IFK Kristianstad — Onnereds: 33:28, Handbollsligan

Kristianstad beat Onnereds 33:28 in the Handbollsligan on Sunday. The hosts took all three points on home ice while the visitors walked away with a solitary point from their opening fixture. And here's the thing — it was a result that flipped the script on expectations going in.

Kristianstad sit eighth after one game, one win, two points on the board. Onnereds occupy twelfth place with a draw and no points so far. To be fair, the table barely tells the story of either side at this stage, but the home side looked sharper from the first whistle.

The hosts carried momentum from their recent run: a narrow 28:27 win over Hammarby IF followed by a 36:35 victory against Helsingborg. Onnereds, meanwhile, had dropped points in their last outing — 26:30 away to IK Sävehof — and before that a 28:29 loss to Trelleborg. By then you could sense the difference in confidence levels.

We had backed the visitors at 52 percent confidence. Prediction didn't come off. Kristianstad simply found their rhythm earlier, and Onnereds never quite settled into their attacking patterns. The away side should have too much for them on paper, but the home team turned up with something extra.

The result means Kristianstad start the campaign with a statement win, while Onnereds will need to regroup quickly. Four more matches to go before anyone can talk about real positioning. The table goes out of the window in these games anyway.