It is a small sensation in Sweden with the coronation of Pitea who wins the Damallsvenskan for the first time. The most elite northern club in Sweden (temperatures are already negative) had never done better than third, in 2015, before winning the championship trophy this year.

This title, they won on the last day with '' help '' from Gothenburg who beat Rosengard in this final of Damallsvenskan. Before this final meeting, the Malmö club was leading the championship after beating Pitea (1-0) on the 21st day, thanks to a goal from Anja Mittag, the German goleadora and top scorer in the Swedish championship this year. season.

The coronation of Pitea, Rosengard lost everything
In the standings, Rosengard had returned to Pitea, both teams tied for points and a goal difference favorable to Rosengard. At one point of the leading pair, there was FC Göteborg, and therefore a final decisive day for both the title and qualifying in the Champions League.

At this game, Rosengard lost everything on this 22nd fateful day. Led 2-0 in Gothenburg, Rosengard finally returned to the score (2-2) thanks to a doubling of Elin Rubensson. But with Pitea's victory over Växjö (6-1), Caroline Seger's teammates were second. At the end of the match, Göteborg added two new goals to finally win 4-2.

First to kick off, Rosengard finished third behind Pitea and Gothenburg. A small earthquake in Sweden while the Malmö club is also unfavorable in the Champions League after losing at home to Slavia Prague (2-3) in the 1/8 round of first leg. Next season, it will be the first time since 2010 that the club Malmö will not be present in European Cup.

Since 2013, Rosengard has shared all the trophies with Linköpings (championship and national cup), a supremacy that ends today even though Rosengard won the last Swedish Cup in the spring.

The triumph of a modest team
The title won by Pitea is a sensation after the Linköpings double in 2016 and 2017, a reigning champions who finished the season in fifth place. Pitea is neither the best attack nor the best defense, counts in its ranks the best scorer, the best passer and only a handful of international, including the Nigerian defender Faith Ikidi.

For example, the top two scorers Julia Karlenäs and Nina Jakobsson had their first start in the Swedish squad at the beginning of the month in a friendly match against Norway. A team where we also find a former Lyon, Andrea Norheim, the young Norwegian striker passed by OL and who contributed to the coronation of Pitea in Damallsvenskan.

An exceptional performance for an elite team in 2009 and who has the distinction of having never drawn this season (16 wins / 6 losses). A success that also seems to reflect the recent evolution of the Swedish championship on the European scene.

A reference league for a long time, the Damallsvenskan now seems to be a real springboard to the big European clubs that are now or in the making, and which draw on the Swedish championship and in recent years especially in the ranks of Rosengard and Linköpings. Clubs that should take a close look at the Pitea team while waiting for the first Swedish champions to take part in the European Cup. It will be for the fall of 2019.

Photo: Damallsvenskan / Twitter

Hichem Djemai