The golden shiver barely had time to start before Elfsborg called for a penalty. Gabriel Busanello pulled Per Frick’s shirt so much that it came off during an offensive free kick, but no action from referee Glenn Nyberg. It was an energetic away team, much thanks to the just mentioned Frick, who started the strongest.
After half an hour, Malmö’s wizard Taha Ali came to life. The winger threatened the yellow-blacks several times in a short time. The hottest situation came when Ali, perhaps a bit unselfishly, served Stefano Vecchia in Elfsborg’s penalty area, but the striker couldn’t finish.
Disturbances and fire alarms
It was a dramatic end to the first half, both on and off the pitch. The game was temporarily interrupted after a case of illness in the stands but the game was quickly resumed. The half ended 0–0.
It then took some time before the second half could start. First there was chaos in the away stands, where flares were lit and fights broke out between supporters and security guards. When it finally looked like it was going to start, the home crowd instead started lighting flares and the fire alarm was triggered. After over an hour, the match could finally be resumed.
The shooter king became a golden hero
After the long break, the MFF players flew out of the starting blocks and in the 57th minute also came the redemptive lead goal. Isaac Kiese Thelin arranged a penalty after a controversial situation with Ibrahim Buhari and made no mistake from eleven yards. 1–0 to MFF and a big step towards the SM gold.
The home team then came extremely close to an extension with a quarter of an hour remaining, but Ibrahim Buhari was responsible for a vital block on Taha Ali’s finish towards the open goal. Elfsborg never managed to force a finish and the result stood the game. Malmö FF are thus Swedish football champions in 2023.
– Fantastic. Look at the frame and everything we’ve had, I knew we couldn’t lose this match, says the hero to SVT Sport after the final whistle.