SavojarSports.sj - Savojarna Sports Newswire

[Savojarna]

Sports in Savojarna

FOOTBALL

Football is the most popular sport in Savojarna in terms of pure viewership and player numbers. The Savojar football league, called the Savojar Futbol Serien, belongs to the medium-to-lower tiers of the Multiverse though. It is composed of 18 teams, most either sponsored by state entities or by private cooperatives. Historically, these were indeed worker teams, but since the 1970s, the league got increasingly professionalised and is now fully professional. Savojar football is generally known for physical strength and speed. The second tier is called the SFS B, and consists of 18 teams as well. Every year, two to three teams get promoted to the SFS. The Nationalligaen (National League) is a semi-professional league with 16 teams, and also promotes two to three teams to the SFS B. Lower end Nationalligaen teams are typically amateur sides with a core of a few professionals; higher end teams are fully professional and often strive for promotion to the B. Below this structure, there are multiple regional amateur divisions; promotion from the Regional Division 1 (divided into the groups 1A: Ejana, Norderholmen and North Vestrholm, and 1B: Russica, Sumanen and South Vestrholm) to the Nationalligaen is possible but requires prior application and approval to ensure clubs are equipped to run a semiprofessional team. The RD1's top three of each group contest a final tournament, the winner of which is crowned National Amateur Champion of Savojarna; RD1 clubs also participate in the Savojarsk Cup.

Transfer Permissions

Teams in the SFS A are making use of international transfers via the TW. By signing their players to an SFS A team, users agree to the following:

- SFS A teams are ranked according to past performance (with some adjustments by me). There are no rescorinations. Teams can therefore underperform, and your players can be missing their goals.
- Foreign players are treated the same as Savojarsk players - they may get benched, or underperform. If a foreign player is benched, they still can expect regular playtime through rotations, injuries, suspensions etc. and may also gain back their spot. If a player no longer sees regular play perspectives, I will talk to the person in control. While your player is in Savojarna, I have complete creative control over their sporting fate.
- Players in the SFS A regularly get light injuries and suspensions due to the rough and scrappy nature of the league. I will not treat foreign players differently in that regard; however, thanks to wobbly timelines, you may ignore that for international competitions (WCQ, WC, regionals) if you wish.
- Players that get relegated to the SFS B will be placed on the TW automatically unless you express different wishes.
- Players are getting cut according to IC considerations. Players getting cut are placed on the TW. If you want to remove a player of yours from an SFS A team, you can put them onto the TW yourself or request a move via Discord.
- I will place a bid on the TW to move players between SFS A teams.
- I don't make a Foreign Players sheet; however, you're welcome to ask for information about your players' fate. I don't keep detailed statistics, so please don't ask about number of appearances/goals/cards/pies eaten

Permissions for Savojar players:

- You get the same rights in terms of creative control as I am claiming for myself (see above).
- Savojar players can only be transferred via TW or DM; do not move them without my permission.
- If you no longer want a player, please put them onto the Transfer List. You don't have to contact me about it.
- If a player is older than 35 and you don't want them anymore, feel free to retire them (it would be nice to give me a heads-up, but you don't strictly have to)
- You can always bid on every Savojar player in the SFS system, even if they are not officially listed.
- Every Rushmori nation has permission to generate dual nationals or Savojar migrants (Savojar names can be generated by using a namegen for Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Icelandic or Russian names). Non-Rushmori countries should ideally contact me first to establish some IC reason for migration.

ICE HOCKEY

In terms of attendance percentage, ice hockey is the biggest sport in Savojarna. However, due to the smaller stadia and the higher obstacles to young players, it still is number 2 behind football in terms of sheer numbers. The highest - and the only professional - league of Savojar ice hockey is the SHS, the Savojar Hockey Serien. It has 24 teams and is a completely closed league, with many teams having their own youth development as well and collaborating amateur teams. Following a 46-game-season, the SHS enters a 16 team playoff to determine its champion. Like in football, the championship is dominated by state supported teams, even though some union teams could break the phalanx. Savojarna's national team is also highly regarded in world ice hockey and made the KO phase of the WCoH in its two previous attempts. Their biggest rivals are Vilita and Turori, a team that they lost to multiple times, most notably in the World Cup of Hockey 34 finals, on home ice. The Savojar hockey scene is dominated by tactical, not overly physical play.

HANDBALL

The third of the Big Three team sports in Savojarna. Handball is the favourite sport of Ejana, whose two top teams ESK Storevik and BHK Kjefla usually dominate the league. The highest Savojar handball league, the SHL, has fourteen teams, with the SHL B consisting of sixteen more. The SHL A culminates in a playoff final game in Sjoedrhavn every year, which has been dominated by ESK recently. ESK has reached four consecutive finals and won three of them, only dropping the title to BHK once. Internationally, the Savojars belong to the world's elite. The HWC 20 in Abanhfleft, contested without previous dominators Red Blackiland, was the first international team sports title that Savojarna had ever won, and could be followed up by another victory at home in HWC 21.

RUGBY

Rugby, despite being not extremely popular, has quite a following in Savojarna because of its long tradition as a preparation for war. Rugby-ish games were played since more than 300 years on the islands, and they have gradually formed into international rugby. Savojarna only plays Union and Sevens, in a rather archaic mode. The Savojar rugby championship is a special tournament of fifteen semiprofessional teams representing the old provinces of Savojarna. The teams are technically allowed to trade players or get foreign players, but this is extremely frowned upon. The eight teams that end the season highest up get invited to the summer Sevens Series, which is a series of four sevens tournaments with twelve teams (the four extra teams get invited by the hosting province). The eight teams that do best across these four tournaments qualify for the Savojar Sevens Championship, contested in Sjoedrhavn, which crowns the inofficial kings of Savojar rugby. Internationally, the team competes in the Rugby Union World Cup and in the Sevens Series.

MOTORSPORTS

Motor sports, for a long time, meant rallye in Savojarna. There are four major rallye events in Savojarna - the Rallye Sumanen, the Rallye Ejana, the Russica Challenge and the Jarnstad Rallye - which are considered the most important domestic events in the sport. Famous rallye drivers are revered and highly popular. However, recently the dominance of rallye got somewhat broken due to a massive development program with the goal of getting established in the WGPC, the multiverse's main open-wheel racing series. Sigur Bjarnason started his career for Mattijana's MRT in the WGPC 16 and won the constructor's title along with his teammate Rustom Ibuna of Filindostan. The next steps for Savojarna's WGPC program are the establishment of a WGP2 team and attempts to get a Savojar Grand Prix in the next WGPC season, with the establishment of a Savojar team in the top flight of GP racing being a long-term goal for the program.

SKIING

In winter, skiing is the most popular individual sport. Savojarna had an important part in the creation of the Alpine Skiing World Tour and hosted two races as well as the season finale in the ASWT's inaugural season. The Savojars fought a tough rivalry with Dunnes, which they ultimately lost but could somewhat strike back in the Winter Olympics in Prescott, Electrum. Cross-country skiing and biathlon are also quite popular and received a huge boost thanks to the Savojar successes at the Winter Olympics, where the Savojars won multiple medals, including golden ones, in both disciplines. Domestic competitions in skiing are considered top-notch, although there is criticism that its lack of international competition harms the competitiveness of Savojar skiing.

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VI Season Preview (Part 1/2)

Finally, it is time again for a new season of football in Savojarna! The Beautiful Game returns after a recent struggle over leadership and money in the SFS, resulting in an increased share of money heading for the clubs. As a consequence, more foreign players are moving to Savojarna and the local players have been retained more effectively thanks to more available money for their wages, as well as a secured future for the SFS. Who could use the new money best, though? We have projected our top 20 for the new season, and see who can make the breakthrough among the players in the SFS.

20. FK Chemie Frisks (last season: 2. SFS 2)

Switching between the leagues almost yearly, Chemie made it back into the top flight after a strong SFS campaign and will primarily have to fight for their spot in the SFS 1. With their transformation towards development and youth largely finished and a new manager installed in Jotan Baldursson, they should be more competitive than FKS last season, but the season will be an uphill battle for Chemie. The signing of two talented offensive players in former U21 international Antti Roope (from Metsuri Virkaja) and playmaker Fridtjof Jansrud off the Metall bench is a sign Chemie want to leave behind their former overly defensive outlook.

Stadium: Stadion NAK Chemie (capacity: 18’500)
Manager: Jotan Baldursson (41)
Expected formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI: Valery Karyanov - Kasperi Perkinen, Ulf Sundhaugen, Heikki Ristolainen, Kalle Nyhavn - Antoni Parashenko, Lars Torhaug - Joona Pärvi, Fridtjof Jansrud, Antti Roope - Jarkko Kapanen [C]
Most notable players: Jansrud, Roope, Ristolainen

19. Rotor Värstjö (SFS 2 Champion)

Another elevator team, qualifying quite comfortably ten points ahead of Chemie, the purple and white is back in the top flight and has proven that lower-level Savojar teams don’t have to play defensive and physical football to be successful. With the core of their team more intact than it has been for a while given the tendency of Rotor’s teams to be torn apart by transfers, their potential is higher than many years before, but they showed last season that they are not always the best in terms of facing top opposition, which there will be a lot of this season. Nonetheless, their colourful fans and U21 national players Tomas Herman and Ola Lapanen will be a welcome addition to the league, and the signing of women’s national player Alina Lund is a great addition to Värstjö’s strength.

Stadium: Värstjös Samfunnetsstadion (capacity: 22’000)
Manager: Gennadi Simunov (52)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Lauri Kappakari - Pal Stendholm, Anders Hangren, Rasmus Vikborg, Henrik Lund - Eirikur Perhaug, Harald Barnerud [C], Heidi Jordén, Alina Lund - Kasperi Otalainen, Thorgeir Jonsson
Most notable players: Lund, Vikborg, Herman

18. RLSK Pawlograd (15.)

They may be disliked in pretty much all of Savojarna, and nowhere more so than the Pawlograd docks, but this team refuses to leave. With a great tradition, RLSK keep playing a disruptive role to the league, toppling big names here and there. They have added onto the defensive element of the game yet again by bringing in Nepharim centre-back Thorsten Croft, and national goalkeeper Viktorija Petrova will play a key role in RLSK’s quest to avoid relegation for another year. Offensively, there has been very little rejuvenation, but Denis Arkanin of Di Bradini Cup fame will try to lift the team from the Number 10 position.

Stadium: Stadion Alexey Sakharov (capacity: 37’000)
Manager: Grigori Markov (63)
Expected formation: 3-5-1-1
Starting XI: Viktorija Petrova [C] - Karol Taranyi, Thorsten Croft (NPH), Valentina Strakhova - Alexander Mikhailov, Johan Arnheim, Svetlana Namenkova, Valtteri Jovanov, Mikko Karpanen - Denis Arkanin - Carl Mansheim
Most notable players: Petrova, Namenkova, Arkanin

17. Landsmarks Industrie (14.)

Following a surprisingly strong campaign last year, their best since the introduction of the SFS, Industrie need to confirm their effort this year. They have retained Mika Aleksen despite advances from Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, and his tactics will play a key role in this campaign. With his high pressing and exciting football, he has reformed the historically physical and aggressive Industrie side, and has the team for it as well, featuring multiple spectacular young players. Albin Lindblom, the rising star in Savojarna’s goal, will have to prove himself after his DBC effort two years ago, and in front the young Pernille Norby adds more variety on the wing.

Stadium: Landsmarks Arbetarnas Stadion (capacity: 22’900)
Manager: Mika Aleksen (37)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Albin Lindblom - Olaf Sundberg, Victor Malinsson, Jesper Lund [C], Lasse Boedker - Lyubor Karlov, Vitaly Namenkov, Johan Sundbotten, Erik Gustafsson - Aleksander Teranen, Gabriel Klinger
Most notable players: Lindblom, Teranen, Norby

16. Akademiker Savojagrad (9.)

Talking of proving yourself, Akademiker Savojagrad enter the fifth year of an up-and-down pattern. Finishing eleventh in SFS III and ninth in SFS V, they also had finished seventeenth in SFS IV and eighteenth in SFS II. This year, being an even year, we could expect Aka to struggle again. However, there is some hope despite the loss of some important talent and an overall unstable atmosphere surrounding the club. Haraldson’s rebuild continues to establish a more dynamic and entertaining game that could propel them forward, and Nepharim defender Eloise Davison can give them more stability on the left back. The problem of Aka are the budgetary restrictions and weak youth generations that force them to play with an increasingly overaged and shallow side.

Stadion: NUSArena (capacity: 14’800)
Manager: Emil Haraldson (44)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 diamond
Starting XI: Kevin Nordmark - Eloise Davison (NPH), Linus Perkkanen, Martin Rundman, Sergey Martinov - Dmitry Mitryushkin [C] - Alexei Shipulin, Olaf Hensberg - Andrey Ishkurin - Boris Olgajev, Jacob Lirov
Most notable players: Davison, Ishkurin, Olgajev

15. Dynamo Novaya Russica (13.)

Gone are the heydays of SFS 2, when Dynamo have made UICA competition, and here are drab days of disappointment. Mirko Johansson has been brought in from the Dynamo Sjoedrhavn youth program to reinvigorate this side, but with the lack of success came a lack of money and he has to do with relatively few transfers, relying on an aging Ville Mertonen. Jovanova’s transfer from the disbanded women’s team should ease the load on aging club legend Artjom Parvalov, and Zirkova may become of the few highlights of this defensive, physical team. Novaya Russica can only hope their team will finally bounce back.

Stadion: Stadion Dynamo (capacity: 29’700)
Manager: Mirko Johansson (36)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Andrea Jovanova - Arseni Petrov, Ivan Paramin, Polina Zirkova, Pavel Orjanin - Pontus Klingberg, Libor Milanov, Karl Povar, Ville Mertonen [C] - Sigmundur Vilmarsson, Kaapo Terkala
Most notable players: Mertonen, Zirkova, Terkala

14. Transport Hovikkära (17.)

Perhaps the team in Savojarna that is most dependent on a single player, Hovikkära’s defensive football has taken them surprisingly far as long as Joni Virtanen scores. But last season showed the vulnerabilities of Transport when he got injured for a stretch mid-season. If their key striker remains healthy, they should make their way back up the table easily. With the team enjoying an extremely calm surrounding and making a clever signing in Ragnhild Viilanen to take pressure off Virtanen, chances are they can get some points this year.

Stadion: Pohjoiskaivaa (capacity: 46’000)
Manager: Ville Turamäki
Expected formation: 5-3-2
Starting XI: Kari Tuvanen - Eino Kiivälä, Petter Samuelsson, Ulf Johansson [C], Valtteri Uutala, Evgeni Mikhaylov - Kirill Parvanov, Anders Hallbeck, Valerija Pitrova - Joni Virtanen, Ragnhild Viilanen
Most notable players: Virtanen, Kiivälä, Uutala

13. Savojars Vinge Virkaja (16.)

Traditionally a very offensive team open to modern tactics, Hakkarinen has taken it up a notch with attractive football after he came in towards the end of a rather disastrous season for SVV. However, the last season’s end showed the vulnerabilities of this approach as SVV were conceding a lot as well. If their new signings can impact the game, and they can run circles around their opposition, this will be an interesting season for them. If they run into counters and make mistakes in their organisation again, things will get quite tricky again and another low-table finish may await them.

Stadion: Patrik Suhonen Stadion (capacity: 52’000)
Manager: Evgeni Hakkarinen (49)
Expected formation: 4-3-3
Starting XI: Heikki Vantarinen - Valter Kjaer [C], Hans Juul, Boris Olgunov, Toni Antonov - Kirill Onagin, Max Stenberg, Lenka Otalainen - Kasperi Lehtonen, Thorbjörn Vukkila, Mika Salonen
Most notable players: Otalainen, Lehtonen, Vukkila

12. ESK Storevik (11.)

Finishing where they always finish (aside the catastrophic SFS III), ESK are placed mid-table and will place mid-table again. As Freyrson heads into his third ESK season, the team starts to take the shape of the almost obsessive manager. With some of the transfers specifically tied to his own preferred playstyle, a fluid system with a staggered striker duo, he can finally play to his system perfectly as the team acquired a hanging forward. The main question is whether the dualism of the ambitious former U21 striker Vilhjalmur Ruriksson and national team forward Freya Sigurdsdottir - clearly one of the most spectacular signings - won’t lead to tension within the team.

Stadion: Ejansk Stadion (capacity: 41’000)
Manager: Halldor Freyrsson (59)
Expected formation: 4-2-2-2
Starting XI: Fridtjof Rolfrsson - Henrik Nyman, Asta Bjarnasdottir, Halldor Parvin, Sigurdur Arjonsson - Sigrun Baarsjö, Finnbogar Gudmundsson - Arvid Persson, Olafur Palsson [C] - Rikard Helborg, Freya Sigurdsdottir
Most notable players: Sigurdsdottir, Persson, Rolfrsson

11. Traktor St. Andrei (12.)

Continuing the list of teams battling for a top half finish, this is bound to be one of the most entertaining sides out there. Traktor usually pull no punches, and since they signed Slavomir Tesharov to his second tenure in St. Andrei three years ago they have been an offensive frenzy in every game. The back three is providing at least some solidity, but Nikitin in goal will probably still be working overtime. Up front, expect chaos galore as three people try to score and the wingbacks will bear down the sidelines to feed balls to the middle. The deciding question is whether the defence is actually solid enough to withstand counters.

Stadion: Stadion Traktorov (capacity: 56’000)
Manager: Slavomir Tesharov (68)
Expected formation: 3-4-3
Starting XI: Georgi Nikitin - Kari Temarainen, Igor Barushin, Juha Teronen - Krister Marström, Slavyana Oleva, Valeri Makanov, Alexandra Martinova - Matti Sundgren, Borislav Yarkov, Kasimir Samarov [C]
Most notable players: Martinova, Samarov, Nikitin

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VI Season Preview (Part 2/2)

10. Energie Thorsborg (8.)

Energie retain their incredibly large and fanatical following, which together with their long tradition dating back to the 1890’s and their revolutionary history makes them one of the big names in Savojar football. However, neither can overshadow the fact that they are still an unstable midfield team. Following the utter disappointment of SFS IV, they bounced back last season thanks to a young and creative duo in defence with international experience on the DBC level, the audacious signing of the modern manager Lars Walberg and by avoiding major injuries. For this season, Walberg’s system is more set in place and the team has made multiple spectacular signings, not the least from their own former women’s team, but we are sceptical that they can enter the competition for the top spots.

Stadium: National Energiekollektivets Arena (capacity: 48’600)
Manager: Lars Walberg (39)
Expected formation: 4-3-3
Starting XI: Johanna Marqvist - Aiden Halstro, Roman Forsberg, Zibo Olberg, Lucas Bengtsson - Petteri Jantaniemi, Valentin Ljungberg [C], Ågot Sienkiewicz (FKR) - Kristin Vindjammer, Gustav Lindgren, Staale Lund
Most notable players: Sienkiewicz, Vindjammer, Halstro

9. Dynamo Sjoedrhavn (18.)

Coming out of the very definition of a nightmare season, Dynamo have majorly overhauled almost everything about their team. The side had been on the downfall for a while, but finally it seems like the club leadership was shaken up by their near miss regarding relegation and fired coach Gennadi Flagunov halfway through SFS V, then sacked his replacement Terje Klaebo right before the relegation matches and kept U21 manager Simon Hallstad for the end of the season. Kristian Lägg shall now lead the Sjoedrhaveners back to glory, and was allowed to take some money in his hands to do so. Around Hoyberg and Jarnström, there has been some transfer activity with the signing of multiple seasoned SFS veterans, and of Savojar national player Linne Kjaer as the new defence minister of the team.

Stadium: Stadion Dynamo (capacity: 35’000)
Manager: Kristian Lägg (44)
Expected formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI: Anders Jarnström [C] - Leif Jonasson, Linne Kjaer, Matias Rydman, Jarkko Liparainen - Niklas Hoyberg, Victor Loeseth - Helgi Persson, Pohja Ulkanen, Kev Andersson - Olof Johnberg
Most notable players: Kjaer, Jarnström, Hoyberg

8. FK Metall Jarnstad (7.)

Metall recently moved up the table to approach the international places thanks to a clever long-term approach to development and their ability to find players falling through the cracks elsewhere. While Metall retain their very defensive outlook, they have invested to improve their offence, and the introduction of a creative element in Kanarin seemed to pay off last year. Mortensson can now share this burden and lessen his workload, and Björgen is a smart pickup after the dissolution of the women’s league that aim to further pursue this direction.

Stadium: MetallArena Jarnstad (capacity: 44’000)
Manager: Hjalmar Loevith (53)
Expected formation: 4-5-1
Starting XI: Aleksander Smichov - Terho Hytälä, Patrik Hornberg, Hjalmar Staal, Kiki Neturainen - Kristian Boe, Stefan Johansson, Lovisa Mortensson, Marios Tzavellas (NPH) Frida Björgen - Valeri Otarov [C]
Most notable players: Mortensson, Björgen, Smichov

7. FK Torpedo Pawlograd (5.)

Torpedo are one of the most inconsistent clubs in the SFS not the least thanks to their somewhat erratic leadership. Following their SFS III success, multiple players were sold off without any necessity to do so other than money. Again without much necessity, manager Jotan Baldursson (now working at FK Chemie) was then sacked halfway through SFS IV to make the chaos complete, throwing FK into a plunge that saw massive fan protests. Things got worse for the management at the beginning of SFS V, when fans protested again following the decision to remove standing spaces from the stadium and replace manager Tuomas Antonen because of his play being too formulaic and boring. This proved a great move, as his replacement Liyushkin proved to be very good and the new management seems less erratic, allowing the talented side to play in a bit more calm now.

Stadium: Stadion Admiral Rjurden (capacity: 52’000)
Manager: Dmitri Liyushkin (38)
Expected formation: 4-3-3
Starting XI: Jarkko Virtanen - Ylvi Japarainen, Karina Stjernberg, Terje Landman, Oleg Petrov [C] - Boris Grigorin, Vitali Zhirkov, Johan Däll - Jelena Romanov, Pjotr Jamarin, Markus Mellin
Most notable players: Landman, Mellin, Zhirkov

6. ASK Landsmark (10.)

ASK were flying high and expected to take their swing at the title last year, but were brought back down to earth hard after they lost two key players to injury. Without Simon Omark and Dominik Ryberg, and having sold off Carlsberg to Admiral, the Landsmarkers were lacking key elements to make their case for the title. Now, they have plugged those holes by a large transfer activity, the most exciting of those being the reactivation of the old Army partnership in the load on Paddi Gren from CASK. With four players with international experience on their team, ASK are expected to do much better than last season, but may still lack the depth required for a title run.

Stadium: Axel-Nejdur-Stadion (capacity: 46’000)
Manager: Viktor Nejman (53)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Johan Jacobsson - Jussi Arpanen, Simon Omark, Nina Rasmussen, Frans Kirkers - Jesper Groen, Mikael Hansborg, Paddi Gren, Calle Polman - Dominik Ryberg [C], Ilari Litmanen
Most notable players: Ryberg, Gren, Omark

5. Partisan Sjoedrhavn (6.)

This team has been considered a title contender for as long as one may think back: With a deep roster and many players that have at least some experience in the national team, Parti are considered one of the best teams on paper. However, they have also repeatedly faltered under pressure to the point of Partisan choking on their title, or even UICA, hopes being somewhat of a meme. Following the last season’s collapse and disappointment, they have followed another Partisan tradition and replaced their coach, daring an uncharacteristic experiment by bringing in a man from the SFS 2. Johan Sigmundsson has previously led FK Cuprum Grennvik to a surprising fourth place in the second league despite the side typically being a midfield team at best. It remains to be seen how his sober, defensive tactics hold up in top football.

Stadium: Stadion Perl Kruger (capacity: 42’300)
Manager: Petter Härkström (44)
Expected formation: 4-4-1-1
Starting XI: Anders Johansson - Bjarne Thorvaldsson, Aleksandr Jernayev, Rasmus Helman, Johan Karlsson - Steinar Aarsoy, Yuri Zhuranov, Henning Roesk, Heikki Palvarainen - Morten Poulsen - Perttu Karjanen [C]
Most notable players: Karjanen, Poulsen, Aarsoy

4. Libertas Bergheim (4.)

Traditionally a more upper-midfield team, Libertas have the advantage of operating under very little pressure as expectations hardly rise above being in contention for the Globe Cup, something that Libertas have achieved consistently. As a result, Laurison has been allowed to shape the team quite long-term. The big question for Bergheim is how long this period of peace and quiet can go on undisturbedly - if some chaos and ambition gets introduced, this team may quickly be in trouble. Like many teams, Libertas profited from the abolishment of the women’s league by integrating their own players into the side in the person of Ronne and Najmina, but their worries remain on the side: Can the wingers, playing a very central point in their play, carry Libertas through the season?

