The first round of the Allsvenskan delivered a narrow victory for Almuña, who saw off Västerås 3:2 at home on Friday evening. The visitors took control early and held their nerve when the hosts pushed back. By then the pattern was clear — Almuña were the sharper side, and they paid for a sloppy opening with a late rally that never quite caught up.
The standings after one game show Almuña sitting fourth, while Västerås are eleventh. Both sides have zero points so far, which tells you little about the season to come. To be fair, the table will look very different by mid-October.
Västerås arrived with mixed form, having lost their opening fixture 3:2 to Leksand before beating Mora 2:1 further back. Almuña came in with a win over Spartak Sarpsborg 4:3, after a heavy defeat to AIK. The visitors had already beaten Västerås 3:0 earlier in September, so there was history between them that added an edge to the encounter.
We had backed the hosts at 45 per cent confidence, but the match went another way. Almuña took the game away early, camped in the final third and saw it out when Västerås ran out of steam. The prediction didn't materialize, and the visitors made it count.
The result leaves Almuña on positive footing after their opening win, while Västerås will need to regroup quickly. Three points separate them in the table, but the season is long and points don't mean much yet.
