Swedish Cup Group Stage - Game 3 - Halmstad (Home)
Our final group match against Halmstad. They are on 4 points, and we are on 6, so we need only a draw to progress. I will be very disappointed if we don’t win though!
Linnes put in a cross in the 19th minute, and it took the slightest deflection off a defender in the box, and Forsberg was on hand to tap it home.
He almost had another just 6 minutes later, but his tight angle shot was saved behind. Helander headed the resulting corner high.
Ricardinho picked up a knock and was replaced in the 31st minute by Bengtsson.
KBH played Forsberg through in the 36th, but he fired over from just outside the box.
He was teed up again by the Korean just a minute later, but this time his effort was straight into the keeper’s stomach.
Another minute later, his long range effort missed the right post.
Thern’s effort from the edge of the box from a 45th minute corner seemed destined for the roof of the net, but was well saved.
Bengtsson was put through in the 1st minute of stoppage time by Molins but was denied at close range.
The corner resulted in another corner, which was cleared. A long ball found Milosevic who was still in the box, but his shot struck the side netting just wide of the top right corner.
At half time, the corner count stood at 11-1.
KBH opened his Malmö account in the 55th after Molins played him through.
In the 60th, Bengtsson did brilliantly to keep the ball in play, before swivelling and sending in a cross to the back post, where Molins rose above his man to nod home.
Halmstad nearly pulled one back just a minute later, but KSG made an acrobatic save to keep the visitors out.
Biro-Biro came on for Possebon in the 65th, and pushed Ajer up to CM.
Despite his new player instruction to shoot less often, Forsberg had another go from well outside the box - straight into the arms of the keeper. He was replaced by Thauvin in the 71st, the Frenchman making his debut.
In the 72nd, KBH dribbled between 3 defenders before unleashing a vicious shot from range, which beat the keeper but struck the upright!
An 83rd minute free kick went through at least 5 players before being hammered into the net by the Halmstad player.
In the 88th, an attempted through ball appeared to be trickling harmlessly past our post and out for a goal kick. That is until, inexplicably, KSG stuck out a leg to keep it in play, falling over as he did so. This left an empty net for the grateful Halmstad striker to tap the loose ball into. Brain explosion from my new keeper.
For whatever reason, it was right back Martin Linnes whose rating dropped after that play - it wasn’t even on his side of the field!
What had been a good performance turned into a pretty poor one by the end, and I let the team know I wasn’t happy, despite the win. 43 shots to 5, but a 3-2 scoreline. Molins was the only player who stood up.
POM: Guillermo Molins (8.2, 1G, 1A)
Thauvin took offence at my team talk, and wanted a discussion about it. I promised I would improve them, because I didn’t want to risk alienating him this early on.
Very manipulative, I know (6)