Stadium: Bergheims Samfunnetsstadion (capacity: 27’900)
Manager: Helgi Laurison (63)
Expected formation: 3-5-2
Starting XI: Lotte Ronne - Andrea Najmina, Pyotr Nemanyev [C], Ola Granlund - Mikael Berg, Ilya Simunov, Thomas Bergqvist, Calle Vikingstad, Alexey Nurkanen - Mika Hakeson, Tuomas Lajunen
Most notable players: Nurkanen, Hakeson, Nemanyev

3. Admiral Storevik (2.)

The last challenger of Thorsborg a year ago, Admiral have strengthened themselves to be less dependent on Voynov. Gylfi Haukason has managed to bring his side together in a defensively stable system, but finally also introduced some aggressivity with the signing of Jotansson last season, and now combines three national players. The major questions of Admiral are whether they have the luck to not suffer any injuries or poor streaks of their key players, as Admiral’s fans are notoriously fickle when things are not going right in Storevik. Nonetheless, this team should be considered for the international spaces as Voynov has proven repeatedly that he is a player that can decide every game, and the stability of Haukason's system allows the only champion of the SFS aside from CASK to mount a challenge every year, even when new players have to be integrated.
Stadium: Marinestadion (capacity: 48’000)
Manager: Gylfi Haukason (50)
Expected formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI: Mikka Juralainen - Kare Runarsson, Gregor Flygstad, Lauri Zirkkonen, Pavel Urkin - Joonas Andersson [C], Birkir Evaldsson - Krister Voynov, Mikael Najman, Igor Vitanov - Arvid Jotansson
Most notable players: Voynov, Jotansson, Evaldsson

2. Lokomotive Jarnstad (3.)

Lok are all consistency - three finishes in the top 3 in a row are the result of the defensive, sluggish style of Rjurik Smolderhøve. Their play is commonly uninspiring, defensive and tough to break down, and there is no reason for Lok to change it up now, as it clearly seems to work for them. While they occasionally unnecessarily drop points for a lack of offence, their incredible stability also allows Smolderhøve to bring out new players in at very low risk, although the depth of the Lokomotive roster means that is probable not going to be required. Another big question is whether the fans of Lok will stay with the team if something goes wrong, and whether the dualism of two goalkeepers that are both good enough to play a starting role leads to tension in the dressing room. If Lok avoid those pitfalls, they are probably going to be the first challenger of CASK.

Stadium: Stadion Savojarsk Jarnsvägen (capacity: 53’800)
Manager: Rjurik Smolderhøve (57)
Expected formation: 4-4-1-1
Starting XI: Hauri Martov - Jorgen Hallsen [C], Trent Ullqvist, Denis Metanov, Ari Ilkanen - Ake Ericsson, Pit Erlandsen, Halvard Oystein, Ivan Grivoshenko - Henrik Ljurbyn - Jonas Hellström
Most notable players: Ullqvist, Hellström, Ljurbyn

1. CASK Thorsborg (1.)

The triple champions are going to go for a historic quadruple championship. Zackrisson kept all of his starting eleven in the club, and this may be a blessing or a curse. On one hand, the team knows how to win a championship and seems like the default favourites following their absolutely impressive last season. On the other hand, many players in the Thorsborg roster are aging and may no longer be able to withstand the fast-paced back and forth in Zackrisson’s tactics. The question is whether the key positions are filled with enough depth to make another title run, or if CASK missed the moment to refresh their roster.

Stadium: Stadion General Erik Harden (capacity: 62’000)
Manager: Rune Zackrisson (54)
Expected formation: 4-1-4-1
Starting XI: Thomas Larsen - Lars Jensen, Johan Kjäll, Mikael Nielsen, Aleksandar Popovich - Jari Livonen - Morten Pahl, Rolf Patriksson, Petteri Hytönen [C], Pjotr Iljurov - Valter Birja
Most notable players: Hytönen, Birja, Patriksson

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Coaching Drama and Goals Galore: SFS VI Part 1/4

Matchday 1
Traktor St. Andrei 0–2 Energie Thorsborg
ASK Landsmark 0–2 Landsmarks Industrie
RLSK Pawlograd 1–1 Akademiker Savojagrad
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–1 FK Chemie Frisks
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Rotor Värstjö 3–3 Admiral Storevik
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
ESK Storevik 0–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Libertas Bergheim 1–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Transport Hovikkära 0–0 CASK Thorsborg

The season kicks off with a surprise in Landsmark, as Industrie upset ASK 2-0 in the Axel Nejdur. Mika Aleksen’s high pressing side manages to completely nail down the ASK defence, and Gren shows trouble to handle the pressure of Industrie’s midfield. Namenkov makes a name for himself by intercepting countless balls in the centre, launching Klinger into the front for the 0-1. Lindblom’s superb second half frustrates ASK as Ryberg fails twice from amazing positions to equalise the game from a great position; and Norby gets to celebrate her arrival in style as she crosses the ball to the centre on a late counter to find Teranen’s head to the 0-2.

Elsewhere, CASK and Admiral both disappoint with a draw against lower ranked opposition. Admiral manages to go down against Rotor Värstjö twice, but everything looks good in the final minutes as a late Voynov free kick brings Admiral up 2-3. After a cross from Tomas Herman finds the foot of Otalainen, the purple and white just about equalises. CASK, meanwhile, smash their head against the Hovikkära wall for ninety minutes, but fail to smash through as Johansson and Tuvanen both play the games of their lives.

Matchday 2
Energie Thorsborg 1–1 CASK Thorsborg
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 0–1 Libertas Bergheim
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–3 ESK Storevik
Admiral Storevik 1–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 4–4 Rotor Värstjö
FK Chemie Frisks 3–1 FK Metall Jarnstad
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Landsmarks Industrie 2–3 RLSK Pawlograd
Traktor St. Andrei 2–5 ASK Landsmark

We’re being treated to another derby in Thorsborg, where Sienkiewicz runs circles around CASK’s defence and Larsen is sorely needed to avert calamity for the Savojar champion in the first half. The Falkyr manages a remarkable pass through the defence onto Vindjammer, who scores off a spectacular shot to the top right corner. In the defensive midfield of Energie, Ljungberg has the game of his life until the 80th minute, when the increasingly exhausted midfielder is bypassed by a quick combination by Hytönen and Patriksson, and CASK’s aging captain himself finishes off the attack to salvage a point.

Elsewhere, FK Metall suffer their second consecutive heartbreaking defeat. Following a late goal by Vukkila in the first game to lose 0-1 to Virkaja, former Metall player Fridtjof Jansrud is central in Chemie’s surprise victory. Metall take an early lead, but Jansrud first equalises with a distance shot before the break and then assists Roope’s 2-1 in the second half. Finally, the first clash of two top teams ends drawn as Ullqvist brings Lokomotive up 1-0 off a corner after a good hour, but Jotansson saves the day with a volley on a cross by Vitanov.

Matchday 3
ASK Landsmark 0–1 Energie Thorsborg
RLSK Pawlograd 7–2 Traktor St. Andrei
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–0 Landsmarks Industrie
FK Metall Jarnstad 2–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
Rotor Värstjö 3–2 FK Chemie Frisks
Lokomotive Jarnstad 2–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
ESK Storevik 3–3 Admiral Storevik
Libertas Bergheim 2–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Transport Hovikkära 1–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
CASK Thorsborg 3–5 Partisan Sjoedrhavn

A classic goes down in Thorsborg, as a sold out Stadion General Erik Harden sees the champions lose after leading twice against Partisan. Karjanen scores first off a free kick, but a flat shot by Birja and Kjäll’s header off a corner bring CASK up 2-1 by the first half hour. Right before the break, a counter brings Parti level again as Poulsen strikes, but CASK go up shortly after the break as Hytönen scores with a shot from 25 metres out. A clear foul penalty results in the send-off of Mikael Nielsen and the equaliser for Partisan, and tips the scales. A spectacular shot by Steinar Aarsoy into the far corner brings Partisan up 3-4, and the equaliser by Birja is called off by VAR for a narrow offside, breaking CASK’s back and leading to another goal in the final minutes as Thorsborg’s ten men get tired.

Even more goals occur in the Alexey Sakharov. With Petrova shutting down the goal mouth and Thorsten Croft playing a dominant game, Traktor’s offence finds no opening against RLSK; following the loss of Teronen to a red card, their defence collapses completely and Pawlograd score three more to an impressive final result. Finally, a highly entertaining ESK derby results in a 3-3 thanks to Freya Sigurdsdottir scoring twice in the final fifteen minutes, shoring up her place against Ruriksson. As a result, neither of last season’s top two have secured a win after three games.

Matchday 4
Energie Thorsborg 1–0 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 4–2 CASK Thorsborg
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 0–0 Transport Hovikkära
Admiral Storevik 4–4 Libertas Bergheim
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–1 ESK Storevik
FK Chemie Frisks 1–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Akademiker Savojagrad 0–1 Rotor Värstjö
Landsmarks Industrie 1–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
Traktor St. Andrei 0–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
ASK Landsmark 0–0 RLSK Pawlograd

Energie’s home victory over leaders Partisan puts the Thorsborger team in the lead. Zibo Olberg leads the defence with amazing control and creates a lot of pressure from the back together with his young mate Aiden Halstro, who almost scores the leading goal seventeen minutes into the game. The leftback suddenly shows up on the second post to be targeted by Lund, but doesn’t hit the ball ideally and sends it up into the stands. Right before the break, Parti get their chance as Poulsen wins a 1v1 against Forsberg and shoots from about ten metres out, but just about misses wide. But in the second half, Partisan start being pushed back more and more, and it is Energie’s joker Poul Andersen who pushes the ball over the line in a scramble after a corner that Parti can’t quite clear.

One day later, RLSK and Dynamo Novaya Russica both have the chance to take the lead from Energie with a sufficiently high victory, but both fail to score in their away games against Traktor and ASK. Especially Traktor keeper Georgi Nikitin absolutely shines as he holds against the dangerous counters of DNR, denying Ville Mertonen the leader twice in the end phase of the match. Elsewhere, goals are plenty as Libertas and Admiral trade blows to finish a spectacular match 4-4, with Voynov and Nurkanen both scoring twice. Libertas will leave feeling a little bit better as they come back from being led 3-1 to take a point in Storevik. Finally, as CASK lose again in Sjoedrhavn, the winless streak of the Top 2 goes on.

Matchday 5
RLSK Pawlograd 4–6 Energie Thorsborg
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–0 ASK Landsmark
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–1 Traktor St. Andrei
Rotor Värstjö 2–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
ESK Storevik 1–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Libertas Bergheim 3–4 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Transport Hovikkära 2–3 Admiral Storevik
CASK Thorsborg 2–6 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3–4 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn

Rotor Värstjö surprised on day 1 by holding Admiral to a draw, and they surprise again as they take down Landsmarks Industrie to move up into second place. The purple and white had followed up on their good opening by beating the teams in their range consistently thanks to a superb offensive display, most notably in person of Thorgeir Jonsson and Eirikur Perhaug, who are recommending themselves for the top teams in the SFS. But today defence is more important as the young Vikborg - Hangren duo closes down the centre and proves their skill in advancing the puck despite Landsmarks’ high pressing. It is this pressing that opens a chance for Rotor, as Perhaug advances the ball down the left side into a gap after half an hour and finds a cross to the centre to the head of Jonsson. The second goal comes in the second half as a flat shot by Alina Lund to the far corner; the lone goal by Landsmark off the head of Teranen is too late to reverse the course.

The other surprise team, RLSK Pawlograd, lose out in a spectacular clash featuring ten goals and three penalties. Despite starting out aggressive and scoring the first goal, Energie reverse within the first fifteen minutes thanks to a counter finished by Vindjammer and the first penalty of the game following an overly ambitious charge by Croft. Until the break, the score advances to 2-3, and Energie pull away after the break as Taranyi gives away a penalty and a red. RLSK’s late charge fuelled by a handball penalty by Olberg shortens the game to 4-5, but it comes too late. Finally, CASK’s quest for a win continues as they get clobbered 6-2 by Torpedo thanks to a hattrick by Markus Mellin.

Matchday 6
Energie Thorsborg 2–4 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–4 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Admiral Storevik 2–2 CASK Thorsborg
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–0 Transport Hovikkära
FK Chemie Frisks 0–2 Libertas Bergheim
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–1 ESK Storevik
Landsmarks Industrie 0–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Traktor St. Andrei 3–0 Rotor Värstjö
ASK Landsmark 1–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
RLSK Pawlograd 2–3 Dynamo Novaya Russica

In the duel of two teams in striking distance of each other, Dynamo Sjoedrhavn’s victory in Thorsborg lifts them up over Energie into the top seat thanks to RLSK and Rotor both dropping points. Thanks to Hoyberg brilliantly orchestrating the offensive buildup of Sjoedrhavn, they manage to exploit the mistakes of Energie and pounce upon the holes in the Thorsborger defence. Persson and Johnberg score early on to bring Dynamo a 0-2 lead by thirty minutes, both thanks to a one-on-one with Johanna Marqvist in the Energie goal. Thorsborg comes back a little stronger and closes the gap with a Sienkiewicz shot from the distance, but a goal by Hoyberg off a corner halts their advance fast. In the last twenty minutes, both sides score once to reach the final score.

Up North, Admiral and CASK draw attention as the struggling giants face each other. With the seat of Rune Zackrisson already unstable, his team seems motivated to reverse course, but is stopped harshly as Voynov drives a counter that Jotansson finishes from close range. CASK reverse the game in the second half, but a late all-out attack by Admiral ties the game as 22 year old joker Juri Sandrejev scores his first SFS goal. Finally, discussion rises in Virkaja as the Battle of Sumanen ends in a scoreless draw, but a disappointed SVV coach blames a contentious decision where Samuelsson pushes down Vukkila in an aerial duel. Referee Roman Arkonenko refused to give the penalty that Hakkarinen had demanded.

Matchday 7
Dynamo Novaya Russica 4–3 Energie Thorsborg
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Rotor Värstjö 0–1 ASK Landsmark
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–0 Traktor St. Andrei
ESK Storevik 3–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Libertas Bergheim 1–2 Akademiker Savojagrad
Transport Hovikkära 1–2 FK Chemie Frisks
CASK Thorsborg 1–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–0 Admiral Storevik
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd

Even if one of them is struggling, Partisan against Admiral is a traditional high-level duel that attracts the attention of fans and media alike. In front of a sold out Perl Kruger, Parti show a sluggish game with trouble to break through the defensive lines of Admiral, and Johan Karlsson notably struggles to contain Voynov on the wing. Only two great saves by Anders Johansson save Partisan from going down 0-1 before the break. Shortly before the break, the game is shaken up as Karlsson is way too late for a tackle on Voynov and hits the Savojar superstar on the ankle, injuring the winger and collecting a direct red card for himself. Admiral’s replacement is the seasoned veteran Paavo Setarainen, who can never create the danger of Voynov; Partisan use the new freedom to move up the pitch more. Around 70 minutes into the match, the highlight comes in the form of Poulsen’s through pass onto the foot of Karjanen, who gently puts it into the net.

CASK manage their first victory against Savojars Vinge Virkaja, thanks to a goal after twenty minutes by Valter Birja, who deflects a sharp pass by Pahl into the net. After the break, pressure from SVV increases more and more, and Jarnström has to show a few great saves against Vukkila and Salonen. Lenka Otalainen poses a final challenge with a shot from twenty-three metres out in injury time, but her attempt bounces off the crossbar to the relief of Rune Zackrisson, who may just have saved his job. On Sunday evening, leaders Dynamo Sjoedrhavn completely miss the first thirty minutes, going down 0-2 at home against Torpedo. A good second half allows Dynamo to salvage a point, but the lead is lost to local rivals Partisan.

Matchday 8
Energie Thorsborg 3–3 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Admiral Storevik 1–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–5 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
FK Chemie Frisks 1–4 CASK Thorsborg
Akademiker Savojagrad 0–1 Transport Hovikkära
Landsmarks Industrie 4–3 Libertas Bergheim
Traktor St. Andrei 0–2 ESK Storevik
ASK Landsmark 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
RLSK Pawlograd 1–1 Rotor Värstjö
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 FK Metall Jarnstad

Pernille Norby is the sensation of the round as the 21 year old Landsmarks Industrie winger scores twice off the bench to reverse a 2-3 against Libertas in the final twenty minutes. Landsmark start off well with an early goal by Teranen, but by half-time Nurkanen, Hakeson and Lajunen reverse the score to a two-goal-lead for Libertas. Laurison slows down his side’s offence by bringing on Jakunov for Simunov, leading to a 4-4-2. This proves to be a problem as Landsmark can use the newly found space to immediately increase the pressure on Libertas. Hope comes back for Industrie as a free kick by Namenkov lands on the foot of Gabriel Klinger, who nudges it just past Lotte Ronne. But they struggle to score more until the entrance of Norby, who runs circles around Jakunov and exploits the unfamiliar Bergheimer system perfectly. Twice, she can dribble into the box and fire a shot past Ronne in a 1v1, and brings Industrie a surprise victory.

Elsewhere, the two surprise teams of the early season, RLSK and Rotor Värstjö, part with an unsatisfying draw. The result helps neither as they continue to fall down the extremely tight table, where only five points separate ranks two and twelve. Partisan manage to build up a small lead thanks to a spectacular victory in Virkaja, and due to the losses of the Dynamos against Admiral and Metall.

Matchday 9
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–1 Energie Thorsborg
Rotor Värstjö 1–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–1 RLSK Pawlograd
ESK Storevik 0–0 ASK Landsmark
Libertas Bergheim 2–4 Traktor St. Andrei
Transport Hovikkära 2–0 Landsmarks Industrie
CASK Thorsborg 2–3 Akademiker Savojagrad
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3–1 FK Chemie Frisks
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–6 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–1 Admiral Storevik

The Navy Derby is a high-pressure game that enjoys the attention of the entirety of Savojarna, as both managers have come under fire by their fans. Especially Liyushkin has to fear for his post in a notoriously fickle Torpedo environment, but with Krister Voynov still injured, Admiral are in a delicate position as well. With Sigleifur Arnason, Admiral play a 20 year old youth player in Voynov’s position, an experiment that seems to work as he finds the head of Jotansson early on, but the striker just misses the goal. Nine minutes later, Mellin fails to beat Juralainen, but Jelena Romanov pounces on the rebound and scores. The second goal comes off a penalty drawn skilfully by Pjotr Jamarin, who dribbles past Juralainen and gets swept off his feet by the goalie. Zhirkov converts coolly, and although joker Juri Sandrajev scores late off a through pass by Carlsberg, Torpedo win the derby.

Elsewhere, Partisan do their duty at home against Chemie Frisks and win 3-1, but their pursuitors drop points again as Dynamo Sjoedrhavn are outshot by SVV in a wild 3-6; ESK and Novaya Russica both draw against difficult opponents. FK Metall show an offensive over-reliance on a small number of players: As Björgen is injured and Kanarin out of shape, isolating Valeri Otarin is sufficient for Energie to shut out the Jarnstader, who drop to last place as a consequence. Although the sporting directors announce a dire need for new talent in the winter break, they vocally support manager Hjalmar Loevith. Less vocal support for their manager comes from the CASK board, who publicly pose an ultimatum on Rune Zackrisson after a 2-3 home loss to Akademiker Savojagrad. Zackrisson refuses to comment in the press conference, storming out angrily after an insistent question from a reporter.

Standings

SFS 1                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn       9    7   0   2    24   15   +9    21
 2 Energie Thorsborg         9    5   2   2    20   16   +4    17
 3 ESK Storevik              9    4   4   1    14   10   +4    16
 4 Dynamo Novaya Russica     9    4   4   1    13    9   +4    16
 5 Lokomotive Jarnstad       9    4   4   1     8    4   +4    16
 6 Savojars Vinge Virkaja    9    4   2   3    22   19   +3    14
 7 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn         9    4   2   3    19   18   +1    14
 8 Rotor Värstjö             9    3   4   2    15   16   −1    13
 9 ASK Landsmark             9    3   3   3     7    6   +1    12
10 RLSK Pawlograd            9    2   5   2    19   16   +3    11
11 Admiral Storevik          9    2   5   2    18   18    0    11
12 Traktor St. Andrei        9    3   2   4    12   18   −6    11
13 FK Torpedo Pawlograd      9    2   4   3    17   17    0    10
14 Libertas Bergheim         9    3   1   5    19   21   −2    10
15 Transport Hovikkära       9    2   3   4     7    8   −1     9
16 Akademiker Savojagrad     9    2   3   4     8   11   −3     9
17 CASK Thorsborg            9    2   3   4    17   22   −5     9
18 Landsmarks Industrie      9    3   0   6    12   17   −5     9
19 FK Chemie Frisks          9    3   0   6    11   17   −6     9
20 FK Metall Jarnstad        9    2   1   6     4    8   −4     7

Champion: IFCF Champions League qualification
Ranks 2-3: IFCF Challenger's Cup qualification (together with Cup champion)
Ranks 19-20: Participation in relegation round

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Duelling Leaders and Foreign Managers: SFS VI Part 2/4

Matchday 10
Energie Thorsborg 1–2 Admiral Storevik
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–4 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
FK Chemie Frisks 2–4 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Landsmarks Industrie 3–2 CASK Thorsborg
Traktor St. Andrei 2–0 Transport Hovikkära
ASK Landsmark 0–2 Libertas Bergheim
RLSK Pawlograd 1–2 ESK Storevik
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–0 Rotor Värstjö

A 3-2 defeat in Landsmark marks Game Over for Rune Zackrisson. Although the CASK coach is still one of the most successful managers in Savojar history, winning three championships in a row with Thorsborg, his spell is over as the military side drops a 0-2 halftime lead. As CASK continue to press for a third goal - critics will say that Zackrisson demanded a blowout to shore up his position - Lasse Boedker steals a ball on the outside and launches the lurking Gabriel Klinger, who is just about on-side and scores easily. Ten minutes later a chaotic and disorganised CASK defence fails to control Namenkov, who sneaks up from the midfield to finish from fifteen metres out. The knockout blow goes again to Klinger, who converts a pass from Teranen to drive Zackrisson into despair. In the media conference after the game, CASK general manager Johan Törby announces that until the winter break, U21 coach Ilnur Khabarov will take over.

The battle for the top falls towards Partisan as they score a safe victory over Akademiker Savojagrad, although Dynamo Sjoedrhavn’s expected victory over Frisks means that the title race remains tight between the two capital clubs. Elsewhere, Savojars Vinge continue their rather odd up and down as they lose a spectacular seven-goal-match against Torpedo. Markus Mellin is recommending himself for the national team as the hybrid winger assists two goals by his colleagues Romanov and Zhirkov, and Jamarin scores from the spot following a bad challenge by Hans Juul. Following a free kick goal by Johan Däll to a 2-4 lead, Torpedo have the game in the bag despite a late surge by SVV as Kasperi Lehtonen’s goal in injury time comes too late to reverse the score.

Matchday 11
Rotor Värstjö 1–2 Energie Thorsborg
Lokomotive Jarnstad 4–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
ESK Storevik 1–2 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Libertas Bergheim 1–1 RLSK Pawlograd
Transport Hovikkära 0–1 ASK Landsmark
CASK Thorsborg 3–0 Traktor St. Andrei
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 5–3 Landsmarks Industrie
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 0–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–2 FK Chemie Frisks
Admiral Storevik 3–3 Savojars Vinge Virkaja

It is rare enough for Lokomotive Jarnstad to score four goals in one game, but to see it happen in a derby must bring joy to every Lok fan in the world. In a clash of two defensively oriented teams from up North, most neutrals expected a 2-1 at most, but there was no time lost as the first serious Metall attack led to a counter via Ivan Grivoshenko’s right wing. With both Hornberg and Staal turning their eyes to Hellström in the centre, Henrik Ljurbyn at the edge of the box was completely forgotten and used his freedom to score an early lead. The second goal came shortly after thanks to a missed pass by Tzavellas, and Oystein’s quick launch down the pitch. In typical Lok fashion, Hellström caused a scramble in the box and somehow ended up with the ball on his foot six metres before the line, scoring a goal that would certainly not end up in anyone’s highlight reel. Metall’s physical style didn’t make things easier as a tackle by Kiki Neturainen was completely mistimed, and the away team were down a man with 35 minutes to go. The ensuing free kick sealed the deal as Ljurbyn crossed it onto the head of Trent Ullqvist, finishing the job for Lok. The final goal came off a counter by Hannu Vuotala, who had replaced a brilliant Ljurbyn for the last ten minutes.

As if a derby victory were not good enough, Lok received more cause for celebration the next day as Dynamo dropped points again thanks to some iron defence from Aka’s Kevin Nordmark and Eloise Davison’s shutdown of Kev Andersson and Victor Loeseth, who pushed the outside a lot to dodge the concentrated midfield of Aka. However, the leadership spot remains out of reach for the pursuitors as Partisan are unfazed by some early stumbling blocks against Landsmarks Industrie. Although down 3-1 by half time, the plans of Parti work out perfectly as they await Landsmarks’ inevitable loss of energy to strike four times in the second half and carry home victory. Finally, Ilnur Khabarov celebrates his arrival in style as two goals by Petteri Hytönen and one by Hoyberg mean that CASK’s new coach begins his tenure with a victory. Nevertheless, Törby affirms that Khabarov will return to the U21 by winter, and rumours come up that a foreign manager may replace him.

