Kalmar FF v Malmö FF, Swedish Allsvenskan

 

Kalmar FF 2-2 Malmö FF
Swedish Allsvenskan, tier 1
Monday 20 July 2026, kick-off 19:00
Guldfågeln Arena, Kalmar
Crowd: 9,175

I have already featured two games at this ground so I don't need to describe it or the history of Kalmar FF (see previous posts for Kalmar v Degerfors, May 2026 and Kalmar v Sirius May 2023). I don't feature all the games I go to here but this one felt special and so it turned out to be.

MFF have a big away support

Games against Malmö FF are always tough, given their illustrious history as one of the dominant teams in the country. Their greatest achievement was of course getting to the European Cup final (forerunner of the Champions' League) in 1979, losing 0-1 to Nottingham Forest, the goal scored by a young Trevor Francis. They have been Swedish champions 24 times with the latest title in 2024. I watched them regularly when I lived in that area back in the eighties and still have a soft spot for the sky blues (di blåe). Two English managers lead them through their successes of the late seventies and eighties: Bob Houghton who took them to European glory and then Roy Hodgson who later went on to be England manager amongst other jobs. Their biggest star player is undoubtedly Zlatan Ibrahimovic who came through their youth ranks and played a few seasons for MFF before heading off for global fame and fortune. Malmö, like all Swedish teams, makes money by developing young players and then selling them to continental clubs and they seem to have a conveyor belt of talent. They have also raked in a lot of revenue from frequent Champions League appearances though they will never match their 1979 level. As a result they should dominate the domestic schene but the wonderful thing about football here is that the clubs with the big money often get outsmarted by well-run smaller clubs like current champions Mjällby or current runaway league leaders Sirius.

Kalmar went into this match in 12th place with 12 points. They have been rather inconsistent so far but I was impressed when I last saw them a couple of weeks ago against Örgryte (from Gothenburg) when they won 3.-0. They play a more direct game now and press their opponents rather than the passive passing game they have played for several years. They also have more powerful players up front. Malmö have also been inconsistent and are in a modest (for them) 6th place and 15 points behind leaders Sirius.

The game

This was a cracker and a draw was probably a fair outcome though Kalmar could have sealed it in the last seconds of added time when a shot from Carl Gustafsson was briliantly saved by Malmö keeper Dahlin. The crowd was also well above average, swelled by a good away support who easily won the singing contest. The KFF website claimed that over 10,000 tickets had been sold but maybe many decided not to come on a day of torrential rain and a chilly wind - in stark contrast to the heatwave of recent weeks.

Malmö started well in the opening phase but after 13 minutes Kalmar replied with a beautiful goal. Charles Sagoe Jr, on loan from Arsenal, dribbled into the left of the box and laid on a perfect pass to an unmarked Carl Gustafsson in the middle who fired home. Kalmar fought hard and constantly pressed Malmö, often winning the ball and moving forward with confidence. It was a very even contest and it was no big surprise when the visitors equalised after 29 minutes when Noah John scored with a shot into the far corner after the defence failed to clear. But the hosts replied only two minutes later after a nice pass from Gojani found Charlie Rosenqvist in the clear and he calmly beat a defender and fired past the onrushing keeper to make it 2-1 at the break.

It was no surprise that Malmö would press for another equaliser, playing towards their vocal fans. They came close a few times and got a deserved equaliser in the 63rd minute when Adrian Skogmar curled a shot past a defender and into the net. Bothe sides had excellent chances in the last phase of the match but couldn't quite find the net. The hosts had the edge I think and that last second shot could have clinched three vital points. However, if Kalmar can play at this level they should keep well clear of the relegation battle. Malmö are rebuilding their side after losing a few key players but will certaily be challenging for a European place, though a title challenge would require several miracles.

Match highlights

Flares 

One issue I find hard to understand is the use of flares and fireworks in Swedish football. It's mostly the fans of the Stockholm teams plus Malmö and IFK Göteborg who let off flares and I can't understand how they manage to bring in so many despite the body searches. This game wasn't particularly bad and there were no stoppages - in many big games the referee brings the players off several times due to smoke engulfing the arena and it's so frustrating for all the fans who just want to watch the football. What is farcical is that every time a flare was lit there was a message on the loudspeakers that Swedish football has zero tolerance with all forms of pyrotechnics and that the perpetrators will face severe punishment. No one seemed to pay a blind bit of attention to these announcements and a few minutes later another flare was lit. The warnings felt rather farcical as the match wore on. Maybe the police have good undercover work but I saw no evidence that the ultras were deterred in any way. 

I admit the pyrotechnics look impressive sometimes. I've been to many matches in Poland where flares are an accepted part of the match experience but there must be cases where people get hurt and nobody wants matches to be delayed for 20 minutes or so. Either we have a total ban that is enforced, with extra security checks on entry, or we have to accept it all. Simply appealing to people's better judgement has no effect whatsoever on the ultras who enjoy disrupting. Kalmar FF did everything by the book in this match but this is something Swedish Football has to address properly.