In The Long Read, available to read in the Wolves programme this weekend, Brentford goalkeeper Hákon Valdimarsson has discussed the crazy, title-deciding clash he played in for former club Eflsborg - which came against Pontus Jansson's Malmö in 2023.
Elfsborg had an incredible season, which saw them top of the table heading into the final day of the campaign, and it was Bees legend Jansson and Malmö that were just behind them in second.
Purely by chance, they faced each other on the final game of the campaign, in what had been dubbed ‘The Final’ by Swedish media.
Hákon describes: “It was a crazy coincidence that we played each other on the final day: we were first, three points ahead, they were second, but with the same goal difference as us. We knew that, if we lost, we’d lose the title. That game was essentially a cup final - it was huge.”
The supporters were inside the Swedbank Stadion 45 minutes before kick-off, setting a precedent for what sort of atmosphere they were going to create: loud, passionate and chaotic.
A yellow smoke bomb let off by the visiting supporters filled the air and disrupted the sea of light blue that the Malmö fans had created across the ground, as Hákon and the other 21 players waited in the tunnel.
Flares continued to be lit at both ends which created problems for Hákon (“the Malmö fans were right behind me and the smoke was coming into my penalty area, I just had to try and stay focused and continue playing”), but also for the stadium, itself.
As the players headed into half-time with the score at 0-0, they had no idea that it would be another three-quarters of an hour before they would return.
Hákon explains: “A fire alarm went off due to the flares, we didn’t know if the game was going to continue. Half-time ended up being almost 45 minutes.
“There were lots of stops in the game, it was quite bad - if you play in a game like that, you just want it to be a normal game.”
Both sides, eventually, came back out for the second half, trying to get back into the mindset that a game of that magnitude needs.
But it was the hosts whose minds were sharpest, as they won a penalty in the 57th minute, which was netted by Isaac Kiese Thelin, and turned out to be the only goal of the game. It was Malmö and Jansson who ended up lifting the trophy, with Valdimarsson heartbroken.
He says: “I had a good feeling about the penalty, I had the Elfsborg fans behind me, but I just didn’t save it.
“We had just lost the league. 20,000 people ran onto the pitch, I quickly ran inside. After that, it was a long bus journey home, it was about four hours, and it was really quiet.
"But being involved in those games is valuable; there’s lots of pressure, which is always a good experience.”
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ICYMI: Buzz Bee has been taken by the Beekeeper - but who's under the mask? It's your job, along with the Brentford squad, to follow the clues across the Bees' 2024/25 programme covers to try and find out.
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