When he replaced the injured Jacob Widell Zetterström, 19-year-old goalkeeper André Picornell became Djurgården’s youngest player to start an all-Swedish football match in almost 50 years.
At Örjan’s vall, he faced, among other things, sharpshooter Viktor Granath, who won the shooting league in both division 1 and the super league (24 goals last year for Västerås) before he also scored in his Allsvenskan debut for Halmstad, in the premiership win at home against AIK.
— André is a stable guy and will do his thing based on where he is today, DIF coach Kim Bergstrand told Discovery shortly before kick-off.
First Allsvenskan goal
But 18 minutes into the match, the goalkeeper misjudged a corner and Gabriel Wallentin was able to score 1–0. The goal was Wallentin’s first in the Allsvenskan and the guests thus ended up at a disadvantage for the first time in this year’s Allsvenskan.
— It was my first senior goal of my career. It feels fantastic. I jumped and the ball just landed on my head, said a lyrical Valentine.
After the goal, the visitors took on more and more and after a corner Marcus Danielsson got an open goal. But the centre-back did not get a hit and the seemingly outwitted Malkolm Nilsson Säfqvist managed to get back to wave the ball away from the goal.
In the last second of the half, Oliver Berg also got an open position, but missed the goal frame.
— It’s hard to be 1-0 down after conceding a corner. We are in a zone and then it is up to us to take our zones, and now they were stronger. It’s too bad. Then of course I’ll score in my position, but I can’t get the shot, says Danielsson.
There were no clear chances
The first 20 minutes of the second half were a game against Halmstad’s goal, but the clear chances did not materialize and Djurgården brought in Jacob Bergström and Gustav Wikheim to sharpen up to the final third.
But instead it was Halmstad who stood up and Erik Ahlstrand slotted home his second goal of the season at Picornell’s far post.
The majority of the 7,257 cheered in the spring sun. It had been 16 years since Halmstad BK won their first two home games in the Allsvenskan. Then the team was led by Janne Andersson. Would the home audience finally get to see history repeat itself?
When the referee showed eight additional minutes, a certain nervousness spread in the home stands. But a few more goals didn’t fall and the answer would be yes.
Even in the next match at Örjan’s vall, a visit from the capital region is expected as the top of the table Brommapojkarna will come to visit.
For Djurgården, the match was the second in a row without a goal going forward.