Alejandro Bedoya and Orebro continued their march towards a European berth while Ryan Miller and Ljungskile emerged the victor in a goal-fest versus Jonkopings.
Kalmar 1 - 3 Orebro
Orebro's chances at playing in next year's Europa League got a big boost after thumping third place Kalmar on Sunday afternoon at Fredriksskans Stadium in Kalmar.
Alejandro Bedoya started at central midfielder for head coach Sixten Bostrom and went the full 90 minutes.
The visitors wasted no time in scoring when Kim Olsen headed in Liberian midfielder Samuel Wowoah's corner kick in the eighth minute.
Olsen struck again in the 23rd minute when Kalmar goalkeeper Petter Wasta stopped a shot from outside the area only to see Olsen scoop up the deflection and fire a shot into the back of the net to double the margin.
Forward Ricardo Santos got one back for the hosts in the 31st minute when his first shot deflected right back at him giving the Brazilian a volley that he whizzed past several Orebro defenders and into the back of the net.
Bedoya almost got his name on the scoring sheet early in the second half but his shot from just inside the penalty area was barely tipped over the crossbar by Wasta who saved what would have been a sure goal.
Markus Astvald eventually was the one to get Orebro's lead back to two when he scored in the 69th minute. Orebro played a corner kick into the area which pinballed around before landing to Astvald whose initial shot was saved by Wasta before gathering his own rebound and scoring from closs range.
The victory gives Orebro 39 points as they are now just one point away from snagging a spot in next year's Europa League.
Bedoya and crew return to action on Wednesday when they host league leaders IFK Göteborg.
Jonkopings 3 - 5 Lungskile
The home fans at Stadsparksvallen Stadium in Jonkopings were treated to a total of eight goals as Ryan Miller and Ljungskile went on the road and defeated Jonkopings on Monday evening.
Miller started on the Ljungskile back line for coach Bo Walemark and went the full 90 minutes in the victory.
Etchu Tabe's nagging foot injuries forced him to watch from the bench while Colin Burns and Sam Brill did not suit up for the visitors.
Tomas Backman put Jonkopings in the lead with a fifth minute goal coming off a Tom Siwe's corner kick. Backman had been left unmarked in front of the net and easily scored from close range.
Niklas Lofgren got Ljungskile on the board in the 12th minute only to see Brazilian Marcel Sacramento give the hosts another lead six minutes later when the Ljungskile defense and goalkeeper Niklas Svensson crossed signals allowing Sacramento to slip in and score.
Miller almost tied things up in the 34th minute but his shot rang off the post. But just one minute later his teammate Martin Smedberg-Dalence's shot from outside the area did find the back of the net to level the score at two.
Jorgen Walemark gave Ljungskile its first lead right before halftime as he artfully lobbed a shot over Jonkopings goalkeeper Alexander Nadj.
Lofgren got his second goal of the game in the 63rd minute when he stripped Backman of possession and landed a shot just inside the far post.
The hosts answered four minutes later when Tommy Thelin scored off a pass from Backman.
An exasperated crowd saw Ljungskile answer Thelin's goal when Smedberg-Dalence fired in a free kick from a difficult angle on the left side to give the visitors their fifth goal of the match.
The win for Ljungskile lifts them up to ninth in the Superettan standings with 29 points and three points above the relegation playoff zone.
Walemark's squad returns home this weekend to face Falkenbergs FF. |
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