Matchday 12
Energie Thorsborg 3–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
FK Chemie Frisks 0–1 Admiral Storevik
Akademiker Savojagrad 0–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Landsmarks Industrie 0–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Traktor St. Andrei 2–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
ASK Landsmark 1–0 CASK Thorsborg
RLSK Pawlograd 1–1 Transport Hovikkära
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–0 Libertas Bergheim
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–1 ESK Storevik
Rotor Värstjö 0–3 Lokomotive Jarnstad

The country stops and turns towards Landsmark as the Savojar Army Derby poses a real challenge to Ilnur Khabarov and his CASK. The most risky match in the country fails to deliver on the pitch if you’re looking for spectacle, but is not lacking a single bit in the department of fighting spirit. Only fifteen minutes in, we have already seen three yellow cards, with Omark and Livonen both missing the next game. The first real chance for a goal goes to ASK, as Paddi Gren launches Ryberg through the CASK lines and the striker shoots wide by about ten centimetres. Ten minutes later, Hytönen tries to replicate a similar pass on the other side, but gets cut off by Jussi Arpanen, who immediately initiates the counter via Jesper Groen. The ball ends up with Ilari Litmanen, whose flat shot is deflected brilliantly by Larsen’s foot. In the second half, the fighting spirit element remains dominant. The sixth yellow card of the game is given out to Aleksander Popovich about an hour in, giving Paddi Gren a shot at a free kick that is just about punched over the bar by Larsen. The following corner finds its way on Ryberg’s head and into the top left corner, marking the only goal of the game.

Up on the top, both Sjoedrhavn teams draw, although in very different fashion. Dynamo use a relatively cautious approach to avoid being overwhelmed by Landsmarks Industrie, but fail to get together a particularly strong attack themselves, which leads to a complete draw. On the other hand, Traktor come out guns blazing against Partisan and go ahead twice thanks to Samarov striking from close distance first, and Martinova finding the foot of Sandgren on the second post for the second goal. But both times, Partisan quickly strike back and equalise within ten minutes from the goal. Lokomotive firmly move up in the challenger hierarchy as finish a third game with a clean sheet in a row, beating Rotor 0-3.

Matchday 13
Lokomotive Jarnstad 2–0 Energie Thorsborg
ESK Storevik 0–3 Rotor Värstjö
Libertas Bergheim 1–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
Transport Hovikkära 0–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
CASK Thorsborg 2–2 RLSK Pawlograd
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3–3 ASK Landsmark
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–3 Traktor St. Andrei
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Admiral Storevik 2–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–4 FK Chemie Frisks

Six goals and split points in the Stadion Perl Kruger mean that Partisan Sjoedrhavn fall under more pressure from behind as they can’t seem to get beyond the draw anymore. Paddi Gren is increasingly recommending himself for an accession to the extended NT pool as he gets two assists, outshining Morten Poulsen on the opposite side, who gets bogged down in the strong defence of Omark and Rasmussen. Like against Traktor, Partisan only manage to score slowly, going down 0-2 this time before shortly before the break, Aarsoy blasts a gigantic shot to the near corner past Jacobsson, who looks notably bad in the process. In the second half, it is Partisan who get the better start as the home team almost equalises, but the VAR spots Karjanen pushing down Nina Rasmussen before his header. The 1-3 by Litmanen seems to be the decision, but in the 77th minute, a tackling by Kirkers is too late and Aarsoy goes to the ground, allowing Karjanen to convert a penalty. Motivated by the 2-3, Partisan mount a last-ditch effort with two forwards, and following a clever side pass by Karjanen, Simon Jacobsen scores the equaliser from six metres.

Behind the leaders, Lokomotive keep their streak going as they win 2-0 against Energie off a double by Jonas Hellström, with Ljurbyn’s pass before the 1-0 being a noteworthy flick over the entire Energie defence. Dynamo drop points again despite an early home lead, as Sundgren and Samarov run circles around the defence, scoring one each before Martinova finishes the job with the 1-3 for Traktor St. Andrei. ESK, flirting with pursuitor status recently, drop down as the experiment of fielding Vilhjalmur Ruriksson fails completely. The young striker is unable to break through Rotor’s defence, and with Gudmundsson injured, ESK leave many gaps to be exploited, leading to Thorgeir Jonsson scoring twice before the break. A quick counter is successfully finished by Alina Lund in injury time to achieve an important victory for Rotor in the fight to stay in the SFS. Finally, Antti Roope shows a brilliant game as he scores once and assists two goals in the surprising away victory of FK Chemie against SVV.

Matchday 14
Energie Thorsborg 5–2 FK Chemie Frisks
Akademiker Savojagrad 2–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Landsmarks Industrie 1–1 Admiral Storevik
Traktor St. Andrei 2–3 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
ASK Landsmark 0–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
RLSK Pawlograd 2–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 CASK Thorsborg
FK Metall Jarnstad 1–2 Transport Hovikkära
Rotor Värstjö 0–0 Libertas Bergheim
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–3 ESK Storevik

There have been more interesting days in the SFS before, but the breach of Lok’s clean sheet streak allows Partisan a breather in the duel for the leader position as the Sjoedrhavener team manages to beat Pawlograd on an edge. The traditionally tense duel, fuelled by political rivalry between the KPS-supported Partisan and the hotbed of Russian liberal nationalism that is the Pawlograd fan sector, ends up being surprisingly close as RLSK refuse to die. Denis Arkanin has a good match in the playmaker position as he manages to assist the equaliser twice, once by Namenkova and once by Mansheim. However, a lack of organisation in defence with Nepharim centrepiece Thorsten Croft suspended for his fourth yellow against CASK the round before means that Partisan find lots of space that they use well, with Jacobsen’s speed bringing about the decisive goal. Following the match, there are clashes between fans in the Pawlograd harbour district, where Parti fans awaiting the ferry to Sjoedrhavn get into a fight with RLSK fans, and local residents join in on the side of the visitors.

More peaceful events go down in Landsmark, where ASK receive another harsh defeat by the hands of Dynamo’s Pohja Ulkanen striking in the 76th minute to break through a tough Landsmark defence. Energie have a brilliant day trashing FK Chemie 5-2, with Valery Karyanov having a black day and conceding two more than stoppable shots. FK Metall lose against Hovikkära, but can still celebrate as the Jarnstaders score their first goal since Matchday eight. With Otarov injured, the situation in the Miners’ offence is even worse than usual, but Loevith remains in charge. However, SVV’s loss in Savojagrad does its own part to speed up the Savojar manager carousel as Evgeni Hakkarinen comes under heavy fire from fans.

Matchday 15
ESK Storevik 0–0 Energie Thorsborg
Libertas Bergheim 2–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Transport Hovikkära 4–3 Rotor Värstjö
CASK Thorsborg 0–2 FK Metall Jarnstad
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 0–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–4 ASK Landsmark
Admiral Storevik 2–1 Traktor St. Andrei
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–3 Landsmarks Industrie
FK Chemie Frisks 0–3 Akademiker Savojagrad

Trouble increases in Virkaja after a dramatic loss to the SVV side. Virkaja lead against Industrie until very late in the game following a goal by Otalainen off a free kick, and a second go-ahead goal after 35 minutes by Kasperi Lehtonen, who enjoys a ton of space between the far advanced lines of Landsmarks Industrie. But with the Industrialists only down 2-1, there is much pressure coming from the team, and after the replacement of Erik Gustafsson by Pernille Norby, Landsmark are playing with three players directly aiming for the net. This pays off less than ten minutes before the end as Norby dribbles through the defences of SVV, with Valter Kjaer unable to stop her before the young Landsmark winger passes central to Teranen for the equaliser. Then comes the late strike one minute before injury time, this time by Norby herself, who pounces on a cross that was deflected by a defender and beats Vantarinen on the second post. Manager Evgeni Hakkarinen continues to catch fire from the fans, and club leadership backs up the criticism saying that it is a manager’s job to keep up a lead.

Not much happens elsewhere as Partisan, ESK, Energie all draw. Thanks to the loss of Lok to a so far underwhelming Libertas Bergheim side, the Jarnstaders lose their status as first pursuitor and get overtaken by Energie, five points behind the solid leaders from Sjoedrhavn. With only two points separating second-placed Energie and seventh-placed Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, things remain extremely volatile at the top. At the bottom, FK Metall get some much needed relief as Björgen and 0 year old Johan Sandbeck, replacing Otarov as central forward, score one each to beat CASK away. Rumours about the new CASK manager heat up as a local newspaper names Schottian Johnny McDonald.

Matchday 16
Energie Thorsborg 1–3 Akademiker Savojagrad
Landsmarks Industrie 2–4 FK Chemie Frisks
Traktor St. Andrei 3–5 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
ASK Landsmark 2–0 Admiral Storevik
RLSK Pawlograd 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–0 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Rotor Värstjö 2–3 CASK Thorsborg
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
ESK Storevik 2–2 Libertas Bergheim
While less bitter than the Army variant, the Police Derby of the two Dynamos is still a fairly high-profile affair especially when it takes place in Novaya Russica, where the audience is much more unified behind their club thanin Sjoedrhavn. DNR’s fans welcome the team with a stellar choreography, and it seems to have boosted them as a long-distance shot by Milanov almost leads to the first goal ten minutes after kick-off. But as time goes on, the pressure from Sjoedrhavn mounts further and further, with the home side giving up more shots. Zirkova launches a great counter in the 34th minute with a long ball to Mertonen, who takes it past the high Leif Jonasson and crosses to the middle, but Jarnström can punch out the slightly too ambitious crossing. In the second half, DNR are bound back to their own half, and finally Loeseth finds the gap to Andersson, whose shot to the near corner passes a badly positioned Jovanova. DNR now have to open up, and Sjoedrhavn pounce on the new room with Hoyman launching Ulkanen, who fails to get past Jovanova, but the rebound is punched over the line by Olof Johnberg for the 0-2 victory.

Elsewhere, Evgeni Hakkarinen’s SVV this time can defend an early lead in a wide open game, and win 3-5 in St. Andrei. Their victory relieves the pressure on the manager a little bit, but the trust is gone and Hakkarinen’s departure seems a question of time. Libertas’ quest to become a pursuitor of Parti is almost successful as the Bergheimer manage to control Storevik over large periods of time, but two goals in the last fifteen minutes by Freya Sigurdsdottir save the day and provoke snark in Jarnstad’s media: “ESK - Libertas 0-2; Freya - Libertas 2-0”. CASK’s newfound confidence shows as they calmly play down a 0-3 in Värstjö despite a late charge by Rotor; and finally, Partisan miss a chance to lay some distance between themselves and their challengers as they draw last-placed FK Metall.

Matchday 17
Libertas Bergheim 3–1 Energie Thorsborg
Transport Hovikkära 3–1 ESK Storevik
CASK Thorsborg 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 4–3 Rotor Värstjö
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–1 FK Metall Jarnstad
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–4 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Admiral Storevik 0–1 RLSK Pawlograd
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–1 ASK Landsmark
FK Chemie Frisks 2–3 Traktor St. Andrei
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–0 Landsmarks Industrie

Partisan’s leadership is severely in danger against Rotor Värstjö of all teams. With the SFS2 champions starting out strong, Parti seem surprised and don’t manage to get through the defence lines of Rotor, while the fast Otalainen and Jonsson pick out gaps in Partisan’s defence regularly to attack the goal of Partisan. Twenty minutes into the match, it is Kasperi Otalainen who strikes first with a shot to the bottom right after having outrun Vernayev following a deep pass by Barnerud. Partisan come back fast thanks to a free kick in midfield, which Rasmus Helman prolongs past Kappakari. In the 35th minute, the home team take the lead thanks to another standard, this time a corner that gets punched out by Kappakari, but as the goalie falls upon landing, Karjanen lobs it in from a distance. Rotor equalise twice by the hands of Lund and Jonsson, but Partisan ultimately secure the victory in the last five minutes thanks to Jacobsen punching home a cross from the left side that made it all the way to the far post onto his foot.

Lokomotive’s victory against CASK Thorsborg comes late as well, but it is much less challenged as CASK never really manage to pressure their opposition. Waiting patiently, the team wait until the Thorsborger advance too far and counter fast, and get rewarded as Grivoshenko finds some space on the right side and scores the winning goal in the final twenty minutes. The matching victories sets an exciting scene for their clash in the next round, entering the match as first and second placed. Elsewhere, Sigmundur Vilmarsson celebrates a hattrick as Dynamo Novaya Russica beat Torpedo 2-4 in Pawlograd.

Matchday 18
Energie Thorsborg 1–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Traktor St. Andrei 0–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
ASK Landsmark 0–0 FK Chemie Frisks
RLSK Pawlograd 4–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–2 Admiral Storevik
FK Metall Jarnstad 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Rotor Värstjö 0–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Lokomotive Jarnstad 2–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
ESK Storevik 4–2 CASK Thorsborg
Libertas Bergheim 0–1 Transport Hovikkära

The focus of this round is on the Sunday afternoon match in Jarnstad, with Lokomotive facing off against Partisan in a clash of the two top teams of the SFS. With the Sjoedrhaveners up by five, they need a draw to finish the first half of the season as leaders, but with a victory, Partisan could deal some serious damage and extend their lead to eight points over Lok and Dynamo Sjoedrhavn. The game starts off with an early shot by Ljurbyn from the second row, just about saved by Johansson. In the following minutes, Lok is stronger, shutting down Parti’s midfield and getting the first goal after twenty minutes as Ljurbyn chips the ball behind the lines and Ericsson catches it, passes to the centre to Jonas Hellström and brings Lok ahead 1-0. Partisan equalise fifteen minutes later as Poulsen strikes with a shot from a bit over twenty metres to the top left. Following the break, Partisan come back stronger and a long ball by Zyukov is dropped back by Karjanen. Poulsen can take over and sends Palvarainen down the right flank, pass back to the centre, and Karjanen slides it over the line! But now, Lok show that they can play offensively as well. Drawing out Partisan wider and wider, they cycle the ball until joker Hannu Vuotala finds a gap to pass down to Hellström, who equalises in the 74th minute. With four goals and a 2-2, the match ends, cementing Partisan as the winter champion.

Moving south, Pawlograd witnesses the complete demontage of a Virkaja that actually started well and went up 0-1 after only eight minutes as Strakhova plays a horrible pass that gets intercepted by Vukkila, who scores ice cold. But RLSK gets aid from the Finns, as Anttakari pulls back Karpanen in the box. Svetlana Namenkova scores from the point, and RLSK pull level after fifteen minutes. This is the result until an hour into the game, but then RLSK score twice in four minutes as Namenkova and Karpanen bring the hosts up 3-1. By the end, the score is 4-1 and Evgeni Hakkarinen is humiliated with a public announcement of his sacking after the winter break. The Russian immediately refuses to coach the next match, handing over the reins to his assistant Pavel Markov.

Matchday 19
Transport Hovikkära 0–3 Energie Thorsborg
CASK Thorsborg 3–2 Libertas Bergheim
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3–3 ESK Storevik
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–1 Rotor Värstjö
Admiral Storevik 1–1 FK Metall Jarnstad
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
FK Chemie Frisks 0–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–2 ASK Landsmark
Landsmarks Industrie 0–0 Traktor St. Andrei

Two more clashes among contenders squash the field together a bit, as Partisan and ESK fight each other to a wide open and spectacular 3-3. The match is dominated by a superb performance of Freya Sigurdsdottir, who is no other than the prime contender for the Player of the Season crown by now as she continues to decide games in favour of the Storeviker. Arvid Persson further continues to improve as the young winger nets an assist to Sigurdsdottir and the late equaliser, saying after the game: “It’s easy to play good as a winger if you have Freya in the middle, you just bang the ball in the box and she’ll get it. We’re having a good team, I hope we can get better and learn together, and this kind of victory is extremely important”. ESK’s last goal had come in the final ten minutes, after Partisan had led the game 3-2 since a free kick goal by Poulsen in the 58th minute.

Over at the Stadion Dynamo, things got more dramatic as Lok’s first goal was stripped off because of a very narrow off-side by Hellström, and the Jarnstader conceded their first goal directly on the following attack, notably distracted by the contentious decision. The Jarnstader leave a gap in their defence that is exploited immediately by a great pass from Loeseth, and Johnberg scores easily. The second goal then comes on the counter after Lok have to chase an equaliser, at this point still believing Partisan to lead against ESK, and Andersson finishes the job for Dynamo. On the level of manager drama, CASK confirm the signing of Johnny McDonald of Schottia, who will become the SFS’s first foreign manager, an honour most observers expected to go to a Nepharim. In Virkaja, replacement coach Markov is sacked along with Hakkarinen, who refused to even show up to witness SVV beat Novaya Russica 3-0. The next SVV manager is as of now unknown.

SFS 1                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn      19   11   6   2    49   34  +15    39
 2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn        19   10   5   4    32   24   +8    35
 3 Lokomotive Jarnstad      19    9   6   4    22   13   +9    33
 4 ASK Landsmark            19    9   5   5    21   16   +5    32
 5 Energie Thorsborg        19    9   4   6    37   30   +7    31
 6 ESK Storevik             19    8   7   4    31   26   +5    31
 7 Admiral Storevik         19    7   8   4    32   28   +4    29
 8 Dynamo Novaya Russica    19    7   7   5    20   20    0    28
 9 Libertas Bergheim        19    7   5   7    32   30   +2    26
10 FK Torpedo Pawlograd     19    6   6   7    38   37   +1    24
11 Akademiker Savojagrad    19    6   5   8    19   21   −2    23
12 Traktor St. Andrei       19    6   5   8    28   36   −8    23
13 RLSK Pawlograd           19    4  10   5    32   28   +4    22
14 Transport Hovikkära      19    6   4   9    18   22   −4    22
15 CASK Thorsborg           19    6   4   9    33   39   −6    22
16 Landsmarks Industrie     19    6   4   9    27   34   −7    22
17 Savojars Vinge Virkaja   19    6   3  10    42   46   −4    21
18 FK Chemie Frisks         19    6   2  11    27   39  −12    20
19 Rotor Värstjö            19    4   7   8    28   35   −7    19
20 FK Metall Jarnstad       19    3   5  11    10   20  −10    14

Champion: IFCF Champions League qualification
Ranks 2-3: IFCF Challenger's Cup qualification (together with Cup champion)
Ranks 19-20: Participation in relegation round

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
From Thirty-Six to Eight: Savojarsk Cup Part 1

Preliminary Round
Polar Grundviken 3-2 Zenit Jegrava
Mir Nestrovo 4-3 Navigator Jaromirgrad
Motor Johansborg 1-2 Elektron Harkka
Metsuri Virkaja 4-2 Agrar Jurka FK

First Round
Norrhavn FK 2-3 Polar Grundviken
FK Chemie Frisks 2-3 Energie Thorsborg
FK Odin Kjaershavn 1-0 Transport Hovikkära
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2-2 CASK Thorsborg (3-5 pen.)
SK Cuprum Grennvik 1-0 Mir Nestrovo
FK Metall Jarnstad 0-1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
EU Storevik 2-4 ESK Storevik
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2-1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Elektron Harkka 1-3 Landsmarks Industrie
FK Sjoedrhavn 2-1 Rotor Värstjö
Union Roopere 3-3 Akademiker Savojagrad (4-3 pen.)
RAS St. Andrei 0-2 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Metsuri Virkaja 0-1 ASK Landsmark
RLSK Pawlograd 0-1 Admiral Storevik
Framfarir Kjefla 1-2 Traktor St. Andrei
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3-1 Libertas Bergheim

Octofinals
Polar Grundviken 1-2 Energie Thorsborg
FK Odin Kjaershavn 2-2 CASK Thorsborg (3-2 AET)
SK Cuprum Grennvik 0-1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
ESK Storevik 2-3 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
FK Sjoedrhavn 2-4 Landsmarks Industrie
Union Roopere 0-4 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Admiral Storevik 1-1 ASK Landsmark (2-1 AET)
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3-3 Traktor St. Andrei (1-3 pen.)

In the first three rounds of the Cup, surprises are somewhat rare. Three SFS 1 team gets eliminated in each of the two main rounds, with Rotor Värstjö being one of the prime suspects as the purple and white is only recently promoted, and one of the top flight teams that is closest to the SFS 2. Their 2-1 loss against recently relegated FKS is a surprise, but generally considered a much lesser upset than the 2-2 of Odin Kjaershavn against defending champions CASK, whose crisis seems to be deeper than anticipated.

Other highlights of the first cup rounds are the victory of ESK Storevik in the first EU-ESK Derby in eight years, with EU’s fans mounting a colourful and impressive display. This duel has always been considered the more friendly duel, with both teams deeply rooted in the local culture and tradition, as opposed to the relatively despised and state-governed Admiral. Union Roopere proves the strength of Savojarna’s youth, as the youngest side of the professional game in Savojarna manages to beat Akademiker Savojagrad, but then also fail to advance against a well-prepared Dynamo Novaya Russica, who quickly go up 0-2 and add two more until the end. Disappointment is the name of the game for Lokomotive, starting the season with high ambitions in both tournaments. In the league, things may be going well, but in the Cup, the railworkers get a harsh draw in FK Torpedo Pawlograd away and promptly lose thanks to a Romanov goal in the second half.

The Pawlograder have probably the toughest path so far with Lok and ESK, and it won’t be easier in the quarterfinals as Dynamo Sjoedrhavn awaits them. In the other duels, the only remaining SFS2 team FK Odin Kjaershavn will face Energie Thorsborg, Landsmarks Industrie meet Dynamo Novaya Russica, and ASK play Traktor St. Andrei.

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
New Coaches, New Stars and a Tight Top: SFS VI Part 3/4

Winter transfer highlights
Rune Zackrisson (manager): CASK Thorsborg > free
Evgeni Hakkarinen (manager): Savojars Vinge Virkaja > free
Johnny McDonald (manager, Schottia): ? > CASK Thorsborg
Lew Nyborg (manager): Framfarir Kjefla > Savojars Vinge Virkaja

Rasmus Ekman (23, ST): FK Chemie Frisks > FK Metall Jarnstad
Markus Nyborg (33, OM): CASK Thorsborg > Libertas Bergheim
Ylvi Sootala (24, CB): Transport Hovikkära > Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Juhamatti Rajala (20, LF): FK Odin Kjaershavn (SFS 2) > CASK Thorsborg
Hans Juul (31, CB): Savojars Vinge Virkaja > RLSK Pawlograd

CASK show activity in the winter transfer market, as they strengthen their offence and their sideline with the first ever foreign coach to make it to the SFS, Schottia’s Johnny McDonald, who is expected to line up the team in a 4-4-2 and play it a bit more no-nonsense than his more intricate and more fragile predecessor. The second manager change happened in Virkaja, where Lew Nyborg is brought in. Nyborg has been in the SFS 2 so far, and at only 38 years of age is considered a bit of a risk. But SVV Chairman Jukka Teravainen stated that the results of Nyborg with Kjefla were encouraging enough for SVV to give it a try, and that he had great hopes in the abilities of Teravainen to keep the team engaged and motivated. SVV subsequently also got engaged in the transfer market, with Nyborg isolating the defence as a source of trouble.

Youth is the goal of the Virkaja side as they poach centre-back Ylvi Sootala from Transport Hovikkära. Sootala had not been part of the starting lineup for the Shipmen, but was regularly brought on and played in the Cup. He has proven himself to be an athletic defender that is strong in the air, and can distribute the ball. He will replace Hans Juul, a much more static and physical player that many thought did not really fit with the modern approach of SVV, and who will continue his career in Pawlograd. Perhaps the most spectacular signing is that of 33 year old former national player Markus Nyborg, who failed to find a space behind Hytönen in Zackrisson’s CASK and is not considered more likely to find it under McDonald. He moves to Bergheim, where he hopes for a regular spot in Libertas’ quest to fight themselves back into UICA territory. CASK also strengthen their wing with U21 national player Juhamatti Rajala, who played in the SFS 2 and will most likely be a depth player. To finish the highlights, Rasmus Ekman makes the move from Frisks to Metall Jarnstad. Ekman, who scored six goals in eleven appearances (three starting), should reinvigorate the struggling Metall defence.

Matchday 20
Energie Thorsborg 2–4 Traktor St. Andrei
Landsmarks Industrie 1–2 ASK Landsmark
Akademiker Savojagrad 2–0 RLSK Pawlograd
FK Chemie Frisks 1–2 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–1 FK Metall Jarnstad
Admiral Storevik 2–4 Rotor Värstjö
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–1 ESK Storevik
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–3 Libertas Bergheim
CASK Thorsborg 1–1 Transport Hovikkära

Markus Nyborg proves himself in his first game for Libertas, the first match in this season where the 33-year-old is a starter. The chain of five midfielders that Helgi Laurison typically employs helps him as it reduces the ground he has to cover, and allows the playmaker to focus on his eye - and that he does. A brilliant pass through the Partisan defence stuns the Sjoedrhaveners nine minutes in as Nyborg finds Lajunen in the centre, who scores coldly to the 0-1 for Bergheim. The 0-2 follows fifteen minutes later by Hakeson, who twists a free kick to the top left. Partisan pull themselves together under the guidance of Morten Poulsen, and the second half turns into a duel of playmaking generations: Poulsen sees a gap in the defence, runs through to receive a pass by Karjanen - 1-2. Nyborg launches a high pass over the defence onto the foot of Nurkanen, but the shot gets stopped. Poulsen drops deep into the midfield to receive the ball, slots it left to Aarsoy, gets it back thanks to a clever pass between the lines and shoots - blocked by Granlund, but the rebound gets pushed in by Jacobsen to the 2-2. Vikingstad advances the ball, Nyborg opens himself for a one-two to go around Helman - 2-3. The result will hold, delivering a blow to Partisan’s leadership.

By that time, we already know that the other pursuitors delivered: ASK beat Industrie in a tight derby with 1-2 thanks to a late header by Ryberg. Lok have their trouble with a relentless Torpedo, but eventually get to launch their one successful counter with Grivoshenko crossing to the middle and Hellström sliding into the pass to push it past Jarkko Virtanen. Dynamo and ESK split 1-1 thanks to an early goal by Sigurdsdottir and a converted penalty by Nick Hoyman right before the break, with the second half being a drag. Of the group of five pursuitors within less than ten points, only Energie fail to get anything onto the table as they get caught off guard against Traktor, going down 0-2 within the first twenty and losing 2-4 in the end. Elsewhere, both new coaches fail as they fail to win games where they are the favourites.

