Elfsborg and Djurgarden Off to Strong Starts as Hacken and BP Play to a Draw

Hacken 2-2 Brommapojkarna

Two teams eyeing a top-half finish kicked off their seasons with an exciting draw in Gothenburg.

Brommapojkarna faced pressure early on but struck first in just the eighth minute, when Mads Hansen’s delicate cross was neatly nodded down by Lukas Bjorklund, and somehow David Andersson in the Hacken goal let it slip beneath him.

On the brink of half-time, an Amor Layouni cross almost resulted in an own goal from the BP defence, signalling what was to unfold in the second half. Two minutes after the break, Layouni sent a cross over to Adrian Svanback, who found the net with a well-placed volley at the far post.

With 20 minutes remaining, Hacken turned the match in their favour; a cross from the left wing deflected off everyone except for Layouni on the right, and his powerful ball across the face of goal inadvertently hit Jordan Simpson and went in off him for an own goal.

However, Hacken couldn’t hold on for the win. In the 89th minute, the home side’s defence faltered as Brommapojkarna relentlessly pressed for a goal. Oliver Zanden laid it back for Andreas Troelsen, who unleashed a stunning long-range effort that swerved into the net to equalise.

Elfsborg 2-0 Goteborg

Last season was a tale of two halves for these clubs, with Goteborg rising from obscurity to secure a European spot, while Elfsborg experienced a disappointing tail-off after initially occupying European positions.

Elfsborg, however, commenced this campaign under a new manager, Bjorn Hamberg, after Oscar Hiljemark’s departure to Pisa in Serie A. The home side marked their new chapter with a victory.

They had to wait until just before the hour mark for their first goal, but it was certainly worth the wait. Simon Olsson’s pass set up Taylor Silverholt, who beat the offside trap, controlled it with his chest, turned, and volleyed into the bottom corner.

Only seven minutes later, the second goal came when a corner was cleared out to the right, where Olsson delivered a curling cross that found Julius Magnusson, whose header just had enough power to beat Elis Bishesari and hit the post before going in.

IFK Goteborg struggled to capitalise on their chances, managing just a single shot on target throughout the match, leading to a disappointing opening day defeat. For Elfsborg, this was only their second win in 13 Allsvenska matches.

GAIS 0-1 Djurgarden

The opening round concluded with another fixture in Gothenburg, where the home team GAIS aimed for a strong start to a campaign that includes European football. However, they faced a setback right before kick-off as Sweden international Gustav Lundgren was injured during the warm-up.

Regardless of the impact of that injury, GAIS were set for a challenging afternoon against a determined Djurgarden side, eager to reclaim their European status. The only goal came midway through the second half.

The Iron Stoves regained possession in the GAIS half, allowing Oskar Fallenius to play an exquisite through ball that sliced through the home defence and was collected by Patric Aslund, who confidently slotted it home.

While the table holds little significance after just one round, it’s noteworthy that reigning champions Mjallby find themselves at the bottom, albeit only due to alphabetical order. Djurgarden and Elfsborg join the ranks of six teams to commence their seasons with a victory.