Tomtarnas 2 - 0 Beckomberga (388182744)

9041 punters turned up at polcirkel, and despite threatening clouds on the horizon, no rain came. Cicerone Pop was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Lance van Schenk Brill and Raigo Pärn. Tomtarnas had chosen a strategic 3-5-2 formation. Starters: Séra - Eskafi, Andreasson, Svensson - Falkby, Brebion, Loghin, Sundbo, Logsch - Ihl, Fineschi.

A 3-5-2 alignment was the formation of choice for Beckomberga. The following players had been chosen: Forestieri - Lundgren, Edentorp, Mollind - Flamholt, Uddér, Alexandersson, Romero, Gabrielsson - Pettersson, Škofič.

Beckomberga saw most attack opportunities on the wings. With 12 minutes played, M. Logsch of Tomtarnas fell dramatically just outside the penalty area. However, the referee was unimpressed, and booked him for diving. 16 minutes into the game, a swerving free kick by A. Ihl almost resulted in the home team taking the lead, but the shot glanced harmlessly off the frame of the goal. Slack defending gave Tomtarnas a chance to take the lead with 40 minutes played, but A. Ihl's cross from the left flank was fumbled in front of the goal and easily dealt with by the opposition. After several obvious shirt pulling incidents, R. Alexandersson got himself booked. The manager of Beckomberga was not happy. It was 0 - 0 at the break. Tomtarnas claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 53 percent.

A foul after 52 minutes resulted in a free kick. A. Ihl cannonballed it, giving the home team the lead 1 - 0. Given a free kick close to the byline, Tomtarnas tried a move that loyal fans may recognise from training. A pass to the side pulled the defence out of position which let N. Brebion slip through on goal. He didn't have to break his stride, and slipped the ball past the keeper to make it 2 - 0, 63 minutes into the game. H. Loghin could have increased the lead after 79 minutes, but his shot hit the post after a nice combination in the middle of the park. A scuffle developed as players from both sides clashed following a tussle in the centre of the field 80 minutes into the match. After regaining order and consulting his linesman, the referee called Tomtarnas's P. Fineschi to one side and produced a red card for the player. Due to a severely mistimed tackle, A. Lundgren of Beckomberga spent some time on the grass writhing in agony before he could get up and continue the game. L. Andreasson behaved like an inexperienced youth player after 85 minutes as he gave the ball away to F. Škofič. Lucky for him though, there was no goal. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave F. Škofič from Beckomberga a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 86 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! Tomtarnas's T. Falkby went down after a savage challenge, but could continue playing after some medical attention. 89 minutes in, Tomtarnas's N. Brebion received a yellow card for going into a challenge studs first. Beckomberga had to make a substitution after 89 minutes. A. Lundgren limped off the field and was replaced by A. Lundstad. Tomtarnas's L. Andreasson had an excellent opportunity after 89 minutes, shooting after receiving a pass from the right hand side, but he missed the goal by miles! Tomtarnas enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 59 percent of possession.

H. Loghin performed admirably for Tomtarnas. On the other hand, L. Andreasson's play was disheartening. Beckomberga's top performer was clearly R. Alexandersson. B. Pettersson turned in a dismal performance, however. The match ends 2 - 0.