Matchday 21
CASK Thorsborg 2–0 Energie Thorsborg
Transport Hovikkära 1–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Libertas Bergheim 1–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
ESK Storevik 3–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–0 Admiral Storevik
Rotor Värstjö 2–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
FK Metall Jarnstad 1–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–1 Akademiker Savojagrad
RLSK Pawlograd 3–0 Landsmarks Industrie
ASK Landsmark 1–3 Traktor St. Andrei

Johnny McDonald is in the focus as he does not only coach his first CASK home game, but also coaches his first Thorsborg derby in the process. Sure, CASK vs. Energie may not have the intensity of the Army Derby, but it is a difficult enough stage for the Schottian to start on. His lineup already proves some change, with Kjetil Flyborg moving into the starting lineup next to Birja, and the midfield shifting closer to a diamond, although Hytönen falls back next to Livonen as soon as the ball is lost to close the centre. With Energie’s relentless attack, that is clearly the right approach as the two deny Sienkiewicz and Jantaniemi all space in the middle. Then, once the ball is won, Flyborg does a good job at falling back into the empty space and challenging Ljungberg; however, the first goal comes from a different approach as Morten Pahl swings inside, overloading the space between the lines and finding space. He finds Birja to score the first goal, and thanks to Hytönen finding the way to launch Rajala into depth. The young Finn scores on the close side, sealing the deal for Thorsborg.

Partisan have apparently shaken off their winter rust as they completely blast through the Hovikkära defence, scoring twice in the first half hour, with the fans not missing that Hans Juul is being left in the dust before the 0-1 by Karjanen. Lok counters with a 3-0 over Admiral to keep on the pressure on Partisan, but ASK and Dynamo drop points in a loss to St. Andrei, playing spoiler to title ambitions again, and a draw with Libertas respectively. In the duel at the bottom, FK Metall manage a big victory against FK Chemie. After the former Metaller Fridtjof Jansrud shot down Jarnstad’s hopes in Frisks, former Chemie player Rasmus Ekman now scores the decisive goal for Metall in a fit of irony of destiny.

Matchday 22
Energie Thorsborg 1–0 ASK Landsmark
Traktor St. Andrei 1–2 RLSK Pawlograd
Landsmarks Industrie 0–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Akademiker Savojagrad 0–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
FK Chemie Frisks 3–3 Rotor Värstjö
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Admiral Storevik 1–0 ESK Storevik
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–1 Libertas Bergheim
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–3 Transport Hovikkära
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–2 CASK Thorsborg

In a round where not many interesting games happened, attention turns towards the two promoted teams that strive to avoid direct re-relegation. In a brutal fight for the last spots in safety, Frisks has clearly the lesser chances as they have lost some depth with the poaching of Rasmus Ekman by Metall, and with Joona Pärvi injured and Ulf Sundhaugen suspended, Värstjö are going into this game with the cards in their hands. They are clearly aware of this as Heidi Jordén advances early on to play an accurate pass onto the foot of Alina Lund, whose crossing finds the head of Kasperi Otalainen. The 0-2 comes around the half-hour mark as Barnerud punches a 25 metre shot into the net past a dumbfounded Valery Karyanov. Rotor remain the better team, but on the counter, Roope gets into the box - where Hangren comes just a bit too late and sees a red plus penalty. Jansrud scores and kicks off a comeback in the second half, crowned by Roope’s equaliser ten minutes into the half, and Jarkko Kapanen scores the leading goal shortly thereafter with a brilliant shot to the top left corner. Only in the final minutes can Tomas Herman get around Perkinen to shoot a flat cross to the middle that Ristolainen cannot properly clear, leading to Jordén finishing off an entertaining 3-3 from the edge of the box.

On the top of the table, Partisan vs. CASK is a surprisingly entertaining affair reminiscent of the past seasons, a sign that Thorsborg finally reversed their crisis. Hytönen’s late dribble past Zhuranov opens the road to partisan’s goal widely, and CASK drive play down centre lane to let Sandbeck appear alone before Johansson and finish coolly to the 1-2. Lokomotive edge out SVV thanks to a corner goal by the towering Jonas Hellström, leading to the Jarnstaders now being tied with Partisan. With ESK losing the Storevik Derby 1-0, their hopes crumble while Energie take another step towards international football as they beat ASK Landsmark in a crucial direct duel.

Matchday 23
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 0–2 Energie Thorsborg
CASK Thorsborg 5–4 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Transport Hovikkära 0–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Libertas Bergheim 3–1 Admiral Storevik
ESK Storevik 1–3 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Rotor Värstjö 1–1 Akademiker Savojagrad
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–2 Traktor St. Andrei
RLSK Pawlograd 3–0 ASK Landsmark

Pressure is mounting on Partisan, and the deck is stacked against the leaders as Bjarne Thorvaldsson suffers a laborious injury he took before the winter break, and another defender missing as Jernayev is suspended following a yellow card against CASK. Up front, the crisis gets worse as Karjanen is missing the game due to a heavy flu, and Jacobsen gets the nod. The “Partisan Fifteen”, their tradition of completely missing the first fifteen minutes of the game, strikes again as Jantaniemi can intercept a horrible pass by Rasmus Helman and goes straight past the defender, passing out to Kristin Vindjammer and watching as she scores in the near corner to the 0-1. Sjoedrhavn can improve a bit in the following minutes, but their two big chances in the first half lead nowhere as Johanna Marqvist stops them both. Poulsen has another big one right after the break but smashes a free kick about five centimetres over the crossbar, and Jacobsen misses wide as he aims for the top left after passing by the far advanced Zibo Olberg. Olberg is then at the origin of the 0-2 as he wins a ball from Poulsen and launches Sienkiewicz, who crosses the ball diagonally to Vindjammer. Her pass finds Lindgren in the centre, who shoots against the running direction of Johansson and leaves the goalkeeper standing still as the ball lands in the net to the final 0-2 score.

At the same time, CASK manage to blast five past a Dynamo that came out guns blazing and leads 0-3 by the first twenty-five minutes. But the second Sjoedrhavn team collapses in the second half, apparently having spent their energy, and Birja nets a hattrick as Thorsborg comes back spectacularly to win as joker Juhamatti Rajala catches Anders Jarnström between the legs. On the next day, eyes turn to Jarnstad as Lokomotive needs a point against Frisks to take the lead from Partisan - and they do so with a bare minimum effort, as they manage a sluggish scoreless draw against the team at the bottom of the table. Finally, Libertas dispatch Admiral easily with a barely contested 3-1, with Voynov still missing following his injury sustained on MD 7, and slowly position themselves as puruitors.

Matchday 24
Energie Thorsborg 2–0 RLSK Pawlograd
ASK Landsmark 0–3 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Traktor St. Andrei 0–2 FK Metall Jarnstad
Landsmarks Industrie 3–3 Rotor Värstjö
Akademiker Savojagrad 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
FK Chemie Frisks 1–3 ESK Storevik
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 1–3 Libertas Bergheim
Admiral Storevik 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–2 CASK Thorsborg
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–0 Partisan Sjoedrhavn

It’s derbytime in Sjoedrhavn as Dynamo tries to cut down the distance to Partisan, and they show a spirited effort. It is one of those games where tactics go out of the window in defence as everyone tries to stop their direct opponent with brute force if necessary, and three yellow cards in the first twenty minutes are the result. The third of those results in a penalty kick as Andersson crosses the ball to the middle and Jernayev, just back from suspension, jumps straight into Olof Johnberg from behind and knocks him to the ground. The referee does not hesitate one moment, and neither does Nick Hoyman as he sends Johansson to the left with a quick delay in his approach and then coldly chips the ball into the middle of the goal. The second half does not get any less scrappy, and fifty minutes in Yuri Zhuranov’s late tackle on Ulkanen nets him a second yellow, bringing Partisan down to ten. Tempers flare in the final phase, and in the 78th minute the player count gets equalised after Morten Poulsen complains after a hard sliding tackle by Rydman. Jarkko Liparainen, interpreting Poulsen’s reaction as a dive, pulls the Partisan midfielder back by his collar, gets into a fight and pushes Poulsen to the ground, resulting in a yellow to the Partisan player and a direct red to Liparainen. Both get suspended post-match, Poulsen for one game and Liparainen for three.

Lokomotive on the top of the table have a much calmer evening as they visit Akademiker Savojagrad, who fail to pose much of an offensive threat - the best chance is a mid-range shot by Ishkurin that goes wide by about thirty centimetres. In the second half, Mitryushkin plays a sloppy backpass that is intercepted by Ljurbyn, who then quickly bypasses the central defence with a one-two with Hellström to score the only goal. Libertas continue their unbeaten streak as they shut out SVV and score thrice, with Nyborg the man of the match as he scores two assists, and they keep approaching international places.

Matchday 25
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 5–2 Energie Thorsborg
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–4 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
CASK Thorsborg 4–2 Admiral Storevik
Transport Hovikkära 0–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Libertas Bergheim 5–3 FK Chemie Frisks
ESK Storevik 0–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Rotor Värstjö 4–3 Traktor St. Andrei
FK Metall Jarnstad 1–0 ASK Landsmark
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 RLSK Pawlograd

CASK catch much attention as McDonald brings in a spectacular new player to make his debut against Admiral. In the first half, the usual Thorsborger eleven struggle despite going up 1-0 following a header by Flyborg. But Admiral strike back fast, and Jotansson scores one after a cross by Vitanov. Voynov, taking another attempt at playing at least the first half, nets an assist as he finds Mikael Najman in his back, and the midfielder shoots from twenty metres out to reverse the score at half-time. At this point, Johnny McDonald pulls out his joker in nineteen year old half-Banijan striker Sergey Nweke. Having grown up in Jaromirgrad’s sizable Banijan community as the son of a Banijan engineer and a Savojar mother, the boy was transferred to CASK’s youth at age 17 and now made his debut substituting Valter Birja, whose first half was completely out of sync with the team. Nweke displays brilliant technique early on, dribbling past Lauri Zirkkonen to shoot from mid-range, but hits the post. Following the equaliser per distance shot from Hytönen and the leading goal by a header from Nielsen following a corner, Nweke even manages his first goal in the first game, as the tall and strong teenager manages to block off a charge from Flygstad to control the ball and beat Mikka Juralainen flat to the left. A new star may just have been born in Thorsborg.

No stars are born in Jarnstad, where Lokomotive bore their fans to death over eighty minutes first and then make everyone fall into a collective devastation as the leaders fail to clear a corner in the 88th minute, letting the ball fall onto the feet of Lasse Boedker, whose cross from the mid-field somehow falls onto the foot of Klinger and into the goal from about seven metres out to give Landsmarks Industrie a surprise 0-1 away win. Little damage is done, however, as main pursuitors Partisan get taken apart by Markus Mellin’s Torpedo, with the right winger scoring twice and making another strong argument for being invited to the World Cup campaign. Perhaps the most valuable goal of the round, however, is Kasperi Otalainen’s late header to score the 4-3 for Rotor Värstjö over Traktor, which gives them three surprising points in the fight against relegation while main opponents FK Chemie lose in Bergheim.

Matchday 26
Energie Thorsborg 2–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
RLSK Pawlograd 2–2 FK Metall Jarnstad
ASK Landsmark 4–0 Rotor Värstjö
Traktor St. Andrei 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Landsmarks Industrie 4–3 ESK Storevik
Akademiker Savojagrad 0–3 Libertas Bergheim
FK Chemie Frisks 1–1 Transport Hovikkära
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–1 CASK Thorsborg
Admiral Storevik 0–1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–3 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn

In a spectacular away game in Pawlograd, Dynamo Sjoedrhavn lose their recently acquired position as first pursuitor of Lokomotive as they only draw. By time of kick-off, Partisan are being held to a draw by a relatively uninspired Admiral, with Krister Voynov once again only coming off the bench. Dynamo seem motivated by the prospects and quickly go up by one as Pohja Ulkanen strikes per free kick. However, Torpedo return the favour quickly and Mellin scores first by a beautiful curl into the far top corner, with central striker Pjotr Jamarin converting a cross by Romanov soon after. Before the break, Dynamo equalise after a cross by Andersson finds the head of Olof Johnberg. Shortly after the break, a distance shot by Zhirkov finds exactly the right spot, and things get worse minutes after as the news from Storevik reveal that Poulsen struck gold, putting on the pressure for Dynamo. Hope comes back as Rydman holds back Johnberg in the box and the VAR awards a penalty kick, converted by Hoyberg. But the second wind comes too late, as the remaining ten minutes are not enough for Dynamo to break the Pawlograder.

On the top of the table, Lok extend their lead with a 0-1 against Traktor St. Andrei thanks to a late counter finished by Grivoshenko after a brilliant assist by Henrik Ljurbyn. Akademiker Savojagrad’s defence takes a horrible day as it takes Libertas, set up around winter acquisition Markus Nyborg, only twenty minutes to lead 0-2 and have wasted a big chance for a third one as Nordmark miraculously stops a one-on-one against Lajunen. The eventual 0-3 victory cements Libertas as the fourth member of the top group together with Energie, who distance Dynamo Novaya Russica with a comeback in the second half fuelled by a strong performance by Sienkiewicz. On the bottom of the table, Lenka Otalainen gives SVV a bit of breathing room as she contributes a goal and an assist to their surprising 2-1 over Thorsborg, leading them up to 15th place.

Matchday 27
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–3 Energie Thorsborg
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–1 Admiral Storevik
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
CASK Thorsborg 3–2 FK Chemie Frisks
Transport Hovikkära 2–2 Akademiker Savojagrad
Libertas Bergheim 3–2 Landsmarks Industrie
ESK Storevik 4–3 Traktor St. Andrei
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–1 ASK Landsmark
Rotor Värstjö 1–2 RLSK Pawlograd
FK Metall Jarnstad 3–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica

Savojars Vinge seems to finally feel an upswing under the watch of their new manager, Lew Nyborg, as the Virkajans celebrate an away victory in Sjoedrhavn against the second-placed Partisan. The Partisan Fifteen strike again as Otalainen diagonally passes a ball right on the foot of Kasperi Lehtonen, who is given free reign by Karlsson. Lehtonen passes back to the middle where Vukkila lurks to score the 0-1, setting Parti back early on. They catch themselves and manage a pretty impressive goal right before the break, as Sootala heads out a cross right towards Henning Roesk, who scores with a volley to the left side. After the sides are switched, Poulsen has the 2-1 on the foot but aims just a bit high, the ball bouncing off the bar. Five minutes later he is at the centre of attention again as he chips the ball over the defence for Karjanen, but Heikki Vantarinen puts everything on the line as he storms out of his box to clear twenty metres in front of his goal. The clear is headed on towards Mika Salonen, who breaks through the advanced Parti defence to face Johansson, but then dodges the confrontation at the last moment to pass aside onto the foot of the advanced Onagin to score the goal. Partisan cannot strike back and fall down into fourth place.

Ahead, Lokomotive Jarnstad welcome ASK to an important duel. A victory means that the Jarnstader can maintain their five point lead and distance Partisan significantly, shoring up their lead. But after an early corner that is headed past a chanceless goalie by Dominik Ryberg, the game slows to a halt as ASK defend their lead with dear life. Five yellows, four of them to the visitors, mark the second half, but it all pays off as Landsmark actually holds the lead and wins the match 0-1. Behind the leaders, Dynamo and Libertas both take the chance, with the Sjoedrhaveners beating Admiral (without Voynov) 3-1 and Libertas defending a late charge by Industrie to hold on to a 3-2 victory despite a late red card against captain Pyotr Nemanyev. At the bottom of the table, FK Metall actually manages to improve as Ekman scores twice in their 3-1 over Dynamo Novaya Russica.

Matchday 28
Energie Thorsborg 1–1 FK Metall Jarnstad
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 Rotor Värstjö
RLSK Pawlograd 0–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
ASK Landsmark 2–1 ESK Storevik
Traktor St. Andrei 0–2 Libertas Bergheim
Landsmarks Industrie 4–2 Transport Hovikkära
Akademiker Savojagrad 0–1 CASK Thorsborg
FK Chemie Frisks 1–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Admiral Storevik 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd

Playing his third game, CASK’s new star Sergey Nweke scores his second SFS goal - and it’s a big one. Mitryushkin shuts down the middle lane to drive CASK to the sides, where the Thorsborgers have some deficiencies in offensive power that are shown brutally thanks to Eloise Davison’s great performance shutting down Pjotr Iljurov. McDonald reacts to the vulnerability of his side to counters after Akademiker almost score twice in the end of the first half, but Larsen first saves against Lirov’s header, and then Ishkurin’s shot from the edge of the box misses high by about twenty centimetres. Bringing on Livonen and Patriksson to close the centre, it looks like Thorsborg are settling for the draw, but then Rolf Patriksson plays a long ball over the midfield. Mitryushkin is bypassed as Birja heads the ball out to the side, where Morten Pahl finds some space and can launch a pass into the middle. What looks like a miss is about to be cleared by Kevin Nordmark, but then Nweke intercepts it with a slide and knocks the ball across the line to move CASK up into the Top 5.

Ahead of them, everything gets squashed together as the Lok of Jarnstad is ground to a halt by RLSK’s scrappy defence. Mikhailov and Karpanen do a great job in slowing down the often incredibly fast wingers of Jarnstad, and Svetlana Namenkova takes the centre role as she man-marks Ljurbyn. Jonas Hellström gets frustrated by Croft to the point that following a slightly harsh tackle, he commits a revenge foul that also gets him suspended for the next game, making calamity near-complete for Jarnstad. The next day, Dynamo let the chance to equalise in points slip, as they also fail to score in Virkaja thanks to a stellar performance by Vantarinen. This lets Partisan catch up a little as they do their duty in Frisks, leaving the Sjoedrhavn duo tied on points in third and fourth place. Libertas Bergheim take advantage of Dynamo’s slipup and position themselves as first pursuitor, just one point behind Lok.

SFS 1                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Lokomotive Jarnstad      28   14   8   6    29   15  +14    50
 2 Libertas Bergheim        28   14   7   7    56   41  +15    49
 3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn      28   14   6   8    62   50  +12    48
 4 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn        28   13   9   6    51   40  +11    48
 5 Energie Thorsborg        28   13   6   9    52   46   +6    45
 6 CASK Thorsborg           28   13   5  10    54   52   +2    44
 7 ASK Landsmark            28   13   5  10    31   29   +2    44
 8 ESK Storevik             28   11   9   8    47   41   +6    42
 9 RLSK Pawlograd           28    9  12   7    45   36   +9    39
10 Dynamo Novaya Russica    28   10   9   9    31   31    0    39
11 Landsmarks Industrie     28   10   6  12    44   50   −6    36
12 Admiral Storevik         28    9   9  10    41   47   −6    36
13 Savojars Vinge Virkaja   28    9   6  13    52   56   −4    33
14 FK Torpedo Pawlograd     28    7  11  10    51   53   −2    32
15 FK Metall Jarnstad       28    8   8  12    21   26   −5    32
16 Rotor Värstjö            28    7  11  10    47   55   −8    32
17 Akademiker Savojagrad    28    7   9  12    25   31   −6    30
18 Transport Hovikkära      28    7   9  12    28   35   −7    30
19 Traktor St. Andrei       28    8   6  14    44   56  −12    30
20 FK Chemie Frisks         28    6   5  17    39   60  −21    23

SFS Champion: IFCF Champions League qualification
Ranks 2-3: IFCF Challenger's Cup qualification (together with Cup champion)
Ranks 19-20: Participation in relegation round

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
It Comes Down To Two: SFS VI Part 4/4 (minus final MD)

Matchday 29
Admiral Storevik 0–2 Energie Thorsborg
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–3 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–3 FK Chemie Frisks
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 0–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
CASK Thorsborg 5–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Transport Hovikkära 2–3 Traktor St. Andrei
Libertas Bergheim 1–0 ASK Landsmark
ESK Storevik 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Rotor Värstjö 1–0 FK Metall Jarnstad

For once, eyes turn to the bottom of the table as a brutal relegation fight is scheduled in Hovikkära. Transport were probably not expected to do that badly, but they are accustomed to the scrappy fights of relegation, while Traktor St. Andrei have one of the worst seasons in a while. Now the two, tied and in danger of relegation, face off in the Pohjoiskaivaa. The often loud stadium explodes ten minutes in as a cross by Kiivälä finds Ragnhild Viilanen, and the striker scores with a forceful header from nine metres out. But one may never loosen up against Traktor, and the Skipsmän learn it soon as Slavyana Oleva leaves Hallbeck in the dust and sends the ball down the right side. Martinova finds the gap to pass to Samarov, who is not attacked sufficiently and ties. Shortly before the break, a clear by Samuelsson is returned swiftly by Makanov and carried forward by Oleva. Again, a pass to the side draws out Hovikkära, but this time Marström seeks the cross and finds the head of Borislav Yarkov for the 1-2. Hope returns after the hour as Virtanen strikes from close range to end a six-game drought, but shortly after, an individual mistake by Ulf Johansson gives Samarov some space that he uses to score an important goal to lift Traktor out of immediate danger.

Up top, Partisan is left disappointed after a scoreless draw against Akademiker Savojagrad, who announce their will to rebrand themselves as AFK Savojagrad from the next year before the match. Kevin Nordmark forces journalists to be all but away from the keyboard as he stops a Partisan onslaught in the second half, stopping a total of 18 shots throughout the game, to win a point in Sjoedrhavn despite being utterly dominated. With Libertas and Lokomotive both winning their games, the two manage to cement a duality on top, Lokomotive one point ahead of Bergheim and four ahead of Partisan. Surprising - and important - points come to Chemie Frisks, locked in at the bottom of the table, as a late clearing attempt by Matias Rydman goes horribly wrong and lands only three metres away in the feet of Jarkko Kapanen, who has little trouble to run past the stunned Rydman and beat Jarnström from close range to secure a point.

Matchday 30
Energie Thorsborg 4–2 Rotor Värstjö
FK Metall Jarnstad 1–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–0 ESK Storevik
RLSK Pawlograd 2–3 Libertas Bergheim
ASK Landsmark 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
Traktor St. Andrei 3–3 CASK Thorsborg
Landsmarks Industrie 2–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
FK Chemie Frisks 3–7 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 1–2 Admiral Storevik

The weekend kicks off with a big one, to be played on prime-time at Friday evening in Jarnstad. Lokomotive laid the groundwork for their impressive series that made them the prime contenders for the title with a humiliating 4-0 derby victory, and Metall set out to strike back. They don’t hit as hard in terms of goals, but the pain they cause Lok is immense. In the first half, the leaders dominate the match, but fail to convert as Grivoshenko’s cross is headed just wide by Hellström, and a distance shot by Ljurbyn is spectacularly saved by Smichov. As time goes on, the Miners bog down Lok more and more, and the man-marking of Marios Tzavellas against Henrik Ljurbyn seems to pay off big time. Kanarin, who gets the start in this match, has a good shot fifty minutes in, but sees Hauri Martov deflecting it over the crossbar. Ten minutes later, Ake Ericsson passes by Neturainen and sets the ball wide. The decisive strike comes seventy minutes into the game, as Tzavellas tackles Ljurbyn harshly and finds a gap between Oystein and Erlandsen to launch Kanarin into the depth. Metall now have a five-on-four situation, and play it out brilliantly as Kanarin awaits the challenge to play an opening pass to Björgen, who cuts inside and plays a side pass to Otarov to score the sole goal.

The defeat means Lok’s lead is now in danger, and Libertas prepare for their strike. Knowing about the stakes, they come out hard to take an early 0-2 lead in Pawlograd, with Lajunen and Hakeson scoring the goals and Nurkanen giving the assist twice. But RLSK claw their way back, briefly giving Lok hope as Arkanin strikes from a distance and Mansheim profits off a mad scramble in the box to equalise with twenty minutes to go. However, Libertas throw everything ahead again, and as Markus Nyborg finds a gap to send Lajunen into a one-on-one, even Viktorija Petrova is chanceless as the ball finds its way into the goal to give Libertas the lead, two points ahead of Lokomotive Jarnstad. Behind them, places are exchanged as well as Partisan fail to beat Landsmarks Industrie, losing their IFCF spot to Energie Thorsborg, who beat Rotor 4-2. Finally, in a spectacular display, everything falls apart in Frisks as Torpedo score seven goals, with Mellin netting a hattrick.

Matchday 31
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–0 Energie Thorsborg
Admiral Storevik 2–1 FK Chemie Frisks
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 0–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–2 Traktor St. Andrei
CASK Thorsborg 2–0 ASK Landsmark
Transport Hovikkära 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Libertas Bergheim 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
ESK Storevik 0–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–1 Rotor Värstjö

It’s derbytime in the Army, and the stakes are high. With both teams being tied eight points behind leaders Libertas, the loser of this derby is likely to have lost its chances for the title, with the winner potentially mounting a late charge for international football, and perhaps even the SFS. With CASK having found their stability under Johnny McDonald, the Thorsborger enter the derby as slight favourites, but it is ASK that comes out fast. In the first half hour, Ryberg’s header lands on top of the goal and a low cross by Groen almost finds the net, but Ilari Litmanen misses it narrowly. Then, with the first serious shot on goal, CASK take the lead as Valter Birja shoots from the edge of the box and scores with a flat shot after turning around past Rasmussen. The Stadion Erik Harden is an absolute cauldron in the second half as CASK slowly impose themselves, and it explodes into an expression of rage and anger as a light touch by Johan Kjäll on Ryberg is considered a foul and a penalty is awarded. But the shot by Ryberg himself rebounds from the crossbar and is saved by Jari Livonen, who promptly launches the counter vial Hytönen and Iljurov. The winger plays a diagonal pass on the foot of Juhamatti Rajala, and CASK’s joker scores the second goal on the counter to close the push ASK Landsmark virtually out of title contention.

