Malmo 3-2 Orebro, Wednesday 13th August 2014

Malmo 3-2 Orebro, Allsvenskan, att. 12,264

Welcome to ...

After a pleasant walk from the city centre to the stadium, through a large park, one of the pleasures of visiting Malmo’s new stadium is the chance it affords to have a look at their old ground, right next door.  The Malmo Stadion was built for the 1958 World Cup and is a much more beautiful thing than its successor.  With its sleek lines and bright white exterior, it’s the very opposite of the Swedbank Stadion.  Perhaps that’s the point.  I wish I’d seen a match there.

Malmo Stadion

As it is, the new stadium has no running track, great acoustics and excellent views.  The fact it resembles a shopping centre, or some monstrous futuristic headquarters of Darth Vader, is neither here nor there.  It does possess ‘the No. 1 sports bar’, containing a mish-mash of Malmo paraphernalia and lots of American junk with nothing to do with football.  It definitely had No. 1 prices.  I paid 74 crowns for a beer (600 ml of the unmemorable Falcon to be precise).  I was sorry I hadn't seen they’d got Brooklyn lager, till I got my bill.  Noticeably, they served Brooklyn in 400ml glasses.

Club shop and 'The No. 1 sportsbar'

The Swedbank Stadion is all seater, apart from the home (one large terrace) and a chunk of away terracing, seemingly cut out of the seats.  I'd seen Malmo on TV and they can cook up an atmosphere.  And since they were four points clear, struggling Orebro were sure to be lambs to the slaughter.  The rest of the stadium, two-tiered and covered in sky blue seats, was smart enough, but gave me the horrific recollection of the Ricoh Arena (the sky blue seats, not the two tiers).

Match action

Upon getting in, I showed a man my ticket, he let me through and as I climbed the staircase I thought ‘this is odd’, as the terrace was below.  I’d ended up in the more expensive seats and it wasn't even by my own machinations.  If anything though, the upper corner to the left of the main terrace is MORE vociferous and passionate than behind the goal.  And while the terrace needed a cheerleader to tell them what to sing, it was constant on the corner.  It was nice to hear something more organic for a change.  But I had to move: the guy behind me spent the first half shouting and screaming so much I could feel the resultant ‘gob’ on the back of my head.  There aren’t many grimmer feelings in life.

The upper corner.

Malmo hadn't been themselves and were two down, both goals at our end.  The first, a cut inside from the left followed by a rocket high to the keeper's near post, the 2nd a defensive mix-up and tap-in.  Orebro also missed a one-on-one at 0-1.  For all Malmo’s attacking intent, they're very poor defensively.  The right back, in particular, looks built for rugby – or sumo.  Next week Malmo play off for a Champions League place.  Should they get through, they'll be one of them teams what loses 6 out of 6.  You see.

Orebro fans

Second half, despite some fans giving the team the bird, most continued to back the home side.  However, they were still going nowhere till off a corner, an Orebro defender went up with his arm and the Malmo player headed against it.  Penalty for stupidity.  1-2.  I think Malmo scored every 15 minutes, right on cue, but I can't remember the second.  Then, with a couple of minutes left, a curling effort from the edge of the box fooled everyone including the fans, as it nestled in slow motion in the far bottom corner.  Pandemonium.  Malmo had somehow rescued it from 0-2.  So much for my pulling for OSK.  I think being gobbed on by angry man had swayed me, rather than my admiration for the 30 away fans who’d made it several hundred miles for a midweek fixture.  (Of course, they almost certainly live in Malmo.)

Malmo's success was then compounded by nearest rivals AIK being held in the Stockholm Derby, the closing moments being shown on telly in the ‘No. 1 sports bar’.  Don’t accept second best!

The Damage:

140 SEK ent

74 SEK beer

40 SEK badge

25 SEK (tiny) hotdog

= 279 SEK

Malmo Stadion stadium plan.

The longest bench in the world (probably).

Horrorshow.  The Swedbank Stadion.

Shopping centre?  Oil tanker?

Sexy angles though...

I spy....Orebro's team coach.

Matchday parking, with a backdrop of both stadiums.

Malmo Stadion.

Heja Malmo!

The teams line up.

Looking towards the away end.

The home terrace.

The concourse.  Prison: Cell Block H.

Match action

Malmo press for a winner.

Sunset over the Swedbank Stadium.

The home end celebrates victory.

Malmo FF's ORIGINAL home (before Malmo Stadion)

Behind the goal at Malmo Idrottsplats.