Växjö Lakers saw off Espoo 3-1 in a club friendly on Wednesday, completing a sweep of the 2-game series between the sides. The visitors had edged the first meeting 3-2 the previous day, and this time they were more comfortable in front of their own fans. By then, the pattern was clear enough for anyone watching.
And here's the thing about these friendlies — they're not always about tactics. There are no goals by minute or substitutions to track, so the narrative is built from the scoreline alone. The hosts had a 4-game unbeaten run going into the match, but that came to an end.
There are no possession figures or shot counts to fall back on for this one. The numbers simply aren't available, and that's fair enough. These games aren't always about the statistics. What matters is the result, and the result tells you everything.
Espoo's run of 4 games without defeat came to an end, though to be fair, this is a friendly and the table goes out of the window in these games. They've won 3 and lost 2 of their last 5, with the defeats coming against Växjö and two Swedish sides. Not a disaster, but not a statement either.
Växjö, meanwhile, have now beaten Espoo in both meetings this pre-season. They'll make life awkward for the hosts if these fixtures were meant to be a preview of something more. For now, it's just 2 results in a row for the visitors, and that's enough to build on.