In Jarnstad, Lok loosen up a bit too early, and after having controlled the second half of the game almost entirely, they cannot quite stop Alina Lund slipping through and crossing the ball into the middle, where Thorgeir Jonsson beats Martov with a header from close range. The away draw means that Lok drop two more important points as Libertas beat Novaya Russica and now lead four points ahead of Lokomotive. The fight for the IFCF spots gets tougher as Thorbjörn Vukkila scores twice to beat Energie, and Partisan draw Traktor in a spectacular 2-2, meaning that the two are now in a three-way-tie together with CASK for one single international spot, and with Dynamo Sjoedrhavn lurking just one point behind.

Matchday 32
Energie Thorsborg 2–3 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Rotor Värstjö 0–1 ESK Storevik
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–4 Libertas Bergheim
Dynamo Novaya Russica 1–3 Transport Hovikkära
RLSK Pawlograd 2–5 CASK Thorsborg
ASK Landsmark 0–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Traktor St. Andrei 3–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Landsmarks Industrie 1–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–2 Admiral Storevik
FK Chemie Frisks 6–4 Savojars Vinge Virkaja

Not much happens on top as most of the top teams can show a strong performance, but spectacle reigns at the bottom as Chemie welcome Savojar Vinge to a relegation fight. With Rotor Värstjö having lost the day before, Chemie have a decent shot at catching up a bit, and they play as if they know all too well. Roope and two times Kapanen bring the Chemiker up 3-0 by the first half hour, but SVV strike back with a corner that is converted by Vukkila. After the break, they come back with a vengeance, and a long run down the side by Antti Roope finishes with a cross that is cleared to the foot of Otalainen - 3-2. Chemie extend their lead on a counter via Jansrud that is finished by Joona Pärvi, but by the hour, Otalainen and Onagin bypass the midfield and play the ball out to Salonen, who scores from an angle to the 4-3. Now, Frisks are challenged, and Jarkko Kapanen completes the hattrick with a shot from fourteen metres to the bottom left - 5-3. A penalty shortens the game to 5-4 as Otalainen converts, but in the final minutes Frisks successfully counter again and Fridtjof Jansrud finishes the job to a spectacular 6-4 victory.

Up top, Lok manage an important victory over Energie to keep up the pressure, holding on against a late onslaught of the Thorsborgers and profiting a bit from luck as a distance shot by Sienkiewicz hits the post in the final minutes. The victory is strongly needed, as Libertas assert themselves with a 0-4 over Metall, maintaining the leading duo. Dynamo drop some points, and now put their IFCF qualification into peril as they drop four points behind the all-important third place. Finally, fans of the national team breathe a sigh of relief as Krister Voynov plays the first game in months for 90 minutes, although the winger seems a bit slow and cannot push himself onto the game between Admiral and Akademiker, although he scores an assist in the first goal by Virtanen.

Matchday 33
FK Chemie Frisks 3–5 Energie Thorsborg
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 1–2 Akademiker Savojagrad
Admiral Storevik 3–3 Landsmarks Industrie
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–5 Traktor St. Andrei
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–1 ASK Landsmark
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 0–0 RLSK Pawlograd
CASK Thorsborg 3–5 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Transport Hovikkära 3–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
Libertas Bergheim 7–2 Rotor Värstjö
ESK Storevik 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad

There are goals, goals and goals on this day, but the attention of the nation falls onto a match without any scoring at all. Partisan hosting RLSK Pawlograd is expected to be a simple victory for the Sjoedrhaveners, putting pressure onto Lok to not drop any points in Storevik, where they face a difficult opponent in ESK. But the Pawlograder come out ultra-defensive, placing their wingbacks in a very withdrawn position and closing the ranks in the centre. Although Aarsoy and Palvarainen are being given free reign on the wings, they are stopped as soon as they come near the centre, and their crosses rarely find a target as Croft aggressively marks Karjanen and Morten Poulsen is taken into man-marking by Namenkova. Partisan’s playmaker has to be replaced following a harsh challenge by the Pawlograd midfielder, although it is quickly announced that he will be able to play the next match. The best chance comes once Parti move to a 3-5-2 with Jacobsen and Karjanen up top, as the young Simon Jacobsen can get past Croft and Strakhova, but his shot attempt is blocked by Taranyi and misses narrowly. Petrova notes twelve saves as RLSK secure a draw.

With Libertas and Lok doing their duty, the top two are cemented. Four points separate Bergheim and Jarnstad, with Partisan already five points behind the top two. The Thorsborg Duo is even further back, now reunited as CASK lose to Dynamo Novaya Russica. Things also get tied at the bottom as two teams are tied for 18th, Metall taking the advantage over Rotor Värstjö following the latter’s clobbering by Libertas. As Aka beat SVV, the Finns cannot escape the draw of relegation thanks to the first-half goals of Lirov and Ishkurin, staying only three points ahead of the relegation round spots, on tie with Landsmarks Industrie. Akademiker are in an even more precarious spot with only two points in hand against the duo of Rotor and Metall; the only team that seems to be out of hope is Chemie.

Matchday 34
Energie Thorsborg 2–2 ESK Storevik
Lokomotive Jarnstad 4–1 Libertas Bergheim
Rotor Värstjö 1–2 Transport Hovikkära
FK Metall Jarnstad 2–1 CASK Thorsborg
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
RLSK Pawlograd 2–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
ASK Landsmark 3–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Traktor St. Andrei 3–4 Admiral Storevik
Landsmarks Industrie 2–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–0 FK Chemie Frisks

Everyone’s eyes turn North for a potentially decisive moment as Lokomotive Jarnstad receive Libertas Bergheim for what will surely be a possibly decisive game. If Bergheim win, they would have a seven-point-lead over Lok, with only four games to go. Two more victories would secure the title for Bergheim, an achievable task despite a tough final schedule. But the game begins with a horrible opening for the visitors, as their first proper attack is returned at speed. Grivoshenko, ostensibly pushed by his call-up to the National Team for the Savojar pre-WCQ friendly campaign, rushes down the line to cross to the middle, and Hellström stuns everyone by heading backwards to Ljurbyn, who scores with a direct shot from nine metres out. 1-0 after only six minutes, and Libertas have to press harder. This opens space on the sides that Grivoshenko uses again, getting past Mikael Berg easily and this time aiming for the goal himself. Juralainen deflects the ball, but Hellström had been lurking and scores the second goal only twenty minutes into the match. A header by Lajunen finds its target in the second half, but hope is short as Ullqvist scores off a corner to the 3-1, and Lok add a fourth goal to a surprisingly clear victory in a top clash.

Far down the table, things heat up as Rotor Värstjö face off against another relatively low team in Transport Hovikkära. The Skipsmän, who have made an important transfer over the summer in signing Ragnhild Viilanen to ease the pressure on sole striker Joni Virtanen, have avoided the relegation fight, but can still play spoiler in the wheel in Värstjö. Transport, playing with very little pressure, can shut down the middle and let the Purple and White run into their knives, pushing back hard and taking a lead as Eino Kiivälä overlaps cleverly and crosses to the middle, where Viilanen scores. Although Värstjö manages to eventually break through, Hovikkära score again as Virtanen is awarded a penalty and scores, putting Rotor in a precarious position. As Metall surprisingly beat CASK Thorsborg thanks to Smichov showing two major saves in the final minutes, and Akademiker Savojagrad do their duty against Chemie, Rotor are being pushed to 19th place, three points behind the saving line.

Matchday 35
Akademiker Savojagrad 2–3 Energie Thorsborg
FK Chemie Frisks 2–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–3 Traktor St. Andrei
Admiral Storevik 1–0 ASK Landsmark
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–4 RLSK Pawlograd
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–3 FK Metall Jarnstad
CASK Thorsborg 1–1 Rotor Värstjö
Transport Hovikkära 1–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Libertas Bergheim 0–4 ESK Storevik

The focus lies on the derby of the two police teams, Dynamo Sjoedrhavn and Dynamo Novaya Russica. Not only is it a derby, it is also a game of the last chance for Sjoedrhavn’s hopes for an IFCF spot. The Sjoedrhavener start out string and push, with Johnberg getting a shot after five minutes and missing wide, but Novaya Russica push back hard and almost score as Terkala reaches a cross by Mertonen, but Jarnström deflects the ball with great reflexes. Twenty minutes in, Novaya Russica’s defence breaks as Kev Andersson scores with a shot into the long corner that Jovanova fails to reach. The pressure by Sjoedrhavn remains high, but a strong Jovanova prevents the second goal before the break twice. A far shot by Loeseth ten minutes into the second half bounces off the post, and Jovanova saves a header by Hoyberg off a corner, while DNR still fail to push out of their own half. Their only dangerous attack comes in the final moments, as a desperate long ball by Libor Milanov is actually taken up by Vilmarsson, who then fails to beat Anders Jarnström. The 1-0 for Sjoedrhavn feels somewhat underwhelming given their pressure, but closes the gap to third place to two points.

On the top, there is a strong of sometimes surprising losses: Partisan are being shot out by a Metall that finally has gotten a Valeri Otarov in best shape, scoring twice, with Lovisa Mortensson scoring the third one off a free kick, bringing Metall more or less out of relegation danger. But the losses of Partisan are limited as on Sunday evening, Lok Jarnstad fail to break through an extremely tight Transport defence, who then score off a counter with Hallbeck finding the perfect gap to send Virtanen into a one-on-one he uses for the single goal. Libertas get completely defeated at home by ESK Storevik, led by a Freya Sigurdsdottir in great shape, scoring a hattrick after the early leadership goal by a distance shot from Gudmundsson. Libertas’ wild offence is harshly punished, with ESK scoring two goals in the final ten minutes. Of the top team, only Energie manage to win their game against Akademiker Savojagrad thanks to a late goal by Staale Lund, which brings them into a tie for the IFCF. With three games to go, Libertas still lead one goal ahead of Lok, with Partisan and Energie the two prime contenders for international football five points behind the leaders.

Matchday 36
Energie Thorsborg 2–1 Libertas Bergheim
ESK Storevik 0–1 Transport Hovikkära
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–0 CASK Thorsborg
Rotor Värstjö 3–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
FK Metall Jarnstad 2–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Novaya Russica 1–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
RLSK Pawlograd 0–2 Admiral Storevik
ASK Landsmark 0–3 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Traktor St. Andrei 5–2 FK Chemie Frisks
Landsmarks Industrie 0–1 Akademiker Savojagrad

The weekend opens with a bang as Energie Thorsborg welcome Libertas to a difficult game. Helgi Laurison clearly looks for a strong start, imposing his team onto the match quickly, and seems to succeed as Nyborg finds the gap to Nurkanen, whose flat cross almost finds the foot of Tuomas Lajunen before Johanna Marqvist snatches the ball from the foot of the striker. Twenty-five minutes in, Olberg wins a spectacular tackling against Hakeson and launches the counter with a quick lob over the heads of a pressing Libertas midfield to find Ågot Sienkiewicz, who then shoots from the second row to score to the top right. Shook, Libertas fail to react and are hit a second time as a corner lands on the head of Lindgren, who scores from a short distance. Energie take a heavy hit as Ljungberg goes down injured, and without the captain, Energie are notably more shakey. But Lars Walberg wins what is considered his “final exam”, shifting to a defensive position and holding the angry attacks of Libertas down, conceding only one goal as Lajunen lays a cross back to a free Mika Hakeson, scoring with a volley from thirteen metres out.

Lokomotive Jarnstad thus get an opening to flip the top around, and manage to do so with a sober and controlled game against CASK Thorsborg. The Jarnstaders try to not give McDonald’s side any openings and close down the centre, which works well. Although CASK find some space on the wings, Ullqvist and Metanov resolutely shut down any space in the box, and Ljurbyn can strike first after nineteen minutes, pushing into an opening and scoring off a low shot. Two more goals come in the second half, making the result slightly too clear compared to the game, and in the Stadion SJ partying breaks out as Lok take the lead by two points. Behind them, Partisan drop surprising points to Rotor as they press for a win too much and get hit by a counter, leading to Partisan losing all mathematical chances for the title as well as their IFCF spot. The title race comes down to a duel, with Energie having only theoretical chances to win. On the bottom, Rotor close the gap a bit with their victory, lacking two points for security, and Chemie Frisks are mathematically confirmed to face the relegation round.

Matchday 37
Landsmarks Industrie 1–0 Energie Thorsborg
Akademiker Savojagrad 1–1 Traktor St. Andrei
FK Chemie Frisks 0–2 ASK Landsmark
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–1 RLSK Pawlograd
Admiral Storevik 0–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–0 FK Metall Jarnstad
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 5–2 Rotor Värstjö
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 0–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
CASK Thorsborg 3–1 ESK Storevik
Transport Hovikkära 2–1 Libertas Bergheim

Partisan attempt to close their gap to the IFCF spots by winning against the leaders, Lok Jarnstad. A victory would ensure them to tie for third as Energie surprisingly lost the day before. But the challenge is big as Lok are in shape and want to lock down their lead with Libertas playing later on the same day. Parti Fifteen are not a thing today with Perttu Karjanen firing a long shot only seven minutes into the match, but failing to score as Martov punches out the ball to a corner. Lok counter hard later on, with the best chance of the first half going to Hellström as Grivoshenko lobs a ball over the defence line of Parti, and Hellström fires off a strong middle shot but misses a few centimetres to the left. In the second half, Partisan get some more good shots, with Poulsen narrowly missing a free kick and a shot from the side by Steinar Aarsoy being saved spectacularly by Martov. On the other side, Hellström gets another good chance and Ljurbyn almost scores off a flat cross by Ericsson. In the end, the two neutralise and draw the game, putting Jarnstad into serious peril.

But Libertas completely fail the chance to equalise the race for the title, as they are hold down by Transport Hovikkära and even lose thanks to a stellar performance by Joni Virtanen and Eino Kiivälä. The wingback manages to exploit some space at the back and brings in two successful crosses, one converted by Virtanen and one nodded on by the Finn for Ragnhild Viilanen to score. The lone Libertas goal by Nurkanen can only tie up the match. Elsewhere, Energie Thorsborg lose and fail to cement their IFCF spot as well as their chance at the title, as Landsmarks Industrie manage to score twice early on and Energie cannot return. On the bottom, Aka manage to score at least one point, and whittles the relegation battle down to a two-horse-race that is realistically decided already.

SFS 1                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Lokomotive Jarnstad*     37   19  10   8    42   21  +21    67
 2 Libertas Bergheim*       37   19   7  11    75   57  +18    64
 3 Energie Thorsborg        37   18   7  12    72   62  +10    61
 4 Partisan Sjoedrhavn      37   16  11  10    75   60  +15    59
 5 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn        37   16  11  10    67   56  +11    59
 6 CASK Thorsborg           37   17   7  13    77   71   +6    58
 7 Admiral Storevik         37   15  10  12    57   59   −2    55
 8 ESK Storevik             37   14  12  11    56   48   +8    54
 9 ASK Landsmark            37   16   5  16    38   43   −5    53
10 Transport Hovikkära      37   14   9  14    43   42   +1    51
11 RLSK Pawlograd           37   12  13  12    56   50   +6    49
12 Traktor St. Andrei       37   12  10  15    72   78   −6    46
13 Dynamo Novaya Russica    37   12  10  15    39   45   −6    46
14 FK Torpedo Pawlograd     37   11  12  14    72   73   −1    45
15 Akademiker Savojagrad    37   11  12  14    34   38   −4    45
16 FK Metall Jarnstad       37   12   9  16    29   38   −9    45
17 Landsmarks Industrie     37   12   9  16    58   68  −10    45
18 Savojars Vinge Virkaja   37   12   7  18    70   74   −4    43
19 Rotor Värstjö            37    9  13  15    60   78  −18    40
20 FK Chemie Frisks**       37    8   6  23    59   90  −31    30

SFS Champion: IFCF Champions League qualification
Ranks 2-3: IFCF Challenger's Cup qualification (together with Cup champion)
Ranks 19-20: Participation in relegation round
* = IFCF qualification confirmed
** = Relegation round confirmed

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
There Can Only Be One: SFS VI final post

SFS 1
Of course, the focus lies on the title fight in the SFS. Both title contenders face off against strong sides: Challengers Libertas host the rejuvenated CASK Thorsborg, hovering just outside international football after Schottian Johnny McDonald reversed the course following a horrible season, and leaders Lokomotive Jarnstad host Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, who need every point in their charge for international spots. The Jarnstader need no more than a draw to become champion, while Bergheim can overtake them if they win their match and Lok lose to Dynamo, with a cumulated goal difference of three or more - i.e. if Jarnstad lose by one, Libertas must win at least by two.

Behind them, the international spots are hotly contested as well, with four teams still in the mathematical run for only one free spot. Energie Thorsborg are in the pole position, as they need a victory at home against Transport Hovikkära, but Partisan are ready to pounce: If the Thorsborger draw or lose, a victory in Storevik against midtable ESK would give them the third spot. The same is true for Dynamo, but with a much harder task in a Lok Jarnstad that will be fighting for the title. CASK’s chances are mostly arithmetic at this point: They would need all teams ahead of them to lose, and win their match against Libertas by a cumulated goal difference of four compared to Energie - unlikely against a Bergheim side that needs to win to maintain their championship title. Relegation is all but decided, as Rotor Värstjö would require two freakishly high results to overtake SVV.

Energie Thorsborg 3–1 Transport Hovikkära
Libertas Bergheim 0–1 CASK Thorsborg
ESK Storevik 0–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Rotor Värstjö 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
FK Metall Jarnstad 0–0 Admiral Storevik
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
RLSK Pawlograd 1–0 FK Chemie Frisks
ASK Landsmark 1–0 Akademiker Savojagrad
Traktor St. Andrei 2–3 Landsmarks Industrie

It is quickly clear that Rjurik Smolderhøve does not plan to take risks. Lok come out very defensive, with Ljurbyn almost standing between Erlandsen and Oystein, and let their opponents come, knowing that a 0-0 is perfectly fine for the title. They still get their chances as Dynamo seem a bit overly encouraged by that setup, and after nineteen minutes Ljurbyn suddenly shoots out of the centre line just as Halvard Oystein lobs a ball over the top. The central midfield of Dynamo is immediately circumvented and the leaders come to a four-on-four, but the goal by Hellström is called off for off-side. There is still lots of cheering in the stadiums as news come in from Bergheim: Iljurov has managed to run down the right and bring a ball to the centre, where Birja heads it past Lotte Ronne to the 0-1 for Thorsborg, setting back Libertas notably.

The Bergheimer get more offensive after the goal, needing to revert the score, but the outgoing Savojar champions want to save their honour with a win and nail down the centre. Livonen takes Nyborg into a man-marking, and time after time Tuomas Lajunen gets tangled up between Kjäll and Nielsen. Finally, a shot on goal comes from Hakeson, but it gets saved by a brilliant Thomas Larsen. Up in Jarnstad, the Lokomotive side does get not a bit more offensive, now knowing about the 0-1 for CASK, and play a cautious sober game up to half time. Shortly after, hope returns to Libertas as a shot by Ulkanen is deflected off target by Metanov and Niklas Hoyberg heads in the subsequent corner. But Libertas are far from scoring the required three goals, with their best chance being a long-distance shot by Hakeson that bounces off a defender’s leg into a corner. They can’t ever quite ramp it up, and as both teams lose 0-1, the new champions are Lokomotive Jarnstad.

With Dynamo winning their match, CASK’s hopes of international football are gutted for now, but the Sjoedrhaveners have a decent shot as long as Energie and Partisan don’t win their match. Partisan do their duty by nailing down Freya Sigurdsdottir for ninety minutes, with Jernayev man-marking her to great effect, eventually causing a frustrated substitution after seventy minutes. But even that and two goals by Perttu Karjanen are not enough as the Thorsborger win at home, with Sienkiewicz and Vindjammer at the core of success. Kristin Vindjammer scores twice, once on assistance of the Falkyr and once after a spectacular dribbling, and Gustav Lindgren uses a through pass by Sienkiewicz for his 3-0. Virtanen’s final goal is pure cosmetic, not stopping Energie from securing an international spot.

SFS 1                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Lokomotive Jarnstad*     38   19  10   9    42   22  +20    67
 2 Libertas Bergheim*       38   19   7  12    75   58  +17    64
 3 Energie Thorsborg*       38   19   7  12    75   63  +12    64
 4 Partisan Sjoedrhavn      38   17  11  10    77   60  +17    62
 5 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn        38   17  11  10    68   56  +12    62
 6 CASK Thorsborg           38   18   7  13    78   71   +7    61
 7 Admiral Storevik         38   15  11  12    57   59   −2    56
 8 ASK Landsmark            38   17   5  16    39   43   −4    56
 9 ESK Storevik             38   14  12  12    56   50   +6    54
10 RLSK Pawlograd           38   13  13  12    57   50   +7    52
11 Transport Hovikkära      38   14   9  15    44   45   −1    51
12 Landsmarks Industrie     38   13   9  16    61   70   −9    48
13 Dynamo Novaya Russica    38   12  11  15    41   47   −6    47
14 FK Torpedo Pawlograd     38   11  13  14    73   74   −1    46
15 Traktor St. Andrei       38   12  10  16    74   81   −7    46
16 FK Metall Jarnstad       38   12  10  16    29   38   −9    46
17 Akademiker Savojagrad    38   11  12  15    34   39   −5    45
18 Savojars Vinge Virkaja   38   12   8  18    72   76   −4    44
19 Rotor Värstjö**          38    9  14  15    61   79  −18    41
20 FK Chemie Frisks**       38    8   6  24    59   91  −32    30

SFS Champion: IFCF Champions League qualification
Ranks 2-3: IFCF Challenger's Cup qualification (together with Cup champion)
Rank 4: IFCF Challenger's Cup qualification due to Cup champions being qualified through SFS
Ranks 19-20: Participation in relegation round
* = IFCF qualification confirmed
** = Relegation round confirmed

SFS 2

SFS 2                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 FK Sjoedrhavn            30   16   9   5    52   33  +19    57
 2 Framfarir Kjefla         30   16   6   8    71   59  +12    54
 3 SK Cuprum Grennvik       30   14  11   5    42   26  +16    53
 4 Navigator Jaromirgrad    30   13  12   5    74   62  +12    51
 5 Metsuri Virkaja          30   14   7   9    40   31   +9    49
 6 Polar Grundviken         30   11   8  11    43   39   +4    41
 7 Motor Johansborg         30   10  11   9    58   63   −5    41
 8 Norrhavn FK              30   11   7  12    43   44   −1    40
 9 EU Storevik              30    9  10  11    63   63    0    37
10 Elektron Harkka          30    9  10  11    53   60   −7    37
11 Zenit Jegrava            30    9   8  13    43   46   −3    35
12 Mir Nestrovo             30    9   6  15    44   55  −11    33
13 Agrar Jurka FK           30    8   8  14    43   48   −5    32
14 Union Roopere            30    8   7  15    45   58  −13    31
15 RAS St. Andrei           30    6  12  12    23   37  −14    30
16 FK Odin Kjaershavn       30    7   8  15    28   41  −13    29

Ranks 1-3: Participation in promotion round

Promotion/Relegation Round:

Regelation Round     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                                
1 FK Chemie Frisks       4   3  1  0    6   3  +3   10         —    —   1–0  1–0   — 
2 FK Sjoedrhavn          4   1  2  1    7   7   0    5        1–2   —   2–2   —    — 
3 SK Cuprum Grennvik     4   1  1  2    6   6   0    4         —    —    —   2–3  2–0
4 Rotor Värstjö          4   1  1  2    4   5  −1    4         —   0–1   —    —   1–1
5 Framfarir Kjefla       4   0  3  1    6   8  −2    3        2–2  3–3   —    —    —

Ranks 1-2: Qualified for SFS 1
Ranks 3-5: Qualified for SFS 2

Awards

SFS VI Team Of The Season (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Kevin Nordmark (Akademiker Savojagrad)
Defenders: Eino Kiivälä (Transport Hovikkära), Trent Ullqvist (Lokomotive Jarnstad), Aleksander Jernayev (Partisan Sjoedrhavn), Alexey Nurkanen (Libertas Bergheim)
Midfielders: Ågot Sienkiewicz (FKR, Energie Thorsborg), Henrik Ljurbyn (Lokomotive Jarnstad), Markus Nyborg (Libertas Bergheim)
Forwards: Steinar Aarsoy (Partisan Sjoedrhavn), Freya Sigurdsdottir (ESK Storevik), Markus Mellin (FK Torpedo Pawlograd)

SFS VI Topscorer
1. Freya Sigurdsdottir (ESK Storevik/26 goals)
2. Tuomas Lajunen (Libertas Bergheim/24)
3. Valter Birja (CASK Thorsborg/22)
4. Perttu Karjanen (Partisan Sjoedrhavn/20)
4. Markus Mellin (FK Torpedo Pawlograd/20)
4. Thorbjörn Vukkila (Savojars Vinge Virkaja/20)

SFS VI MVP (voted by players, managers and selected journalists, total: 500 votes)
1. Henrik Ljurbyn (Lokomotive Jarnstad/105 votes)
2. Freya Sigurdsdottir (ESK Storevik/98)
3. Kristin Vindjammer (Energie Thorsborg/44)

SFS VI Best Goalkeeper (voted by managers and selected journalists, total: 100 votes)
1. Viktorija Petrova (RLSK Pawlograd/20 votes)
2. Hauri Martov (Lokomotive Jarnstad/15)
3. Anders Johansson (Partisan Sjoedrhavn/13)

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Last Shot at Glory: The Savojarsk Cup 2/2

Quarterfinals

FK Odin Kjaershavn 0–2 Energie Thorsborg
The fairytale of Odin, who are the last underdog standing despite experiencing a dismal season in the SFS 2, comes to an end as Energie are not in a mood for upsets. Energie wish to assert themselves early on and succeed, as Staale Lund scores after using the lack of speed in the Odin Kjaershavn defence to his advantage. Lund breaks through two defenders and shoots to bring Energie up fifteen minutes into the game. The second strike almost followed, but Vindjammer misses by a bit over the bar. After the break, FK Odin almost come back into the match as their lone striker, Olaf Hangren, almost scores but sees his short distance header deflected over the bar by Johanna Marqvist. As time drags on, Odin visibly lose their energy and see the Thorsborger increase their hold on the game, resulting in the second goal scored by Petteri Jantaniemi off a counter. Energie qualify for the semifinals over the lone remaining SFS 2 team, ensuring that the Savojarsk Cup would again land in the hands of an SFS team.

Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1-2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Dynamo clearly don’t make the Cup a major priority, while the typical mid-table team of Torpedo do as they can’t expect a large return from the SFS at this point. Markus Mellin, the right hybrid winger at the core of FK’s season, takes his first aim nine minutes into the game, but gets deflected across the bar by Rydman sliding into his shot. The second attempt is much more successful as he turns the ball around Rydman and into the far top corner in a spectacular goal. Before the break, Dynamo return the favour through the stereotypical Dynamo goal pattern of “corner - cross - header by Hoyberg - goal”. Heading into the second half on 1-1 leads to a relatively cautious, but nail-biting affair with several near misses: Ulkanen misses on a distance shot, Johnberg is just about beaten by Jarkko Virtanen, and Hoyberg misses another cross on Dynamo’s side; Pawlograd has two major chances for Lundgren that are both saved and misses another shot by Romanov grazing the post. In the end, the decision comes off Vitali Zhirkov, who manages to slot home a free kick from twenty metres out to the top left corner.

Landsmarks Industrie 0-1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
This is your typical Savojar cup fight: tight, defensive, hotly contested and with few goals. Landsmarks Industrie throw everything at the opposition and home something will stick, but the tough Russians bog them down in the mid-field thanks to Milanov and Povar dropping down to almost act as a third and fourth centre-back. Industrie attempt to find space through Lyubor Karlov’s left wing, where Orjanin shows some issues with the winger’s speed, but DNR’s club legend Artyom Parvalov snatches cross after cross from the skies until the Landsmarker give up hope. The second half gets barely better, with the lowlight being a disgusting tackle by Ivan Paramin on the already passed Teranen that probably should have seen a red, but was only punished with a yellow card. The sole goal came off a counter launched by a brilliant pass by Polina Zirkova that saw DNR’s two wingers and two strikers face two defenders and a defensive midfielder by the opposition, an opportunity that Terkala used to score the golden goal eighteen minutes before the end.

ASK Landsmark 4-1 Traktor St. Andrei
Traktor are being countered down brutally by a sober and collected ASK side that clearly wants to make a stance in the Cup. As both teams are playing with almost their entire top squads, a fierce battle develops with ASK striking first off a free kick from mid-distance that CASK loan-player Paddi Gren turns into the box for Ryberg to deflect without any chance for Nikitin. The Traktor keeper is in focus in the second goal, however. Pushing up hard, Traktor are caught on the back foot after a mistaken pass by Krister Marström and end up being caught in a counter. Teronen and Barushin are quickly bypassed by Groen’s deep pass to Ilari Litmanen, whose middle shot is being saved by Nikitin - but the goalie drops the ball right onto the foot of the ASK striker, who scores the 2-0 before the break. Playing on a rush now, the Landsmarker manage another goal just as the game restarts, this time by Ryberg again after a corner. Although Borislav Yarkov can score from the edge of the box to bring back some hope, Groen scores the final goal in the last minutes from the spot after Litmanen is held down by Temarainen in an aerial duel. The clear victory completes the final four of the Cup.

Semifinals

Energie Thorsborg 4–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Energie hold the union flag high at home as they host a Torpedo that has been in trouble in the League all month long. The home team come out all guns blazing, and Jantaniemi takes only eleven minutes to lob the ball past the Torpedo defence to find Gustav Lindgren, who puts the ball past goalkeeper Jarkko Virtanen. Ten minutes later, Vindjammer comes into a 1v1 with Virtanen but sees her attempt deflected over the bar by the foot of the goalie. The following corner lands on the head of Roman Forsberg and in the top left corner for the 2-0. After the break, Pawlograd push up and get one back as Mellin smacks a cross by Romanov home with a spectacular volley, but the openings that come as a result of Torpedo’s increasingly offensive orientation are immediately punished as Energie counter and score the third goal through Staale Lund. Thirteen minutes before the end, Vindjammer enters a 1v1 with Olberg and passes the defender, only to fall over his still extended leg and get a penalty. Lindgren’s 4-1 decides the game, with Jamarin’s late goal off a rebound being an afterthought. Energie can celebrate the first cup final since 1991, and retains hope of their first cup victory in club history.

Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–0 ASK Landsmark (5–4 pen.)
With one Dynamo team out, the hopes of the Savojar police lay on Dynamo Novaya Russica as they host a Landsmark side that has thus far presented a solid cup performance. Both these sides are traditionally defensive, and today is no exception. Careful and scrappy play ensues, with Landsmark having an ever so slight edge in the offensive department but failing to push through the defensive web of Novaya Russica. The best chance in the first half goes to Dominik Ryberg, who heads a cross by Groen just centimetres over the bar. Novaya Russica has only one major chance before the break as Mertonen gets a free kick, but can’t beat Jacobsson in goal. The second half sees a good chance early on as Zirkova finds a large opening on the left and sends Klingberg down, but Terkala’s direct shot goes wide. In the end, both teams are too cautious to break the stalemate, and in overtime neither side dares to attack. The shootout has to decide, and it sees a similar stalemate with the first six shooters scoring. Coming up seventh, Landsmarks Calle Polman misses high by about five centimetres, and Polina Zirkova withstands the pressure as she scores to the bottom left to make the score 4-3. Jesper Groen equalises again, but with the final penalty, the captain himself seals the deal: Ville Mertonen scores a blasting shot to the centre and pushes DNR to the cup final.

Final

Energie Thorsborg 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
In perfect early June conditions, those two teams met in the Nationalstadion Carl Gustaf Bjurman to celebrate the biggest single match in Savojar football. For the first time in the cup this year, both sides were playing their theoretical best teams, not bothering to give playtime to younger players or second goalies when a trophy is on the line. Sjoedrhavn’s fans came out in support of Energie, as the fans of Partisan had a clear vested interest in an Energie victory which would allow them to inherit the Thorsborgers’ IFCF spot. The numerous FKS fans largely ignored the cup final, but to the extent that they took sides, it was largely with the union team of Energie. Of the locals, that left only the Dynamo Sjoedrhavn fans who largely came out to cheer on their brethren from Novaya Russica. However, the Sjoedrhaveners are of course outnumbered by travelling fans, which made the ninety minute train ride down from Thorsborg in large numbers. Fewer had bothered to travel from the Russican hinterland, although the Dynamo ultras had put on a particularly colourful and loud display on their way to the stadium. At 14:20, the teams walked out into the Sunday afternoon in front of a sold out Bjurman, led out by their captains Ville Mertonen and Valentin Ljungberg and by the Finnish referee Anssi Jokarinen. Following the International, sung by the grand Savojar chansonnier Rolf Nygren in a bilingual duet with Russican ballad singer Ljuba Nemtsova, the two teams lined up ready to take centre stage.

The home game setting for Energie seemed to push the Thorsborger early on, with Sienkiewicz getting the first chance only six minutes into the match as her long-range shot just missed high. The second attempt came by the hands of Kristin Vindjammer, whose attempt to curl the ball into the far top corner was just about blocked by a very agile Zirkova. The game continued to be dominated by the union side, but DNR got its shots in every now and then on the counter. The most dangerous shot for the Russians in the first half came from Vilmarsson, who headed a cross by Mertonen just about off target. Kaapo Terkala almost got a golden chance for the first goal on the counter right before the break, but the long pass by Milanov was headed out by Forsberg just before it could reach Terkala, who would have been alone in front of Johanna Marqvist. Energie on the other hand could completely push back the Dynamo side whenever they had the ball, but with the defence of DNR closely pulled together around the box and Klingberg and Mertonen falling back to close down the sides, Energie had to break down what almost became a 6-2-2 formation. They found their luck in distance shots, as Ljungberg hit the crossbar from 25 metres out and Jantaniemi managed to get a rebound off a low shot from outside the box, but Paramin cleared before the pouncing Gustav Lindgren.

The cup final continued to be a one-sided affair after the break, with the Thorsborger driving play and the Russican side defending. In goal, Andrea Jovanova played a fantastic game and saved multiple major chances for Energie, while DNR could occasionally catch a break by countering. Terkala was at the focus ten minutes into the second half as he dribbled past Ljungberg and had an exposed Energie ahead of him, drawing along Sigmundur Vilmarsson. But the Ejanan failed to control the ball, and Roman Forsberg could clear the situation for Energie. Dynamo put up an extremely spirited fight, but it could not go well forever, and the second major counter chance of the match proved to be the missed chance too much as Vilmarsson could not reach a high cross by Mertonen. Shortly after the miss, an attempt by Paramin to clear a cross failed as he didn’t push it away far enough, and Sienkiewicz found a gap to the foot of Staale Lund, who scored with a direct shot. The cup thus went to Energie for the first time in their history, and sent the Bjurman into ten final minutes of celebration as DNR’s spirit was visibly broken. After arriving in Thorsborg around seven o’clock, the team celebrated on the central market square of the city all night, and probably kicked off some celebrations in Sjoedrhavn’s central districts as well as Partisan secured an IFCF Challenger’s Cup spot thanks to the Thorsborgers’ cup victory.

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII Season Preview (Part 1/2)

Finally, it is time again for a new season of football in Savojarna! A recent struggle over leadership and money in the SFS before the sixth season resulted in an increased share of money heading for the clubs. As a consequence, more foreign players are moving to Savojarna and the local players have been retained more effectively thanks to more available money for their wages, as well as a secured future for the SFS. For the first time in a while, there had been large-scale Savojar involvement in the international transfer window, and a mass influx of foreigners has made the league more diverse. Who could use the new money best, though? We have projected our top 20 for the new season, and see who can make the breakthrough among the players in the SFS.

20. FK Sjoedrhavn (last season: SFS 2 Champion)

FKS are back for their second stint in the SFS 1, and the last time has been immortalised as what must be the worst season in SFS history. The Sjoedrhavener have failed to win a single game in the entire first half of the season and some, and eventually were clearly at the end of the table. The new SFS relegation round system, although criticised last year for being unfair and changed this year as to include three SFS 1 clubs and two SFS 2 clubs to increase mobility, is still going to be their saving grace if there is any. Olle Johansson has transformed this team into a young, speedy and strong ensemble, but a lack of transfer activity and, frankly, overall talent may lead to a swift return to the SFS 2 for Sjoedrhavn’s most popular club. Their incredibly passionate fans, stemming largely from the capital’s alternative and student scene, will be a beautiful addition to the SFS.

Stadium: Sjoedrhavns Stadsstadion (capacity: 28’400)
Manager: Olle Johansson (36)
Expected formation: 5-2-3
Starting XI: Elias Hedberg - Lea Persson, Anja Palme, Denise Rydberg [C], Adrian Boedker, Gennadi Skvortsov - Jon Carl Idveld, Olaf Midgren - Poul Fredriksen, Urho Surminen, Jari Siilonen
Notable reserves: Rasmus Ylvenoinen (LB), Alexander Sejersted (CM), Hrolfr Bjarnason (ST)
Transfers incoming: Urho Surminen (ST, from Lokomotive Jarnstad, 0 mil. NSD) | Outgoing: -

19. FK Chemie Frisks (20.)

Chemie’s youth development approach and more balanced take on the game had almost cost them the league again, but then came the relegation round - and it became apparent that the Chemiker had merely preserved their power for the right moment. Winning all four matches in the relegation round, Chemie managed to stay in the top flight, where they will probably be forced into the relegation round again. With RW Antti Roope moving over to Torpedo, the offence has lost some of its strength, and it is unclear if the signing of two young forwards evens out this loss. Baldursson is expected to drag his team through the season once more, but everyone who claims to have great expectations for Chemie is lying.

Stadium: Stadion NAK Chemie (capacity: 18’500)
Manager: Jotan Baldursson (42)
Expected formation: 3-5-2
Starting XI: Valery Karyanov - Kasperi Perkinen, Ulf Sundhaugen, Heikki Ristolainen - Joona Pärvi, Antoni Parashenko, Fridtjof Jansrud, Lars Torhaug, Thomas Andersson - Jarkko Kapanen [C], Ivan Onagin
Notable reserves: Kalle Nyhavn (RB), Carl Hedman (RM), Kimiko Maki (ST/HIN)
Transfers incoming: Kimiko Maki (HIN/ST, Royal Academy/HIN, 0), Ivan Onagin (ST, Zenit Jegrava, 0.3) | Outgoing: Antti Roope (RF, to FK Torpedo Pawlograd, 1.25)

18. Landsmarks Industrie (14.)

Industrie have exceeded the expectations last year thanks to a duo of Teranen and Klinger pushing them hard on the fron, and their opposition tending to get overrun by the aggressive style of Mika Aleksen. The young manager has to replace Teranen, who has been transferred considerably up the table to Dynamo, and he has attempted to do so by signing Nepharim free agent Sequel Bathanay. Landsmark is optimistic that she can replace the fourteen-goal hole left by Teranen’s departure. Behind the duo up top, Pernille Norby has established herself as the third-best scorer last season despite not being a member of the starting lineup at first, and the signing of Kjetil Borkerud has led to the creation of a young, dangerous winger duo. Landsmarks Industrie will likely continue to push forward hard, and may surprise again.

Stadium: Landsmarks Arbetarnas Stadion (capacity: 22’900)
Manager: Mika Aleksen (38)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Albin Lindblom - Olaf Sundberg, Victor Malinsson, Jesper Lund [C], Lasse Boedker - Kjetil Borkerud, Vitaly Namenkov, Johan Sundbotten, Pernille Norby - Sequel Bathanay (NPH), Gabriel Klinger
Notable reserves: Lovisa Tedenby (CM), Erik Gustafsson (RM), Valtteri Lehto (ST)
Transfers incoming: Sequel Bathanay (NPH/ST, Chenoworth Harriers/NPH, 0), Kjetil Borkerud (LM, FK Metall Jarnstad, 0.75) | Outgoing: Aleksander Teranen (ST, Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, 1.5)

17. RLSK Pawlograd (10.)

RLSK managed an impressive run off the back of Viktorija Petrova’s superb goalkeeping, which got her elected best goalkeeper of the SFS VI. The goalkeeper, however, is not getting younger, and in front of her there have been no notable signings. The Pawlograder have picked up a second Nepharim in Makis Kotsonis, a central midfielder who would be able to run a lot and carry the game from box to box, and a backup to introduce more offence on the left side of the field in Shipulin. Overall, however, this team is largely the same as last year. If the Pawlograder can push another season like last year, they may very well end up in the midfield again, but it had been supported by luck and a season in which many other teams have been uncharacteristically inconsistent. Don’t expect RLSK to stick with the trend too much.

Stadium: Stadion Alexey Sakharov (capacity: 37’000)
Manager: Grigori Markov (64)
Expected formation: 3-5-1-1
Starting XI: Viktorija Petrova [C] - Karol Taranyi, Thorsten Croft (NPH), Valentina Strakhova - Alexander Mikhailov, Johan Arnheim, Svetlana Namenkova, Makis Kotsonis (NPH), Mikko Karpanen - Denis Arkanin - Carl Mansheim
Notable reserves: Hans Juul (CB), Valtteri Jovanov (DM), Georgi Samarev (ST)
Transfers incoming: Oleg Shipulin (LM, SK Cuprum Grennvik, 0.6), Makis Kotsonis (NPH/CM, Parrhesia United/NPH, 0) | outgoing: Boris Khabarov (GK, retirement)

16. AFK Savojagrad (17.)

The high-flying year of SFS V has swung back into a year of trouble again for AFK, the Russian-language rebrand of Akademiker Savojagrad. Pure patterns would have you expect the team to succeed again this year, and chances are actually not too bad as they have plugged two holes: Olgajev’s issues to actually play on a high level for ninety minutes have been fixed by the signing of Eddie Bains from Schottia, whereas Zyukov’s signing is a way of backing up the team in times of leads, hoping to fix Aka’s issues of losing leads in the late parts of the game. The team is still quite shallow and old, but has one remarkable position in its goalkeepers. Kevin Nordmark has been voted into the SFS VI Team of the Season, whereas Stanislav Jushchenko is one of Savojarna’s more exciting goalkeeping talents.

Stadion: NUSArena (capacity: 14’800)
Manager: Emil Haraldson (45)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 diamond
Starting XI: Kevin Nordmark - Eloise Davison (NPH), Linus Perkkanen, Martin Rundman, Sergey Martinov - Dmitry Mitryushkin [C] - Alexei Shipulin, Olaf Hensberg - Andrey Ishkurin - Eddie Bains (SCT), Jacob Lirov
Notable reserves: Stanislav Jushchenko (GK), Boris Olgajev (ST)
Transfers incoming: Eddie Bains (SCT/ST, Holin/SCT, 1), Viktor Zyukov (CM, Partisan Sjoedrhavn, 0. | outgoing: -

15. Transport Hovikkära (11.)

Hovikkära has lost its lifeline in Joni Virtanen, who has left Savojarna in trouble after the team had desperately tried to hold its star without any success. Although they have received quite a lot of money, they have failed to really profit from this as management has strongly restricted spending in Hovikkära, and with the loss of Otso Ilkkanen abroad, there is even less youth and depth in this squad that there used to be. Turamäki will have to walk a tight line to keep his stars such as Viilanen and Kiivälä, and there are serious criticisms in the signing of Serge Tempest as many fear the young Audioslavian may simply look for an in into professional football and quickly seek a move abroad or to a top team. The team is likely to become even more defensive with the signing of young Savojar Rasmus Vikborg from Rotor and the more experienced Appalachian Greg Chauncey to stabilise the central defence.

Stadion: Pohjoiskaivaa (capacity: 46’000)
Manager: Ville Turamäki (56)
Expected formation: 5-3-2
Starting XI: Kari Tuvanen - Eino Kiivälä, Greg Chauncey (APY), Rasmus Vikborg, Valtteri Uutala, Ole Löfqvist - Kirill Parvanov, Anders Hallbeck, Valerija Pitarova [C] - Serge Tempest (AUD), Ragnhild Viilanen
Notable reserves: Petter Samuelsson (CB), Evgeni Mikhaylov (RB), Benjamin Tin (RM)
Transfers incoming: Serge Tempest (AUD/ST, Basque University/HIN, 0), Ole Löfqvist (RB, Partisan Sjoedrhavn, 0.7), Rasmus Vikborg (CB, Rotor Värstjö, 0.7), Greg Chauncey (APY/CB, Tacoma 1836/XAN, 1.75) | outgoing: Otso Ilkkanen (DM, FC Rotmunde 1932/STL, 1), Joni Virtanen (ST, Straudum/KOR, 2), Ulf Johansson (CB, retirement)

14. Traktor St. Andrei (15.)

Traktor had their fair share of issues last year, but the management has decided that the main issue for the St. Andrei side was a lack of luck. With a revival of the St. Andrei Derby in the SFS 2 being averted for another year, Traktor have attempted to improve their stability but largely failed outside from getting back youth prospect Oleg Eremenko from his stint at Mir Nestrovo, where the centre-back had been loaned to and has now returned from the loan. Hopes rest on a good season by Nikitin - a goalkeeper that Traktor had wanted to replace, but couldn’t find a suitable replacement on the transfer market - and the hope that Slavyana Oleva succeeds in holding their midfield together. An exciting addition is Schottian youth midfielder Anna Witchstone, coming from the National Development System, but we expect to see her primarily in Traktor’s U21 for this year, with some action in the Cup or in case of injury.

Stadion: Stadion Traktorov (capacity: 56’000)
Manager: Slavomir Tesharov (69)
Expected formation: 3-4-3
Starting XI: Georgi Nikitin - Kari Temarainen, Igor Barushin, Juha Teronen - Krister Marström, Slavyana Oleva, Valeri Makanov, Alexandra Martinova - Matti Sundgren, Borislav Yarkov, Kasimir Samarov [C]
Notable reserves: Oleg Eremenko (CB), Anna Witchstone (SCT/CM), Vyacheslav Karamasov (ST)
Transfers incoming: Anna Witchstone (SCT/CM, National Development Side B (SCT), 0), Oleg Eremenko (23, Mir Nestrovo, returned from loan) | outgoing: -

13. Dynamo Novaya Russica (13.)

Novaya Russica did more or less what everyone expected them to do with a relatively weak and underfunded side - sticking around in the midfield and coming thirteenth second time in a row. However, they then got flushed with cash as they sold Polina Zirkova, Savojarna’s biggest defensive talent in about a decade, to CASK for an intra-SFS record sum of 5.5 million NSD - and in typical DNR fashion, they went and splurged most of it onto a mid-career Nepharim striker to plug a “hole” that scored twelve goals last year. At least Johansson managed to stabilise this side, and by poaching off Omark from Rotor he made at least one decent signing that allows them to rest Mertonen every once in a while. Terkala has inexplicably decided to stay, and thanks to DNR profiting from the collapse of Qusma’s structure, they got a competent midfielder for cheap, so another thirteenth place should be possible.

Stadion: Stadion Dynamo (capacity: 29’700)
Manager: Mirko Johansson (37)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Andrea Jovanova - Damjan Kirov, Ivan Paramin, Ljubor Neparev, Pavel Orjanin - Pontus Klingberg, Libor Milanov, Yamaj Blonz-Jok (QUS), Ville Mertonen [C] - Maladict Farrell, Kaapo Terkala
Notable reserves: Sara Omark (RM), Joona Rintanen (OM), Sigmundur Vilmarsson (ST)
Transfers incoming: Sara Omark (RM, Rotor Värstjö, 0., Maladict Farrell (NPH/ST, Newrook City/NPH, 4.5), Yamaj-Blonz Jok (QUS/CM, KF Werzin/QUS, 0.75*) | outgoing: Polina Zirkova (CB, CASK Thorsborg, 5.5), Artyom Parvalov (GK, retirement)

*: Due to Qusmo’s league system dissolving, the transfer fee for Qusmi’y players is set by the SFS and paid into the SFS Revenue Sharing System according to a special agreement by the League and all constituent teams.

12. Savojars Vinge Virkaja (18.)

SFS VI will be remembered in Virkaja as an embarassment and a trash fire. Nothing worked well last year, and management sat by idly for a long, long time before Hakkarinen was sacked in the least dignified way possible. Lew Nyborg from Framfarir Kjefla and Ylvi Sootala from Hovikkära were brought on, only to not make all that much of an impact. Nyborg, who only had a contract to the end of the season, had not been employed further and swapped his place with SVV U21 manager Jon Sigur Hrolfrsson, a 42 year old Ejanan who is remarkable for his close work with the team. He agreed with Nyborg’s assessment that the defence needs strengthening, but isolated the flanks as a problem, axing captain Valter Kjaer for Brenecian Dani Carlin. Then, SVV presented a surprise signing with Lok’s second goalkeeper Ingmar Lenberg, who many considered of SFS starter quality. The activity has been entirely financed by an Air Force that wants to avert the embarrassment of last season, meaning that the core of the old team around Lenka Otalainen is still intact - this can be good if they start off well, but also bad if the team is shook early on again.

Stadion: Patrik Suhonen Stadion (capacity: 52’000)
Manager: Jon Sigur Hrolfrsson (42)
Expected formation: 4-3-3
Starting XI: Ingmar Lenberg - Dani Carlin (BRE), Lauri Anttakari, Boris Olgunov, Toni Antonov - Kirill Onagin, Max Stenberg, Lenka Otalainen [C] - Kasperi Lehtonen, Thorbjörn Vukkila, Mika Salonen
Notable reserves: Valter Kjaer (LB), Ylvi Sootala (CB), Oleg Barkov (RB), Irina Korpikoski (ST)
Transfers incoming: Dani Carlin (BRE/GK, Northern Stallions/BRE, 3), Ingmar Lenberg (GK, Lokomotive Jarnstad, 1.25) | outgoing: Patrik Andersson (LM, retirement)

11. FK Torpedo Pawlograd (14.)

Things are always chaotic in Pawlograd, and they were even more so in a season that was an incredible up and down. While Markus Mellin had his breakout season at age 27, scoring twenty goals and coming joint fourth in the race for the top scorer title, the defence was a perpetual mess. Thankfully for Dmitri Liyushkin, the new leadership stuck to their commitment to stability and extended his contract as well as providing ample transfer budgets - although Liyushkin will be under pressure to use them well. He has spent the 3.5 million generated by Mellin’s move to Brenecian top club North Hall primarily on Nepharim goalkeeper Radu Bartok, the most expensive transfer in club history. Mellin was replaced almost on the cheap with Antti Roope, whose fourteen-goal-season at Chemie suggests he may finally blossom the way Mellin did last year. The final cornerstone in defence is Nepharim Mirka Ceciu, who is supposed to give more stability to a talented, but young defence.

