Published 2024-03-04 20.21
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Hammarby took the lead following Nahir Besara’s free kick.
But Mjällby is through to the quarter-finals of the Swedish Cup.
– It feels like crap to be Shaquille Pinas right now, says the Hammarby player.
After an even start at Tele2 Arena, Hammarby worked their way into the half with more and more. But it was never really dangerous once morest Mjällby, who defended well.
– The last 25 minutes are by far the best we have done this year. It’s very close many times, but those big goal chances were missing, said coach Kim Hellberg during the break.
Hammarby needed to win to advance to the quarter-finals of the Swedish Cup, otherwise it was Mjällby who would take that place.
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full screen Viktor Djukanovic. Photo: Emma Wallskog / Bildbyrån
Missing Europe
Five minutes into the second half came the crucial moment. Jusef Erabi won the ball from goalkeeper Alexander Lundin and Viktor Djukanovic had an open goal, but the striker lobbed just over the bar.
Five minutes later, Erabi poked the post and Hammarby had weathered. Mjällby got a little breather following the chances. But in the 70th minute, Hammarby received a free kick a few meters outside the penalty area that Besara took care of. The free kick was controlled via the wall and put Lundin completely in the goal and Hammarby had 1–0.
But just a minute later, Mjällby’s equalizer came. Imam Jagne found Jacob Bergström in front of goal to make it 1-1.
However, Shaquille Pinas believes that he steered the ball into his own goal.
– It’s tough. It’s one on one once morest Oscar and there’s a cross and I direct it into my own goal. It’s unfortunate. It’s a good ball and it’s hard to get the ball away. It feels like crap to be Shaquille Pinas right now, says the Hammarby player.
However, Bergström believes that he was last on the ball and also got the goal.
– I’m on it. Then what they think is where it is. It was great to jump in and take us on. The assistant is class. Faith is incredible. He has something that the rest of us don’t and solves it himself. It’s only me who pokes it in, he says.
Hammarby chased a winning goal, but never managed to score any more balls. Bajen is thus eliminated from the cup and misses the European chance.
– Sad, but there is a tomorrow. We have gotten better with each passing game. It is in the Västerås match that we should have got a better result, says Nahir Besara.
How big of a failure is it that you go out right away?
– We are in a process. We want results and a club like Hammarby will demand it, but we are getting better and better.
Coach Kim Hellberg is on the same track.
– It feels awful that we are not moving on. How far ahead are we as a team? That is the magic question. We will hopefully be further ahead tomorrow than we were today. But sad not to progress because we gave ourselves the chance and think we are doing a good performance. We look like the team we want to look like during large parts of the match, he says.
