The conditions were clear: Utsikten needed to lose or draw in the match against Öster in order for league leader Västerås to secure an Allsvenskan contract in a jacket.
And certainly hope was raised, both at the Bravida Arena and in various pubs around Västerås, when Östers’ Jesper Westermark poked home the reduction 2-1 with 20 minutes left to play.
But Utsikten, right now in the Allsvenskan qualifying place in the table, were stable in the defensive game and kept close behind.
In the final stages of the match, Öster screamed for a penalty after the goal shooter Jesper Westermark fell entangled in Utsiktens’ Lucas Hedlund – but the referee ruled in favor of the Växjö team.
The article is updated.