Stadium: Stadion Admiral Rjurden (capacity: 52’000)
Manager: Dmitri Liyushkin (39)
Expected formation: 4-3-3
Starting XI: Radu Bartok (NPH) - Ylvi Japarainen, Mirka Ceciu (NPH), Terje Landman, Oleg Petrov [C] - Boris Grigorin, Vitali Zhirkov, Johan Däll - Jelena Romanov, Pjotr Jamarin, Antti Roope
Notable reserves: Jarkko Virtanen (GK), Karina Stjernberg (CB), Ragnar Jorinen (ST)
Transfers incoming: Mirka Ceciu (NPH/CB, Aries Chariots/NPH, 0), Radu Bartok (NPH/GK, Parrhesia United/NPH, 4.5), Antti Roope (RF, FK Chemie Frisks, 1.25) | outgoing: Markus Mellin (RF, North Hall/BRE, 3.5)

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII Season Preview (Part 2/2)

10. ESK Storevik (9.)

ESK have finished in the middle of the pack yet again thanks to the key figure of the year, SFS VI top scorer and NT striker Freya Sigurdsdottir. The forward has signed to another four years with her childhood club, stating that unless she gets a major foreign offer in an UICA top club, she will finish her career at ESK, and was rewarded with the captaincy. The comment made sure that Vilhjalmur Ruriksson finally grew tired of being Freya’s backup and quit the team, moving over to the champions in Jarnstad, but the money was reinvested in strengthening ESK’s powerful offence further by adding on CASK’s Harri Niskanen. In defence, however, Freyrsson’s team remains shallow. Although ESK’s defence is fairly okay, the team will have to rely on its (admittedly deep) youth pool in case of any issues, and is considered likely to buy a defender in the winter window.

Stadion: Ejansk Stadion (capacity: 41’000)
Manager: Halldor Freyrsson (59)
Expected formation: 4-2-2-2
Starting XI: Fridtjof Rolfrsson - Henrik Nyman, Asta Bjarnasdottir, Halldor Parvin, Sigurdur Arjonsson - Sigrun Baarsjö, Finnbogar Gudmundsson - Arvid Persson, Harri Nikanen - Rikard Helborg, Freya Sigurdsdottir [C]
Notable reserves: Patrik Vilanen (OM), Olafur Palsson (RF), Uller Sigfridsson (ST)
Transfers incoming: Harri Nikanen (RM, CASK Thorsborg, 1) | outgoing: Vilhjalmur Ruriksson (ST, Lokomotive Jarnstad, 0.75)

9. FK Metall Jarnstad (16.)

The attempt of Hjalmar Loevith to infuse some offence into Metall backfired badly as the team didn’t get off the ground last season. However, the experienced coach Hjalmar Loevith was left in place despite a horrendous first half of the season as he could leverage the injury of Valeri Otarov into an explanation for his failures. What gave a lot more criticism to him was his unwillingness to get active on the transfer market, and it was sheer luck that players such as Mortensson or Hytälä are sticking with a shaky Metall. Further criticism arose due to the two youth prospects Kanarin and Ekman, the latter transferred expensively from Frisks during the last season, not playing regularly. The same went for Borkerud, who took the consequences with his transfer. While the club looks shaky, there is still a lot of raw talent in it - especially if Loevith decides to pass on the baton.

Stadium: MetallArena Jarnstad (capacity: 44’000)
Manager: Hjalmar Loevith (54)
Expected formation: 4-5-1
Starting XI: Aleksander Smichov - Terho Hytälä, Patrik Hornberg, Hjalmar Staal, Kiki Neturainen - Kristian Boe, Stefan Johansson, Lovisa Mortensson, Marios Tzavellas (NPH) Frida Björgen - Valeri Otarov [C]
Notable reserves: Roman Kanarin (OM), Rasmus Ekman (ST)
Transfers incoming: - | outgoing: Kjetil Borkerud (LM, Landsmarks Industrie, 0.75)

8. ASK Landsmark (8.)

This side has become something of a perpetually underwhelming team. For a while, ASK had been contending last season, but then they fell apart yet again at the end of the season, pointing at a potential lack of depth especially in the mid-field and offence. The loss of a core player in Paddi Gren hasn’t helped for sure, although ASK knew that the offensive midfielder would return to CASK as he was on loan. They have accordingly acted on time by signing a Qusmi’y replacement in Gavax-Nenzi Abe, a high quality national team player. The approach of signing national players of Savojarna, and now also Qusmo, the chance is high that ASK will make an early push again. The question is whether they can avoid losing steam at the end - and probably, this will require quite some winter transfer activity or a lot of trust into the U21, not something Viktor Nejman has been famous so far.

Stadium: Axel-Nejdur-Stadion (capacity: 46’000)
Manager: Viktor Nejman (54)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Johan Jacobsson - Jussi Arpanen, Simon Omark, Nina Rasmussen, Frans Kirkers - Jesper Groen, Mikael Hansborg, Gavax-Nenzi Abe (QUS), Calle Polman - Dominik Ryberg [C], Ilari Litmanen
Notable reserves: Sergey Nemtsov (RB), Poul Olsen (RF)
Transfers incoming: Gavax-Nenzi Abe (QUS/OM, KF Trew/QUS, 2*) | outgoing: Paddi Gren (OM, CASK Thorsborg, loan ending)

7. Dynamo Sjoedrhavn (5.)

Following a pretty chaotic and horrible season, Dynamo have stabilised themselves and found a new leader in Kristian Lägg. The promising manager has managed to form the side around a middle axis of (former) international players Jarnström, Kjaer, and Hoyberg. Up front, there has been a lot of focus on Johnberg, and to a lesser extent Pohja Ulkanen. The solution of the police club had been to sign a strong striker in Aleksander Teranen, who had a strong season alongside Gabriel Klinger in Landsmark. It will be crucial to see how well Teranen can do on his own in a high-pressure environment, although the focus on heavy pressing should be familiar to him. In the back, Sjoedrhavn announced a will to invest largely into a defensive midfielder, but have failed to come to terms with a suitable candidate, leaving a high pressure on Hoyberg and Loeseth. On the bench, we are highly curious to see the further development of Anja Loeseth, and even more so, super-talent Kristina Midtjaer.

Stadium: Stadion Dynamo (capacity: 35’000)
Manager: Kristian Lägg (45)
Expected formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI: Anders Jarnström [C] - Leif Jonasson, Linne Kjaer, Matias Rydman, Jarkko Liparainen - Niklas Hoyberg, Victor Loeseth - Helgi Persson, Pohja Ulkanen, Kev Andersson - Aleksander Teranen
Notable reserves: Anja Loeseth (RB), Kristina Midtjaer (RF), Olof Johnberg (ST)
Transfers incoming: Aleksander Teranen (ST, Landsmarks Industrie, 1.5) | outgoing: Hans Jäggman (CB, Oljestaden IF/AUD, 0)

6. Energie Thorsborg (3.)

Energie had feared a sellout after their spectacular rise to international football, as assets like Zibo Olberg, neo-national-team-player Valentin Ljungberg, or 15-goal-winger Kristin Vindjammer may raise international interest. However, Energie have chosen a strategy of investing almost the entirety of their new TV money into the retention of their existing players. As a result, Energie have kept together the entirety of their squad, going into the new season with an extremely organised side. The third place of last year may still be somewhat above the expected reach of Energie, as their aggressive stance makes them vulnerable at the back and they did profit from a dip in form at CASK, Admiral and most notably the bad late season of Partisan. However, the first cup victory in club victory has released an energy and confidence in Thorsborg that makes Energie a dangerous force to be reckoned with nonetheless.

Stadium: National Energiekollektivets Arena (capacity: 48’600)
Manager: Lars Walberg (40)
Expected formation: 4-3-3
Starting XI: Johanna Marqvist - Aiden Halstro, Roman Forsberg, Zibo Olberg, Lucas Bengtsson - Petteri Jantaniemi, Valentin Ljungberg [C], Ågot Sienkiewicz (FKR) - Kristin Vindjammer, Gustav Lindgren, Staale Lund
Notable reserves: Flemming Skov (RB), Pernilla Sander (OM), Poul Andersen (ST)
Transfers: -

5. Admiral Storevik (7.)

Haukason had to weather a storm over the summer following a disappointing season, but he could save himself off the excuse that a team overly reliant on its superstar, Krister Voynov, had to play without said star for most of the time as he had suffered a laborious injury early in the season that had made him an on-and-off player. Voynov still scored seven goals despite playing few games and many of them off the bench. Now, he is gone for good as Savojarna’s national superstar has been transferred to Valanora for a record sum of 15 million NSD, by far the highest sum ever paid for a Savojar. The money has been put into two high-level replacements that are expected to have a few good years left in them. Squornshelan Remnant States winger Jzeovak Vladcik will be the first of his country to grace the SFS, while Nepharim Sabine Montag has played alongside Savojar midfielder Victoria Maersk in Nephara. The problem with this team by now is probably a skilled, but not remarkable defence, especially on the left side and in goal.

Stadium: Marinestadion (capacity: 48’000)
Manager: Gylfi Haukason (50)
Expected formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI: Mikka Juralainen - Kare Runarsson, Gregor Flygstad, Lauri Zirkkonen, Pavel Urkin - Joonas Andersson [C], Birkir Evaldsson - Jzeovak Vladcik (SRS), Sabine Montag (NPH), Igor Vitanov - Arvid Jotansson
Notable reserves: Sigleifur Arnason (LM), Mikael Najman (OM), Juri Sandrajev (ST)
Transfers incoming: Mah Huang (HIN/CB, Marushika Royal University/HIN, 0), Sabine Montag (NPH/OM, North Sabrefell/NPH, 4.5), Jzeovak Vladcik (SRS/LM, Lublova Reds/SRS, 4.5) | outgoing: Krister Voynov (LF, Raynor City United/VAL, 15)

4. Partisan Sjoedrhavn (4.)

Partisan retained its three trademarks over the last season: A very deep and highly valued roster, high expectations further fuelled by an early surge in the standings, and an ultimate choke that would have had seen the team miss IFCF competition if Energie hadn’t qualified twice (through Cup and SFS) to give Parti a second chance ticket. A serious issue of memetic quality had been the team’s notorious issues in the first fifteen minutes, in which they were very regularly scored on. Movement has happened primarily up front, however. Alina Lund, cornerstone of an unlucky Värstjö team, has been signed to her first SFS top team, a move that brought up bewilderment at the transfer of a 31 year old winger, until Parti then also presented the eighteen year old super-talent Göran Jaerbyn with a pro contract, showcasing their will to use Lund as a filler until Jaerbyn is of age. Shipulin is another returning great talent that has been collecting experience in Virkaja’s SFS 2 side, and now should be ready to play a bigger role. Partisan have not gotten weaker, but it remains to be seen whether they also have gotten stronger.

Stadium: Stadion Perl Kruger (capacity: 42’300)
Manager: Johan Sigmundsson (38)
Expected formation: 4-4-1-1
Starting XI: Anders Johansson - Bjarne Thorvaldsson, Aleksandr Jernayev, Rasmus Helman, Johan Karlsson - Steinar Aarsoy, Pavel Shipulin, Henning Roesk, Alina Lund - Morten Poulsen - Perttu Karjanen [C]
Notable reserves: Rasmus Grönkjaer (RB), Yuri Zhuranov (DM), Göran Jaerbyn (RM), Simon Jacobsen (ST)
Transfers incoming: Alina Lund (RM, Rotor Värstjö, 1.25), Rasmus Grönkjaer (RB, Motor Johansborg, 0.3), Pavel Shipulin (CM, Metsuri Virkaja, return from loan) | outgoing: Viktor Zyukov (CM, AFK Savojagrad, 0.8 ), Ole Löfqvist (RB, Transport Hovikkära, 0.7)

3. Libertas Bergheim (2.)

Libertas have by now solidly moved into the top tier. Laurison has managed to form a team that is loyal, plays together with a lot of heart, and combines a lot of skill in its circles. Adding in some more talent on two key positions also improved Libertas’ depth especially on its all-important winger positions. With Berg being a bit of a lacklustre winger, especially on the left side where he never quite felt at home, there had been a weak spot in the side that has been hopefully eliminated by the pricey transfer of Schottian Richard Geddes. Geddes himself has hailed his arrival in Bergheim by a flurry of twii.tur messages that have gotten Libertas fans pumped and the rest of the country riled up, bringing more and perhaps unexpected attention to Bergheim. In defence, another improvement has been done by loaning Nepharim prospect Alyssa Broad to stabilise a defence that has been a bit lacking in depth at times. The core question for this side is whether Markus Nyborg, at age 34, has the energy to carry them through a whole season, and if not, whether Juha Terjakov is a suitable replacement.

Stadium: Bergheims Samfunnetsstadion (capacity: 27’900)
Manager: Helgi Laurison (64)
Expected formation: 3-4-1-2
Starting XI: Lotte Ronne - Andrea Najmina, Pyotr Nemanyev [C], Alyssa Broad (NPH) - Richard Geddes (SCT), Thomas Bergqvist, Calle Vikingstad, Alexey Nurkanen - Markus Nyborg - Mika Hakeson, Tuomas Lajunen
Notable reserves: Ola Granlund (CB), Ilja Simunov (DM), Juha Terjakov (OM), Erland Stromby (ST)
Transfers incoming: Richard Geddes (SCT/LF, Port Sebastian/SCT, 2), Alyssa Broad (NPH/CB, Sabrefell Athletic/NPH, loan) | outgoing: Ingmar Lenberg (GK, Savojars Vinge Virkaja, 1.25)

2. CASK Thorsborg (6.)

After a total collapse and horrible start into the season, the triple champions have been the first team of SFS VI to sack their manager and also the first team in Savojar history to hire a foreign manager, in Schottian Johnny McDonald. The experiment paid off as the side climbed back to a relatively respectable, if still disappointing, sixth place. The bad season had consequences as the Army has tossed money at CASK, allowing the club to buy Polina Zirkova off Dynamo Novaya Russica without having to give up much themselves. Nikanen has been an expected move for a player in his prime who doesn’t get much playtime, and the end of contract of Otso Ilkkanen was planned by the club. As a result, we could definitely consider CASK a transfer winner. The question is whether McDonald can keep an aging Hytönen happy, and whether the side can avoid a cracking under pressure like last year. They are also home to the probably most exciting man in Savojarna right now, 20 year old half-Banijan striker Sergey Nweke, who scored three goals in seven games towards the end of last season - we will see if he plays more this year.

Stadium: Stadion General Erik Harden (capacity: 62’000)
Manager: Johnny McDonald (45/SCT)
Expected formation: 4-4-2
Starting XI: Thomas Larsen - Lars Jensen, Polina Zirkova, Mikael Nielsen, Aleksandar Popovich - Morten Pahl, Paddi Gren, Petteri Hytönen [C], Pjotr Iljurov - Valter Birja, Kjetil Flyborg
Notable reserves: Jari Livonen (DM), Rolf Patriksson (CM), Juhamatti Rajala (LF), Sergey Nweke (ST)
Transfers incoming: Polina Zirkova (CB, Dynamo Novaya Russica, 5.5) | outgoing: Harri Nikanen (RM, ESK Storevik, 1), Otso Ilkkanen (DM, FC Assler/HST, 0), Igor Mitrovic (LB, retirement)

1. Lokomotive Jarnstad (1.)

Lok are all consistency - four finishes in the top 3 in a row are the result of the defensive, sluggish style of Rjurik Smolderhøve. But with the offence being a notorious weakness, the last step towards the title remained always a bit out of reach - until last season. Their play is still uninspiring, defensive and tough to break down, but the offence has been strengthened in the Stadion SJ thanks to a brilliant play of Henrik Ljurbyn, who has the ability to make the best out of almost nothing. The offence has been further strengthened through the signing of Ruriksson, ESK’s second striker who scored nine goals last season coming off the bench behind Sigurdsdottir. In the back, not much has to be done, so not much was done. Shisaru Zeperin is a promise for the future, but unlikely to replace either captain Jorgen Hallsen nor the very stable Ari Ilkanen as a starter; however, as Lok’s season will be long, there will be chances for the defender. As of now, the biggest question is in goal. With championship goalkeeper Hauri Martov retiring, the burden falls onto 27 year old Esko Nurminen, who is generally considered a solid goalie but has never held a starting position in his career.

Stadium: Stadion Savojarsk Jarnsvägen (capacity: 53’800)
Manager: Rjurik Smolderhøve (58)
Expected formation: 4-4-1-1
Starting XI: Esko Nurminen - Jorgen Hallsen [C], Trent Ullqvist, Denis Metanov, Ari Ilkanen - Ake Ericsson, Pit Erlandsen, Halvard Oystein, Ivan Grivoshenko - Henrik Ljurbyn - Vilhjalmur Ruriksson
Notable reserves: Shisaru Zeperin (HIN/LB/RB), Hannu Vuotala (OM), Jonas Hellström (ST)
Transfers incoming: Vilhjalmur Ruriksson (ST, ESK Storevik, 0.75), Shisaru Zeperin (HIN/LB/RB, Zeppelin University/HIN, 0) | outgoing: Urho Surminen (ST, FK Sjoedrhavn, 0), Hauri Martov (GK, retirement)

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII: A Rebound, A Surprise, And A Crisis (Part 1/4)

Matchday 1
Lokomotive Jarnstad 2–1 AFK Savojagrad
Metall Jarnstad 0–1 CASK Thorsborg
Landsmarks Industrie 0–4 Energie Thorsborg
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–1 Libertas Bergheim
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 4–3 ESK Storevik
FK Chemie Frisks 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Transport Hovikkära 2–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
Traktor St. Andrei 4–3 ASK Landsmark
Admiral Storevik 2–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn

The two top teams of last season both fall behind early, as AFK strike early off a long-range shot by Ishkurin and Libertas are duped by a through pass by Otalainen onto the foot of Thorbjörn Vukkila, who scores the leading goal. The difference lies in their reactions: Libertas seek for an opening and get nervous in the second half, leading to a fast counter over the overlapping Dani Carlin, who finds Vukkila. The striker knocks it on to the second post, where Salonen pushes it through. Libertas manage a late return, but Lajunen’s short-range header does nothing beyond some cosmetics. On the other hand, the champions of Lok Jarnstad come back with a vengeance in the second half. Replacing Erlandsen with Hellström and shifting to a 4-4-2, Jarnstad push back their opposition hard and score a quick one with Ruriksson heading in a cross by Grivoshenko, and a free kick by Ljurbyn reverses score to carry them to an opening win.

Over in Thorsborg, celebrations are the order of the day as first, CASK manage to win their game in Jarnstad 0-1 thanks to a late goal by Flyborg off a pass by Paddi Gren. Energie follow up minutes later with a 0-4 victory in Landsmark against Industrie, whose new signings fail to make an impact. Bathanay shows an ambitious game, but fails to punch through against Forsberg’s near-personal marking and a strong central defence. The games make headlines as the fans clash at Thorsborg Central Station upon returning from their respective games, but the tensions are short-lived and leave little damage behind. Finally, Freya Sigurdsdottir proves her will to continue as last season ended with two goals against Partisan, but due to the Sjoedrhaveners scoring even more, they manage to come out on top following a late winner by joker Simon Jacobsen.

Matchday 2
AFK Savojagrad 2–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
ASK Landsmark 2–2 Admiral Storevik
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–2 Traktor St. Andrei
RLSK Pawlograd 1–2 Transport Hovikkära
ESK Storevik 1–1 FK Chemie Frisks
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Libertas Bergheim 0–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Energie Thorsborg 1–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
CASK Thorsborg 3–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–3 Metall Jarnstad

The Jarnstad Derby shows that Metall are still a force to be reckoned with. Metanov commits an early mistake by playing a ball into the feet of Nepharim veteran Marios Tzavellas, who plays the ball long onto Otarov to get an early goal for Metall. With Lok being down already after ten minutes, the champions try to open up a bit, but Metall’s hyper-defensive outlook enjoys their newfound freedom shortly after with a counter that Otarov fails to get past Nurminen. Before the break, Metanov commits another mistake as he is a bit too slow to deal with Otarov’s explosive start, and holds back the striker to give away a penalty, which Mortensson converts calmly. Although Grivoshenko can score a goal in the second half, the hope is crushed again as joker Rasmus Ekman scores off a counter.

Not that much happens elsewhere, but Admiral remain sceptical of their outlook as the offence seems to have taken the departure of Voynov well enough, but they concede two goals again to take home one point from Landsmark. The outstanding players in this match are Sabine Montag, assisting both Admiral goals, and double scorer Ilari Litmanen. AFK manage a bit of a surprise through a home victory against a lazy Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, which sits back after Teranen’s opening goal. In consequence, Shipulin finds a way around the side to cross onto Eddie Bains, and a free kick by Ishkurin converted reverses the order.

Matchday 3
Metall Jarnstad 0–2 AFK Savojagrad
Landsmarks Industrie 0–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–2 CASK Thorsborg
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 Energie Thorsborg
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–3 Libertas Bergheim
FK Chemie Frisks 4–4 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Transport Hovikkära 0–2 ESK Storevik
Traktor St. Andrei 2–2 RLSK Pawlograd
Admiral Storevik 1–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 0–0 ASK Landsmark

Attention falls not on the obvious crazy result, but on the spectacular duel of two top-level sides as Partisan welcome Libertas in the Perl Kruger. Parti Fifteen are not a thing this time, as new signing Alina Lund exploits the narrow defence of Jarnstad to bring a deadly cross to the centre, where Karjanen misses out against Nemanyev by centimetres after only seven minutes. Libertas then take the initiative and strike first after twenty minutes as Geddes carries the ball down the left side before a surprising pass back to the box, where Hakeson scores. Nyborg organises Bergheim’s offence splendidly and gets a ball through to Lajunen, who beats Johansson low to the left just before the break. After half time, Parti come back refreshed and strike early: Fifty minutes into the game, Steinar Aarsoy dribbles past an overly eager Alyssa Broad to blast a high shot to the near corner past Lotte Ronne. Just eight minutes later, a solo effort by Poulsen equalises as the mid-fielder dribbles past Vikingstad and scores with a precise distance shot. But the decision comes from a foul on Geddes, which leads to a free kick for the winger. He curls it exactly onto the head of Nemanyev, who scores late to secure an away victory for Libertas.

Of course, the other highlight is the all-out offensive fight in Frisks. Torpedos’ defence takes a black, black day as they give away two penalty shots in the first thirty minutes, first due to an unlucky handball by Landman as he desperately tries to block a shot and then through a foul by Japarainen, which nets him a yellow and Frisks a second goal. Down two, the Pawlograder go all out now and see Romanov pouncing on a through pass for the 2-1, but by the break they have fallen victim to a counter and are down 3-1. Bringing on Jorinen for Landman, they throw everything into offence and manage to score twice before giving up the fourth goal to a brilliant free kick by Fridtjof Jansrud. At least, Torpedo secure a point by a score from new signing Antti Roope.

Matchday 4
AFK Savojagrad 4–0 ASK Landsmark
FK Sjoedrhavn 2–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
RLSK Pawlograd 0–3 Admiral Storevik
ESK Storevik 4–2 Traktor St. Andrei
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
Libertas Bergheim 2–1 FK Chemie Frisks
Energie Thorsborg 2–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
CASK Thorsborg 1–2 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Metall Jarnstad 1–0 Landsmarks Industrie

AFK Savojagrad install themselves as the early surprise of the SFS VII. Following the goal by Teranen against Lok in the 18th minute, goalie Kevin Nordmark has remained unbeaten for 261 minutes straight as the Savojagrad side beats ASK as well. In a wild frenzy, AFK score twice in the first fifteen minutes. First, new signing Eddie Bains scores off a brilliant cross by Hensberg. Then, Bains narrowly misses his second as a shot from twelve metres is just about deflected by Jacobsson, but the corner lands on the head of Mitryushkin, who scores the second. In the second half, playmaker Andrey Ishkurin is replaced by Zyukov, who helps to secure the lead, but the offensive half doesn’t want to sit back against an uninspired, lacklustre ASK side. An overlap by Martinov ends with a cross to Bains, who doesn’t hunt for his second goal, but heads it back to the centre where Lirov scores the third; and ten minutes before the end, joker Boris Olgajev manages the fourth goal thanks to a positional mistake by Rasmussen.

FK manage a surprising draw in the derby against Dynamo, a derby that is bitter from the FKS side and mostly irrelevant to Dynamo. In a harshly fought game, FKS strikes first twice, but neither new signing Urho Surminen’s short-range shot in the first half nor Siilonen’s direct free kick goal fifteen minutes before the end is enough. But Dynamo’s new striker shows his worth too, and Teranen’s header from six metres out equalises first, before Ulkanen scores Dynamo’s second with a long range shot. Finally, up north in Thorsborg, Partisan come back from a furious opening of Energie, setting them back 2-0 by the half-hour-mark, and score the 2-2 after an hour by a clever shot by Karjanen. In the final phase, Partisan press with two strikers and an offensive Morten Poulsen behind, and push Energie back. It is finally joker Simon Jacobsen who poaches upon a cross from Aarsoy and scores from short range, lifting Partisan into second place on a tie with surprise leaders AFK Savojagrad.

