mjällby took one point in Kalmar on Sunday afternoon game. It´s a pity because there was place for a victory.

With 3 games left, Mjällby is at the 5th place.

Helsingborg 61 points
Malmö 58 points
Örebro 49 points
Elsborg 44 points
Mjällby 40 points

Juan Robledo was on the bench one more time.... Difficult for him but Robin Cedeberg is excellent since 4 games.

Adam Berner played some minutes more than usual.

Joahn Svensson is now playing from start since some games. Good for him. He is may be more playing that last year.

Patrick Rosengren was guest start in Kalmar and got a standing ovation. Cool people in Kalmar.

El Kabir scored and is playing his last game with Mjällby.

One more pass for Marcus Ekenberg.

Patrick Osiako was in top form and Tobias Grahn was keeping energy for the cup game of Thursday in Helsingborg.

Wille gave the ball back to Kalmar and we took a goal. It does not happend so often.

Next game Swedish cup on Thursday !

Mjällby - Halmstad 2 - 0 - El Kabir means the Great

Mjällby won Sundays game towards Halmstad with 2 - 0. The contract is thereby definitively secured after goals by Moestafa El Kabir and David L´Onion Löfquist, who has scored in the both winning games with Halmstad.

On this rather cold October afternoon Mjällby played their second last game home at Strandvallen towards an, on forhand, more motivated Halmstads BK. It was cold, but there was also a strong low autumn sun shining.

Despite some really good chances for both teams and a not too slow play at the beginning of the game, somehow the game developed into a light battle between two teams in the middle of the table. Media talk about El Kabir being too fast for Halmstads aging defence - 34 and 35 year old Jönsson and Zvirgzdauskas. But nobody has anything to say about the ages of Allsvenskans oldest player, Patrik Rosengren, 39, or Mjällbys goalie - more agile than ever - Mattias Asper, 36. Not in the slightest any problems to stop Halmstad.

Despite everything the first half ended without any goals. Yawn.

If Mjällby had had some problems in the first half, they where the clearly better team in the second half. But no goals at all worried a little. Until the 67th minute when El Kabir = the Great (178 cm) scored with the head. He got a delicate ball from Jesper Westerberg passed by Tobias Grahn and put his head. Nice!

Another goal from Mjällby had reassured their supporters, but nothing happened - until three minutes into injury time. L´Onion (Löfquist) had been doing a paler figure than lately the game through, without beeing bad. In his last rush he looked determined to change the judgement of his game. He passed his guy with the ball on his head and finished with a great shot into the elsewise wellplaying Robin Malmkvists right corner. 2 - 0 and game over.

Unfortunatelly L´Onion will miss the next game because of a third yellow card. Also Grahn collected a card of this color.

For the record Ekenberg started well and was involved in some actions especially in the first half. At the end of the game he shot a great shot in the woodwork and cannot be more near to score. Time to score in the next game? Also recent first time father (congratulations Lina and Johan) Johan Svensson made a good game and the home defence was solid. Asper great as mentioned.

Mjällby AIF - Halmstads BK 2-0 (0-0)

1-0 (67) Moestafa El Kabir, 2-0 (93) David Löfquist
Yellow cards, Mjällby: David Löfquist, Tobias Grahn. Halmstad: Tomas Zvirgzdauskas, Joe Sise, Jonas Gudni Saevarsson, Tommy Jönsson.
Referee: Sven–Martin Åkesson, Kode.
Spectators: 2 820.

Mjällby (4–4–2): Mattias Asper – Jesper Westerberg, Patrik Rosengren, Robin Cederberg, William Leandersson – David Löfquist, Daniel Nilsson, Tobias Grahn, Johan Svensson (Peter Gitselov 74) – Moestafa El Kabir (Emanuel Svensson 89), Marcus Ekenberg.

Halmstad (4–2-3–1): Robin Malmkvist – Tomas Zvirgzdauskas, Tommy Jönsson, Ryan Miller, Mikael Rosén – Emil Salomonsson, Jonas Gudni Saevarsson (Kristoffer Thydell 83), Anel Raskaj (Anselmo 75), Michael Görlitz, Marcus Olsson – Joe Sise.

Just four more games to play, three of them of Allsvenskan and one (or maybe two) of the Swedish Cup:

Next game: 24 October Kalmar FF - Mjällby
Semifinals of the Swedish Cup: 28 October Helsingborg - Mjällby
Next and last game at home: 1 November Mjällby - Åtvidaberg
Last game of the year: 7 November Malmö FF - Mjällby

IFK Göteborg 0 - 0 MAIF

Calm weather with slight rain this sunday in Gothenburg.
The grass of Gamla Ullevi looked like Strandvallen 1st of April 2010: completely crappy and bump.
Mjällby owned the first half, the second was more even. Alert at the 12th minute, Westerberg almost scored *against* with a very nice volley, but Asper was awake.
Good intentions in the middle, but too much inaccuracy in passes, often too long. Ball fault? IFK suffered of the same problem and it's their usual ball. Pitch problem? Rain problem?

Both defenses were very good at neutralizing attackers, and both keepers covered the rest. MAIF attackers lacked precision in front of the box, Hysén likewise (it's pretty much a one-man-show at IFK, which you can expect from their 4-2-3-1).

The veterans Asper and Bagarn were as good as we're used to.
Cederberg in great form like against the Zoo. Wille and Danne good. Osiako good at times but uneven. Johan Svensson OK. Löken in great form too. Westerberg and Eken were disappointing, did not succeed much anything at all, it smells the bench for next game. Gits in good form.

Robledo was not here but it was ok, has he lost his place? Same for Grahn.
Keep rotating Peter Swärd, the players must want be on the pitch.