Allsvenskan | Round 11 | Sunday, 5 July 2026 Borås Arena, Borås, Sweden | Referee: Richard Sundell
Elfsborg had not lost at home to Hammarby in thirteen of the last fourteen Allsvenskan meetings between the sides. A remarkable home record. The kind of statistic that gives a dressing room quiet confidence before a local derby. It did not matter on Sunday.
Hammarby came to Borås Arena, scored twice, and won 2-1. Their first away win in a very long time against this opponent. And a result that ended a three-game losing streak at the worst possible moment for a club that had been threatening to fall out of the title race entirely.
The context tells you everything about the pressure on both sides. Elfsborg entered this match in third place on eighteen points — one ahead of Hammarby in fourth on seventeen. Four draws in their last four league matches. They had not lost in five consecutive Allsvenskan games. The home record against Hammarby was fortress-like. The table suggested a match between two clubs that genuinely expected to be fighting for the top of the division.
Hammarby had their own demons to exercise. Three straight defeats before Sunday, conceding seven goals in the process. A 1-4 loss at Häcken in a friendly the previous week had done nothing for confidence. Milos Milojevic’s side needed something urgently and they needed it away from home against opposition historically difficult for them.
Paulos Abraham delivered it. The Ethiopian-Swedish striker — top scorer in the Allsvenskan in the previous season, the kind of forward who wins matches by himself when the service arrives — got his head to a delivery in the 50th minute and directed it past Isak Pettersson. 1-0 Hammarby. The away end celebrated with the kind of noise that only comes with relief as much as joy.
Elfsborg had been the brighter side in the first half. Arber Zeneli — three goals in his last five Allsvenskan appearances before Sunday — had been central to everything positive in the Borås side’s attacking play. Sebastian Holmén was absent through suspension alongside Per Frick through injury, weakening the side Björn Hamberg would ideally have fielded. But the shape held and the visiting defence — built around Frederik Winther and Victor Eriksson — was solid.
The second goal came through Nahir Besara. The former Örebro and Stoke City midfielder has been one of Hammarby’s most creative players all season and on Sunday he justified every bit of that reputation — three shots on target, the assist the contribution that kept the scoreline moving in the right direction. His delivery or involvement in the build-up to the second goal gave Hammarby breathing space they badly needed.
Elfsborg pulled one back. They always look dangerous and the home crowd pushed them. Abraham and the Hammarby defence were stretched in the closing stages as the home side chased the equaliser. Warner Hahn in the Hammarby goal made two saves when they were required. The Hammarby backline — Winther commanding in the air and on the ground — held firm through the pressure.
At the final whistle, Milojevic allowed himself the reaction of a manager who needed exactly this. The three-game losing streak is over. The fourth place position is defended. Hammarby remain in touch with the three clubs above them. If there was a moment when the season might have started slipping away, Sunday was the answer.
Elfsborg’s reaction was one of frustration rather than crisis. Third in the table, one point clear of Hammarby, unbeaten in ten of their last eleven home games overall across all competitions — this is still a club with genuine top-three ambitions. The draw run that had preceded Sunday’s loss — four consecutive 1-1 draws in the Allsvenskan — had been a warning about finishing. Sunday the warning became a defeat.
The H2H record now reads Elfsborg 9, Hammarby 9, with eight draws. After thirteen previous home Allsvenskan meetings going Elfsborg’s way across the last stretch of fixtures, Hammarby finally found their answer.
For live Allsvenskan scores and Swedish football coverage, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full table and fixtures at the official Allsvenskan website.
IF Elfsborg 1-2 Hammarby IF Allsvenskan, Round 11 | Sunday, 5 July 2026 Borås Arena, Borås | Referee: Richard Sundell
Goals: Paulos Abraham 50′ (Hammarby), Nahir Besara assist (Hammarby second), Elfsborg (1)
IF Elfsborg (4-2-3-1): Pettersson; Östman, Beck, Kamara, Olsson; Magnússon, Hult; Wikström, Isherwood, Mohammed; Zeneli Absent: Sebastian Holmén (suspension), Per Frick (injury)
Hammarby IF (4-2-3-1): Hahn; Skoglund, Eriksson, Winther, Persson; Karlsson, Tekie; Madjed, Besara, Lind; Abraham
Stats: Elfsborg shots 3, Hammarby shots 4 | Elfsborg passes 33, Hammarby passes 61 | Saves Pettersson 5, Hahn 2 | Hammarby defensive interventions 9
Standings: IF Elfsborg 3rd — 18 pts | Hammarby IF 4th — 20 pts (post-match)
