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It was a lot that delighted the Monday evening meeting between IFK Norrköping and AIK. In part, it was with Norrköping’s overtaking of AIK at the start of the season in fresh memory.
The match that ultimately led to the firing of a man-man player, Rikard Norling.
In part, it was that AIK wanted Jens Gustafsson as manager after firing Norling. But the popular IFK Norrköping coach was not the first. It was Peter Wettergren.
The assistant captain of the national team that all the Allsvenskan clubs (except Malmö FF) found out about when a coach was sacked or when a coach left.
But Wettergren so far doesn’t seem interested in taking a job as head coach of an all-Swedish team.
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Instead, it was, as is well known, Bartosz Grzelak, who has done an impressive job with AIK. From relegation threats to one of the strongest teams in Allsvenskan, where he commanded his defense and made AIK one of the best in Allsvenskan in quick offense.
Grzelak cannot be praised enough for his work with AIK so far. A perfect choice and AIK has gotten exactly the effect they wanted from the change of manager.
Against Norrköping, which is pursuing a European place, it seemed that self-confidence was intact.
Admittedly, Budimir Janosevic had to make a couple of saves early and IFK Norrköping had a shoulder on Castegren’s crossbar. But AIK continued to play fairly decently despite great ball possession by the home team.
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The 1-0 to “Gnaget” was not entirely fair, but came to a solid situation. Sebastian Larsson with his fourth performance in as many games and a reborn Henok Goitom scored the leading goal.
Goitom’s rebirth probably wasn’t many of us who saw it coming, But it is impressive that the 36-year-old during a season like this can look like he did five years ago.
Really sharp.
Goitom’s goal came in the 26th minute and just minutes later Filip Rogic came close to making it 2-0. But the shot slipped near the post. Goals there and I think the match was decided.
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Now the home team still had wear and tear, even though it looked dark when Chrisoffer Nyman was injured before the second half. But it was a new Norrköping that came out in the second half. and above all it was the Sead Haksabanovic show.
He had a home game with Robert Lundström on the edge, and ensured that “Beijing” could change the 0-1 to 2-1 in four minutes early in the second half.
He first played Jonathan Levi for the tie and then hit the corner where Henrik Castegren nodded. Here and there Norrköping seemed the most attractive. They pushed to resolve the match with a 3-1 goal. 6-1 at the end at the beginning of the second impressed.
But AIK managed to resist. And when Grzelak took Lundström out and put in Mikael Lustig, took out Rogic and put in Sigthorsson in the 61st minute and then replaced Otieno and Hussein another five minutes later, AIK took on new energy.
The funny effect would also appear again, when Sebastian Larsson made it 2-2 in the final score on penalties with two minutes remaining. This after a fairly clear hand on Lars Krogh-Gerson. Of course it is possible to argue whether AIK deserved a point, Norrköping felt like the strongest team.
But AIK has the flow, the shape and, above all, a completely different stability than before. Thanks Bartosz Grzelak for that.
This time 2-2 felt a bit like a coach win, thanks to the four substitutions in the second half.
And even though Jens Gustafsson was quite angry when the final signal sounded, his team is out of luck with the decisions this season, he still feels like Norrköping with this game, he is still favorite to come second behind Malmö FF.
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