Allsvenskan Round 3: Four teams stay unbeaten

Malmö, Helsingborg extended their season-opening winning streaks to three as both won in Round 3 of the Allsvenskan. 

  • Örebro striker Kushtrim Lushtaku, Örebro flies over Gefle midfielder James Frempong during Gefle's 3-2 win April 18. Bildbyrån photo

  • Malmö, Helsingborg, AIK and surprising Gefle maintained their unblemished start to the 2011 Allsvenskan, with Malmö and Helsingborg remaining perfect.
    Defending champion Malmö knocked off Djurgården 1-0 for its third win in as many games this season. Helsingborg, runner-up to Malmö last year, kept pace, beating winless IFK Göteborg 2-1 at Gamla Ullevi Stadium.
    Gefle stayed in third place, for how long remains one of the biggest questions of the early season. The Gävle side rallied to hand Örebro its first loss of the season 3-2 at the Behrn Arena. Gelfe has a pair of wins and a draw in its first three games,
    AIK, meanwhile, still doesn’t look a championship side. The good news- it doesn’t look a team bound for relegation, either. AIK played to a 2-1 with Elfsborg at Borås Arena to improve its record to 1-2-0.
    Göteborg along with Trelleborg is one of two teams to lose all three matches played so far. Three more teams – Djurgården, Syrianska and Halmstad – continue to look for their first win but all have a point from at least one draw.

  • IFK Göteborg goalkeeper Marcus Sandberg stretches in vain to keep the winning goal out of the net April 18 against Helsingborg. Bildbyrån photo

  • Malmö 1, Djurgården 0
    STOCKHOLM – Jimmy Durmaz helped Malmö not only claim three points but save face when it beat Djurgården 1-0 April 15 at Stockholm Stadium. DIF lost its goalkeeper, Pa Dembo Tourray, just before the interval when Tourray received a red card for a flagrant foul in the penalty area. Replacement netminder Tommi Vaiho stopped the penalty kick try from Agon Mehmeti to keep the match scoreless. Malmö bombed Vaiho in the second half but it wasn’t until stoppage time that Durmaz, a late second-half substitute, beat Vaiho with a blistering volley.

  • AIK striker Mohamed Bangura scores the first of his two goals April 17 in a 2-2 draw with Elfsborg. Bildbyrån photo

  • Helsingborg 2, Göteborg 1
    GÖTEBORG – Alexander Gerndt collected a goal and an assist to lead Helsingborg to a 2-1 win over IFK Göteborg April 18 at Gamla Ullevi Stadium. Andreas Drugge scored his first goal for IFK to stake the home side to a 1-0 lead. Gerndt set up HIF newcomer Peter Larsson for the equalizer in the 73rd minute before scoring the game winner just as time ran out.

  • Bobbie Friberg da Cruz scores the first goal April 17 in Norrköping's 2-1 win over Trelleborg. Bildbyrån photo

  • Gefle 3, Örebro 2
    ÖREBRO – Gefle rallied from a pair of one-goal deficits to claim a 3-2 win April 18 over Orebro at the Behrn Arena. Jonas Lantto scored twice in an eight minute span as Gefle handed OSK its first loss of the season. Andreas Haddad put ÖSK on top after 51 minutes. Dragan Kapcevic tied the game 11 minutes later. Alejandro Bedoya put Örebro back in front in the 74th minute. Lantto tied the game five minutes later then scored the game winner three minutes from time.

  • Häcken striker Matthias Ranegie breaks free to score his first of three goals in Häcken's 3-1 win April 17 over Syrianska. Bildbyrån photo

  • BK Häcken 5, Syrianska 1
    SÖDERTÄLJE – Matthias Ranegie scored the first hat trick of the 2011 Allsvenskan to lead Häcken to a 5-1 pasting of Syrianska April 18 at Södertaäje Football Arena. Ranegie scored twice in the first half after Kari Arkivuo staked BKH to a 1-0 lead. Ranegie completed his hat trick to minutes after the interval. John Chibuike tallied in the 73rd minute. Peter Ijeh scored the lone goal for Syrianska.

  • Mustafa El Kabir, center, toe pokes the ball past Kalmar goalkeeper Erit Berisha for the lone goal in Mjällby's 1-0 win April 16. Bildbyrån photo

  • IFK Norrköping 2, Trelleborg 1
    TRELLEBORG – Norrköping collected its second win in three games, knocking off Trelleborg 2-1 April 17 at Vångavallen. Bobbie Friberg Da Cruz put Peking on top after 54 minutes. Marcus Pode tied the game with his second goal of the season. Marcus Falk Olander hit the game winner six minutes from time.

  • Wanderson do Carmo and Alvaro Santos celebrate after do Carmo scored the first of his two goals in GAIS' 2-0 win over Halmstad April 16. Bildbyrån photo

  • GAIS 2, Halmstad 0
    HALMSTAD – Brazilian star Wanderson do Carmo scored twice to lead GAIS to a 2-0 win April 18 over Halmstad at Örjans vall. Do Carmo notched his goals in a 10-minute span late in the second half. HBK played much of the match two men down after Joe Sise and Tomas Zvirgzdauskas received red cards in the first 12 minutes of the game.

  • Jimmy Durmaz scores the game-winning goal for Malmö April 15 as the defending champions beat Djurgården 1-0 at Stockholm Stadium. Bildbyrån photo

  • Mjällby 1, Kalmar 0
    SÖLVESBORG – Mjällby got a goal from Mustafa El Kabir to knock off visiting Kalmar 1-0 April 16 at Strandvallen. El Kabir struck at the 73-minute mark. The was the first of the season for Mjallby while Kalmar suffered its first loss.

  • Elfsborg 2, AIK 2
    BORÅS – David Elm collected his first points since returning to Sweden from Fulham as he helped Elfsborg salvage a 2-2 draw with AIK April 17 at Borås Arena. Mohamed Bangura scored twice in the first half to give AIK a 2-0 lead. Elm set up Niklas Hult to make the score 2-1 before hitting the equalizer at the 64-minute mark.
    by Chipp Reid