IK Sävahov beat IFK Skogehov 25:34 in the Swedish Cup on Friday evening. The result shifts the standings in a way that matters more than the scoreline suggests. Skogehov's unbeaten run through three matches came to an abrupt halt, while Sävahov held their position at the top of the table.
Both sides arrived having played three games already and sharing first place. The home side sat on six points from three wins, Sävahov four points from two victories and a draw. By then you'd expect the hosts to carry momentum, and here's the thing — they did, until they didn't. The visitors let the tie slip away in the second half, or rather Skogehov let it slip.
Skogehov had ended a barren spell with back-to-back wins before this fixture, winning 33:28 and 40:36 in their two most recent outings. Sävahov looked less convincing against Tumba, winning 37:28 after a 33:26 result the week before. To be fair, neither side had been tested by opposition of this calibre yet, and neither side was ready for what came.
Our prediction back in August gave Skogehov the win at 56 per cent confidence. That didn't materialise, and there's no need to dress it up — the visitors simply outworked the hosts when it counted. Skogehov kept their side in it for long stretches, but Sävahov weathered the storm and put the game to bed early in the closing stages.
The standings now show Skogehov dropping to second on five points, while Sävahov move clear with seven. A result like this tends to make people talk about favourites and underdogs, but the market has overreacted to the headline. Three points separate these sides after just four rounds, and the cup still has plenty of rounds left.