Allsvenskan 2014
Halmstads BK - Djurgården (2 - 1)
Match in Allsvenskan 2014
Match start: 2014-08-10 at 15:00
Venue: Örjans Vall
Attendance: 5,794
Halmstads BK welcomed Djurgården to their home ground on Sunday afternoon in front of 5,794 spectators at Örjans Vall. The referee for the day was Mohammed Al-Hakim, with Joakim Flink and Tobias Wärn serving as assistant referees.
The match began with a physical playing style from both teams, and it didn't take long before the first warning was issued in the 23rd minute to Djurgården's Stefan Karlsson. After 30 minutes of play, Halmstads BK took the lead with a beautiful goal from Johan Blomberg, assisted by Jesper Westerberg. Djurgården quickly responded and managed to equalize four minutes later through Martin Broberg, who received a perfect pass from Stefan Karlsson.
Frustration grew for Djurgården, and Jesper Arvidsson received a warning in the 42nd minute. But just before the halftime break, in the 45th minute, Halmstads BK managed to score again. Kristinn Steindórsson found the back of the net after a fine pass from Viktor Ljung.
The second half featured several possessions from both teams, but it was Halmstads BK that continued to be more of a threat. Oliver Silverholt was substituted in for Marcus Antonsson in the 64th minute to inject more energy into the home side, while Djurgården tried to bring in Sebastian Andersson for more power. In the 79th minute, Johan Blomberg was substituted out for Kristoffer Fagercrantz.
With only minutes left in the match, both teams increased the tempo, and several yellow cards were issued, including one to Joseph Baffoe from Halmstads BK in the 82nd minute. Djurgården desperately tried to create an equalizer, but it would not happen. Mark Mayambela was brought on for Jesper Arvidsson in the 87th minute, but it didn’t help either team.
The match ended 2-1 to Halmstads BK, who can now feel relieved after securing an important victory at home at Örjans Vall. However, some of the dismissals that concluded the match indicate a game where emotions ran high and that the teams were not entirely in agreement with the referee's decisions on multiple occasions.
GK = Goalkeeper, D = Defender, M = Midfielder, F = Forward, C = Captain, Off = Substituted off, In = Substituted in, YC = Booked (Yellow card), RC = Sent off (Red card)