Swedes savour beating Besiktas
Friday, September 16, 2005
Article summary
"Swedish football is still alive" was the message coming out of Stockholm this morning after Malmö FF restored battered Allsvenskan pride last night.
Article body
Renewed hope
Having been knocked out of the third and final UEFA Champions League qualifying round by FC Thun, a tie they were expected to win, and with their chances of retaining the Swedish title all but vanquished, Malmö gave themselves and Swedish club football renewed hope by stunning Besiktas in Istanbul. Brazilian striker Afonso Alves settled the first round first-leg fixture with a superb 70th-minute finish, although goalkeeper Mattias Asper - a former Besiktas favourite - did as much as any visiting player to ensure glory.
'Great feeling'
Asper, who both took to and left the field to the applause of the home faithful, reflected on "easily my best performance of the season". The 31-year-old former Swedish international added, somewhat modestly: "A couple of my saves were quite OK. I was quite popular down here and it feels great to get such a reception from the fans. It was a great feeling." Alves, the other man of the moment, said: "It was a very important win for us and we've really given ourselves a good chance to go through."
'Obituary'
Swedish teams have struggled to make an impact in European club competition since IFK Göteborg were rubbing shoulders with, and beating, the continent's finest clubs in the 1980s and 1990s. Thus, journalist Stefan Alfelt was as surprised as anyone in the reversal of fortunes, writing in Aftonbladet today. "What the hell am I doing here? That's what I asked myself when I got to Istanbul. Am I here only to write the final chapter of an obituary? What on earth can Malmö do against a Besiktas side which has spent roughly €22m on players this year?
Sweden expects
"The answer was given at the Inönü stadium...Swedish football is still alive...and the game was won by old fashioned Swedish teamwork." The question now is can Malmö keep the Swedish flag flying high in a fortnight when Besiktas head to northern Europe in search of revenge? "This is the moment I've been waiting for with Malmö," said coach Tom Prahl. "We're only halfway through but we're really in a great position." They certainly are, and Sweden expects.
