Malmö crowned Swedish champions

By Jan Juhlin

Malmö FF secured their 15th Swedish title in the last game of the season after beating IF Elfsborg 1-0 at home to pip rivals Halmstads BK who could only draw 1-1 with IFK Göteborg.

Decisive moment
Before the interval, Malmö hit the bar twice but the decisive moment came early in the second half. Malmö were awarded a penalty and although Niklas Skoog missed, Norway defender Jon-Inge Höiland quickly got to the rebound to score.

Fans jubillant
Not only were jubilant Malmö fans celebrating their first title in 16 years, but they will also have a place in qualifying for the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League. Coach Tom Prahl said: "Of course I'm pleased. We got the title after a strange season and a poor finish. We have to thank IFK Göteborg for this."

Nervous start
Halmstad had the advantage over Malmo at the start of the day but initially looked nervous against IFK. Halmstad took the lead at the end of the first half when Dusan Djuric's shot deflected off an IFK player to loop over Bengt Andersson into the net. But in the 53rd minute Tomas Zvirgzdauskas handled Håkan Mild's shot in the penalty area and Magnus Johansson equalised from the subsequent spot-kick.

Coach disappointed
Halmstad coach Jan Andersson said: "There's not much to say. You feel empty after a game like this. Just empty and disappointed. We knew what we had to do, but we couldn't break down IFK." The result meant that IFK took third place in the Swedish table but, by finishing second, Halmstad willl enter the UEFA Cup along with either IFK or Djurgårdens IF, who meet in the Swedish Cup final on 6 November.

Champions League places
Former champions Djurgårdens clinched fourth spot by beating Helsingborgs IF. Djurgårdens join Malmö, Halmstad and IFK as Swedish representatives in the new Royal League as Kalmar FF's 3-0 win away against Hammarby was not enough for them to take fourth place.

Relegation issues
At the bottom, AIK Solna and Trelleborgs FF were already relegated. A win for Örgryte IS against GIF Sundsvall would have secured Örgryte's top-flight position, but they lost 3-1 at home. Örgryte will now have to face Assyriska FF in a two-leg play-off to avoid the drop.