Matchday 5
Landsmarks Industrie 1–0 AFK Savojagrad
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–3 Metall Jarnstad
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–3 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–1 CASK Thorsborg
FK Chemie Frisks 4–3 Energie Thorsborg
Transport Hovikkära 3–1 Libertas Bergheim
Traktor St. Andrei 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Admiral Storevik 1–1 ESK Storevik
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–1 RLSK Pawlograd
ASK Landsmark 3–6 FK Sjoedrhavn

After the absolute disaster of their first season in the SFS, FK Sjoedrhavn manage their first victory much sooner in this edition as they take home a win in an absolutely mad game against ASK Landsmark, seeing nine goals and three red cards. It begins fairly innocent as ten minutes into the game, Gavax-Nenzi Abe plays a through pass on Litmanen to score. Shortly after, JC Idveld finds a lob onto Siilonen, who passes to the centre onto Surminen and celebrates the score. One more goal falls on each side as the defenses show weakness, but the game only turns crazy in the second half. First, FKS take the lead off a corner as Midgren heads it in, and minutes later ASK’s Simon Omark is ejected as he is a bit late on Fredriksen and collects his second yellow. Unwilling to take off a striker as they are now down 2-4 thanks to a converted penalty, ASK take a fifth one on a counter with Surminen completing a hattrick. Twenty minutes before the end, Boedker pulls down Ryberg in the box and prevents the 3-5, but at the cost of a penalty - and mutual reds as Ryberg and Boedker get into a scuffle. However, the 3-5 from the spot comes too late as FKS cash in on the counter with Siilonen picking up a goal as well.

Up top, Lokomotive Jarnstad clash with AFK Savojagrad in a crucial game, allowing the champions to take the lead at the very least until Partisan close out their game. The match starts out highly defensively with a slight advantage for AFK, whose Schottian striker Eddie Bains nearly picks up an early one, but misses twice in the first twenty minute as he shoots wide first and is denied by a great dive by Nurminen on the second occasion. Grivoshenko has the best chance before the break for Lok, as he can cross to Ruriksson, but Nordberg punches it out in time. In the second half, Kevin Nordmark has to give up a goal after 324 minutes unbeaten as he has to deflect a distance shot from Ljurbyn forward, leaving Ruriksson to pounce. As Partisan fail to beat CASK thanks to a late goal by Birja, the champions keep the lead tied with Parti. The last challenge comes from the Storevik Derby, where either side could take the lead with a victory, but the game ends drawn as Helborg scores in the first half and a brilliant pass by Vladcik leaves Jotansson with an easy goal in the second.

Matchday 6
AFK Savojagrad 4–2 FK Sjoedrhavn
RLSK Pawlograd 1–0 ASK Landsmark
ESK Storevik 0–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–3 Admiral Storevik
Libertas Bergheim 4–2 Traktor St. Andrei
Energie Thorsborg 4–0 Transport Hovikkära
CASK Thorsborg 4–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Metall Jarnstad 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Landsmarks Industrie 3–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja

Up in Jarnstad, the two leading sides meet as Partisan come North to break the deadlock at the top. Partisan decide to take advantage of the relatively defensive Lok side by lining up in a surprising 4-4-2 diamond system, sacrificing both their midfielders for Yuri Zhuranov on the 6 and putting Jacobsen up top alongside Karjanen. The trick seems to pay off as Jacobsen has the best chance in the early game, missing narrowly to the right with a low shot. Lok accept the role of a counter team, but fail to mount their usual counters along the wing as Parti play two careful fullbacks, not allowing Grivoshenko any space for his deadly speed. In the second half, Thorvaldsson almost cracks as he gets passed in a one on one by Grivoshenko, but his pass towards Ruriksson is cleared by Jernayev. Partisan smell an opportunity and replace Zhuranov with the more offensive Pavel Shipulin, who eventually finds the gap to Aarsoy twelve minutes before the end. With Jacobsen and the inswinging Alina Lund drawing the attention of the centre-backs, Aarsoy has an open man in Karjanen, who scores from seventeen metres. The goal seals Partisan’s leadership for the week as Lok fail to respond.

Behind, the pack of nine-pointers prepares to keep track. The surprisingly stable AFK run all around FKS and lead 3-0 by half time as Lirov scores twice with his head, profiting from Persson’s weak performance in preventing the crosses from Olaf Hensberg. FKS manage to come back with a penalty and a solo effort by Siilonen, but Eddie Bains seals the deal after Zyukov shows his offensive qualities with a brilliant pass that bypasses both FKS midfielders to set up the Schottian. Admiral manage a victory in the Navy Derby despite Torpedo putting on a lot of pressure and dictating the game, but in the offensive third, Montag commands an immense presence and sets up all three goals, one by Vladcik and two by Jotansson. Finally, Energie do their duty against a Transport side that holds up well for a half, but concedes the first goal just before the break as Forsberg heads in a corner. After the break, an over-eager Rasmus Vikborg brings down Vindjammer in the box and concedes a penalty and his second yellow, leading to total collapse in the back and a 4-0 defeat that keeps the entire pursuitor pack remains one point behind Partisan.

Matchday 7
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–3 AFK Savojagrad
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–0 Metall Jarnstad
FK Chemie Frisks 0–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Transport Hovikkära 1–2 CASK Thorsborg
Traktor St. Andrei 3–2 Energie Thorsborg
Admiral Storevik 2–1 Libertas Bergheim
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
ASK Landsmark 1–0 ESK Storevik
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd

Admiral Storevik get the most difficult task of the week as they host vice champions Libertas Bergheim, who desperately need points after a slightly underwhelming start. But Admiral don’t let the Bergheimers breathe as Montag finds a great pass to the right side onto the foot of Vitanov, but Jotansson heads the crossing just about over the bar. Ten minutes later, Jotansson doesn’t miss as he lures in Alyssa Broad with a clever feint, turns around the Nepharim and smashes the ball to the top right from thirteen metres. But Libertas put on the pressure and crack the tight Admiral defence before half-time as a bad clearing by Helman is intercepted by Nyborg, who swiftly passes back to the front to Lajunen for the equaliser. The game boils down to a match of mid-field chess in the second half, but it is mid-field chess on a high level. The decision falls in the battle of Joonas Andersson and Markus Nyborg, as Libertas’ playmaker is bogged down by his opponent. A counter via Vladcik brings the decision as the Squornshelan’s cross is repelled by Ronne, but Montag scores on the rebound from just about twenty metres out. Libertas, having lost their control tower to Andersson’s man-marking, fail to respond.

Up top, Partisan put up the pressure as Alina Lund’s solo, followed by a flat cross into the path of Simon Jacobsen’s poaching, leads to a late winner for the leaders over a defensive Metall Jarnstad in a match that sees few highlights. This pressure seems to be too much for the pursuiting pack as they fall one by one. AFK Savojagrad take a black day as they have to contest without the suspended Linus Perkkanen and lose captain Dmitry Mitryushkin to an injury after a tackle, leaving their backline quite vulnerable to SVV’s swift play. Lenka Otalainen runs circles around an instable defensive midfield that can’t be equalised by Bains’ two goals. Lok get held to a draw by a heroic FK Chemie, who don’t concede a single goal despite being out-possessed 62-38. Energie take the worst hit as the entire top line of Torpedo snatch one, outshooting the Thorsborgers to a 3-2 home victory. CASK’s victory in Hovikkära propels them into third place behind Parti and Admiral.

Matchday 8
AFK Savojagrad 5–5 RLSK Pawlograd
ESK Storevik 3–2 FK Sjoedrhavn
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 0–2 ASK Landsmark
Libertas Bergheim 4–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Energie Thorsborg 0–0 Admiral Storevik
CASK Thorsborg 5–4 Traktor St. Andrei
Lokomotive Jarnstad 2–0 Transport Hovikkära
Metall Jarnstad 1–1 FK Chemie Frisks
Landsmarks Industrie 2–4 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 1–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica

Goals are plenty and spread around on this day, and the most interesting case is CASK’s 5-4 victory over Traktor St. Andrei. The match kicks off with spectacle as the Thorsborger score early, with Hytönen curling a free kick directly onto the head of Mikael Nielsen and on into the goal. Ten minutes later they follow up as Pahl finds the foot of Flyborg for the 2-0, driving Traktor into a hyper-aggressive stance, running forward at any chance. Sundgren manages to shorten the gap with a shot into the near corner, but Gren manages to drive the counter forward and pounce onto the gap left by the advanced Slavyana Oleva. His shot is blocked by a defender, but falls right onto the foot of Flyborg who scores his second goal. CASK seem to close out the match before the break with another goal by Birja, who scores from nine metres after a counter, but after half-time Traktor bring in yet another striker with Karamasov. He is the one that brings Traktor back on track as he catches a lucky bounce to score from six metres out into an empty goal, and provokes a penalty to be converted by Sundgren. Suddenly CASK shiver again, now only up 4-3, but the one goal each by Hytönen and Samarov are enough for the Thorsborger to win and put on the pressure on the leaders.

Even more goals fall in Savojagrad, where RLSK and AFK trade goals evenly and almost perfectly one-by-one, except for a leadership change from 3-2 to 3-4 right after the break thanks to a double by RLSK’s playmaker Denis Arkanin. The other prime actors in the match are AFK’s Jacob Lirov, who scores two and assists one, and Makis Kotsonis, who only notes one assist but does a great job at carrying the ball up the pitch. Partisan, however, retain the top spot easily as they outshoot Landsmarks Industrie quite easily, the Industrials’ pressing being too high and too easy to catch out for the fast Parti strikers. Energie and Admiral neutralise each other across ninety minutes, with Admiral taking a defensive stance but failing to get through Energie’s pressing; but Lokomotive manage to bounce back thanks to a goal by Grivoshenko and one by Ruriksson, giving them a much-needed victory.

Matchday 9
Dynamo Novaya Russica 3–0 AFK Savojagrad
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
FK Chemie Frisks 0–3 Landsmarks Industrie
Transport Hovikkära 1–4 Metall Jarnstad
Traktor St. Andrei 1–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Admiral Storevik 2–2 CASK Thorsborg
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–2 Energie Thorsborg
ASK Landsmark 0–1 Libertas Bergheim
FK Sjoedrhavn 2–3 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
RLSK Pawlograd 1–1 ESK Storevik

Yet another top match goes down between Admiral Storevik and CASK Thorsborg. Not only is Admiral vs. CASK one of the most historic Savojar rivalries, running deep into the fabric of Savojar society and fuelled by the service rivalry of Army and Navy, but it is also a game between second and third, aiming to chase down Partisan. Admiral gets the better start, as the magistral Sabine Montag finds Jotansson in the top, and the striker breaks past Nielsen and scores low to the left. He almost doubles seven minutes later, but Zirkova steals the ball and sends it long to Morten Pahl, whose diagonal cross just narrowly misses Birja on what would have been a spectacular counter. After the break, CASK start out stronger, with Flyborg and Birja exchanging a one-two that leaves the latter alone in the centre and with the equaliser. Birja doubles up shortly after in what is clearly his best game of the season, bashing home a hard shot from eighteen metres. But Admiral refuse to go down easily, and after Jotansson misses wide and Vladcik gets denied by Larsen, joker Juri Sandrajev scores the equaliser after Jotansson can prolong a crossing by Vladcik onto his foot, and he scores from close range.

The draw leaves Partisan with a good chance of laying some distance between themselves and their pursuitors, but they face a difficult opponent in SVV. In the first twenty minutes, the Finns get three major shots as Otalainen scrapes the post from a distance, a cross by Dani Carlin gets just about punched out by Johansson, and finally Vukkila sees his shot scraped out of the top right corner. But as Partisan survive the onslaught, they eventually catch a break thanks to Steinar Aarsoy beating Antonov in a 1v1 and crossing in, Karjanen laying back onto Poulsen, and the midfielder scoring the lone goal to set Parti apart by four points. Behind, Lok establish themselves firmly in the pursuitor pack thanks to another reassuring win, and AFK’s collapse continues as they are humiliated 3-0 in Novaya Russica. Libertas bounce back up as Hakeson receives a pass of Richard Geddes to beat an ASK that is completely in crisis. Viktor Nejman’s chair is in danger, and further sawed on by an inflammatory twii.tur message by Geddes after the game, leading to massive outlash of Landsmarker fans and a high-risk rematch coming up in the spring.

Standings
   Savojar Football Serien 1  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn          9    7   1   1    19   12   +7    22
 2 CASK Thorsborg               9    5   3   1    21   13   +8    18
 3 Admiral Storevik             9    4   5   0    16   10   +6    17
 4 Lokomotive Jarnstad          9    5   2   2    11    6   +5    17
 5 Libertas Bergheim            9    5   1   3    17   13   +4    16
 6 Energie Thorsborg            9    4   2   3    19   12   +7    14
 7 AFK Savojagrad               9    4   2   3    21   17   +4    14
 8 Metall Jarnstad              9    4   2   3    13   10   +3    14
 9 Landsmarks Industrie         9    4   1   4    11   14   −3    13
10 ESK Storevik                 9    3   3   3    15   14   +1    12
11 Traktor St. Andrei           9    3   2   4    21   24   −3    11
12 FK Torpedo Pawlograd         9    2   4   3    15   17   −2    10
13 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn            9    2   4   3    12   14   −2    10
14 FK Chemie Frisks             9    2   4   3    12   18   −6    10
15 Dynamo Novaya Russica        9    2   3   4     8   10   −2     9
16 Transport Hovikkära          9    3   0   6     9   17   −8     9
17 Savojars Vinge Virkaja       9    1   5   3    14   16   −2     8
18 ASK Landsmark                9    2   2   5    11   18   −7     8
19 FK Sjoedrhavn                9    2   1   6    16   20   −4     7
20 RLSK Pawlograd               9    1   3   5    11   17   −6     6

Qualification to IFCF Champions League
Qualification to IFCF Challengers Cup
SFS Relegation Round

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII: The Army Loses A Commander (Part 2/4)

Matchday 10
AFK Savojagrad 1–0 ESK Storevik
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 4–4 RLSK Pawlograd
Libertas Bergheim 3–1 FK Sjoedrhavn
Energie Thorsborg 3–4 ASK Landsmark
CASK Thorsborg 2–3 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–0 Admiral Storevik
Metall Jarnstad 0–0 Traktor St. Andrei
Landsmarks Industrie 3–1 Transport Hovikkära
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–1 FK Chemie Frisks
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn

In Pawlograd, things shape up to be surprisingly heated for the Pawlograd Derby. Torpedo welcome their traditional enemy with a choreography that shows the RLSK eagle hanged and grilled, and RLSK respond with a sea of flags and chants. On the pitch, things start off spectacular as well as Torpedo score after six minutes. Davison cannot stop a charge by Antti Roope, and she drags down the Finn to give away a free kick off which Pjotr Jamarin scores with his head. He doubles up fifteen minutes later with a shot from short distance after a scramble in the box, but RLSK refuse to give up. An insufficiently cleared cross falls onto the foot of Mansheim, who closes the gap. After the break, goals are traded as Roope scores in the near corner and Arkanin twists a ball into the top left. Tempers flare high after an hour, as Ceciu holds back Makis Kotsonis after a corner and pulls him down in the box. The two Nepharim clash as the defender accuses her opponent of diving, leading to a scuffle that ends with a penalty shot and both Ceciu and Kotsonis red-carded. With the score now 3-3, the match is on knife’s edge, and it is RLSK that breaks the deadlock first as Karpanen overlaps and finds Samarev in the centre. But the last word belongs to Torpedo, who finish the match with a distance shot by Vitali Zhirkov that is deflected into the goal unluckily.

Elsewhere, ASK Landsmark manage a victory that is important for the team’s morale as Ryberg and Litmanen score twice each to come back from being down twice against Energie. CASK and Admiral both lose points against strong opposition, with Dynamo Sjoedrhavn’s Aleksander Teranen showing he has lost nothing of his scoring potential from last season, and Lok Jarnstad shutting out the Storeviker despite a desperate onslaught in the final minutes. However, Vladcik’s beautiful attempt at curling the ball into the top far corner is just about saved by Nurminen, who then stops Jotansson’s header off the corner. Partisan manage to beat DNR thanks to an early goal by Karjanen, and then safely carry home their victory, leading to the Sjoedrhaveners extending their lead further.

Matchday 11
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–0 AFK Savojagrad
FK Chemie Frisks 0–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Transport Hovikkära 0–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Traktor St. Andrei 2–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Admiral Storevik 1–1 Metall Jarnstad
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad
ASK Landsmark 1–1 CASK Thorsborg
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–1 Energie Thorsborg
RLSK Pawlograd 1–0 Libertas Bergheim
ESK Storevik 2–4 FK Torpedo Pawlograd

With Partisan having beaten the rapidly falling AFK Savojagrad on Friday evening, pressure is high for the top match on Sunday. ASK, where morale is low and the fans start criticising coach Viktor Nejman along with captain Ryberg, host their mortal Army enemies from Thorsborg who desperately need points to keep up with Partisan’s winning streak. The tense match starts out extremely cautious in regards to the ball, but not in regards to the enemy’s bones as both Simon Omark and Lars Jensen mount devastating tackles that see them carded within the first ten minutes. The biggest chance of the start phase is appropriately a free kick, but Petteri Hytönen fails to convert from 23 metres. The goals come in the second half as ASK strike first, with Gavax-Nenzi Abe passing through to Litmanen, who beats Larsen with a dry shot to the far corner. But CASK are not one to be beaten easily, and ASK’s hope for a new spirit is crushed harshly as a ball finds Flyborg, who defends against Rasmussen’s charge to pass into the open space in the box, and Sergey Nweke has an empty goal ahead of him for his first season goal.

Libertas surprisingly lose in Pawlograd, where RLSK succeed in shutting down the Bergheimers completely after an early lead taken by the hands of Arkanin punishing a bad clearance from eighteen metres out. Despite the visitors having a clear majority of chances in the second half, Petrova and her defences hold, which costs Libertas their place as first pursuitors of Partisan. Admiral’s fate swings rapidly as they first get countered out brutally by Metall, seeing Björgen pass diagonally onto Mortensson, who finishes alone before the goalie. But only minutes later, they score a beautiful goal as Jzeovak Vladcik scores volley on the second post after a long cross by the overlapped Pavel Urkin. Finally, Lok also only draw away against Dynamo despite taking the lead twice, leaving Admiral, Lok, Libertas, and CASK all tied nine points behind Partisan.

Matchday 12
AFK Savojagrad 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Libertas Bergheim 0–3 ESK Storevik
Energie Thorsborg 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd
CASK Thorsborg 2–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–2 ASK Landsmark
Metall Jarnstad 0–3 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Landsmarks Industrie 1–2 Admiral Storevik
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 4–1 Traktor St. Andrei
Dynamo Novaya Russica 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 4–2 FK Chemie Frisks

Libertas are the first one of the top teams to make their move, and their move falls flat on its face against an ESK Storevik that perfectly prepared for the Bergheimer. Nurkanen gets caught out cold by Arvid Persson as the left winger, who recently returned from the Di Bradini Cup, runs circles around the national team defender and scores an early goal after a spectacular inswinger. But the true magic happens on the right, where ESK exploit an overly offensive orientation of Schottian winger Richard Geddes, and Harri Nikanen catches him off guard multiple times. The first attempt is headed over the bar by Sigurdsdottir, but giving ESK too many crosses is always deadly, and the second one is in. Now two-nil down, Libertas get desperate and almost manage a score, but Geddes shoots high instead of searching for Lajunen in the centre. Shortly after, Sigurdsdottir again heads a cross of Nikanen onto the goal, and Helborg scores off Ronne’s rebound. Geddes leaves the pitch severely criticised and beaten despite his high words on twii.tur, and ordered a one-week social media break by the coach.

To make matters worse for Libertas, their direct competition do their job as the top four all carry home three points, with the hero of the day being Partisan winger Steinar Aarsoy, who prepares two and scores one against FK Chemie. At the bottom, Savojars Vinge get to celebrate as Lenka Otalainen pulls the strings perfectly to first assist a through pass to Vukkila for the 1-0, score the 2-0 per free kick, and finish off a great day with a pass out to overlapping Dani Carlin, whose pass to the middle is used by Irina Korpikoski for the 4-1. Vukkila notes a second goal for the 3-0, and the brief flicker of hope for St. Andrei is provided by veteran Matti Sundgren scoring to the near corner.

Matchday 13
FK Chemie Frisks 1–0 AFK Savojagrad
Transport Hovikkära 1–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Traktor St. Andrei 2–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Admiral Storevik 2–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–1 Landsmarks Industrie
ASK Landsmark 1–0 Metall Jarnstad
FK Sjoedrhavn 2–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad
RLSK Pawlograd 0–3 CASK Thorsborg
ESK Storevik 3–4 Energie Thorsborg
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–2 Libertas Bergheim

Sometimes, players get that little boost of extra energy when they play their old mates, and that seems to have been what happened to Urho Surminen as he faced off against Lok Jarnstad. With the champions visiting an FK Sjoedrhavn deep in the relegation fight, they had been prepared for a difficult game, and that’s exactly what they get. Only fifteen minutes in, Ruriksson goes down just outside the box after a scathing tackle by Adrian Boedker, and leaves the pitch for a while. Although Ruriksson is back after five minutes, it was an early show as to what would be in for Lok. Nonetheless, they pull ahead as Idveld plays a pass into the feet of Halvard Oystein, who launches a counter to find Grivoshenko and the 1-0. But FKS fight back hard, and before the break Surminen gets a pass from Siilonen that he just needs to head in. In injury time of the first half, he manages to push another free ball across the line, and Sjoedrhavn dig in to weather the storm of Lok. Shortly before the end, Hellström’s shot is unfortunately deflected by Rydberg to go into the goal, but the match ends with a point for the outsiders.

Elsewhere, ESK try to ride the offensive wave of their 3-0 away victory over Libertas, but fail as they get outshot in their notoriously shaky defence and lose a spectacular game to Energie. Sienkiewicz scores twice in the first half to counter two leading goals by Sigurdsdottir, and Staale Lund takes a beautiful diagonal pass by Jantaniemi directly to score the third goal for Energie. Lindgrens 4-2 from short range is the first time a team leads by two in this match, and it’s decisive as Sigfridsson’s 4-3 is too late. AFK’s demise continues as the leading goal by Lirov is annulled for a narrow offside, and almost exactly five minutes later Hinodejin joker Kimiko Maki scores the first goal in the SFS. Finally, the title race quartet gets shaped more into a trio as Lokomotive drop a bit behind Partisan, Admiral and CASK, who all win their games.

Matchday 14
AFK Savojagrad 2–3 Libertas Bergheim
Energie Thorsborg 2–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
CASK Thorsborg 3–3 ESK Storevik
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–2 RLSK Pawlograd
Metall Jarnstad 3–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
Landsmarks Industrie 1–0 ASK Landsmark
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–3 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Novaya Russica 3–1 Admiral Storevik
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–1 Traktor St. Andrei
FK Chemie Frisks 1–0 Transport Hovikkära

When your team is in crisis, there is one thing you are not allowed to do as a coach: Lose a derby. Unfortunately for Viktor Nejman, this is exactly what happens to ASK Landsmark after their offence is horribly uninspired for most of the game. Gavax-Nenzi Abe feeds ball after ball into the top two, but Ryberg and Litmanen fail to convert due to personal failures or Litmanen’s near-chronic offside position. Then, after the break, Groen manages a cross to Ryberg, but the header flies off-target and the chance is gone again. Litmanen scores after the hour, but has been off-side and the goal gets correctly annulled through VAR. Shortly after, Ryberg falls after a correct challenge by Jesper Lund and leaves the pitch to be substituted, adding injury to insult for the Army side. Finally, in the last eight minutes, Pernille Norby intercepts a bad pass by Arpanen, launches Sequel Bathanay, and the Nepharim pushes ASK into despair with her shot that seals victory for Industrie. Nejman keeps his job, but there is a clear timer on his back: Win or die trying is now the motto in Landsmark.

CASK receive a little bit of a setback in their pursuit of Partisan, as the Thorsborger are being held to a 3-3 by ESK Storevik. Two goals by Sigfridsson bring the visitors onto the track of victory, but first, Juhamatti Rajala swings in past a defender and scores high to the near side corner, and then Birja slides into a diagonal ball from Paddi Gren to equalise. In the second half, joker Sergey Nweke scores his second goal of the season to bring CASK up by one, but it is not enough as Finnbogar Gudmundsson scores a spectacular direct free kick from about thirty metres to equalise again. Lok have to fight more than expected against a not only scrappy, but also surprisingly offensive RLSK, but manage thanks to a last-second miracle save by Esko Nurminen as #12 scratches a distance shot by Denis Arkanin from the top left corner. Finally, Partisan actually drop points again as Parti Fifteen make an unexpected comeback. Romanov’s early goal is answered with heavy Partisan pressure, but it all falters after Karjanen’s first half equaliser, and the match ends 1-1.

Matchday 15
Transport Hovikkära 1–0 AFK Savojagrad
Traktor St. Andrei 3–1 FK Chemie Frisks
Admiral Storevik 2–0 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 0–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
ASK Landsmark 0–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
FK Sjoedrhavn 2–2 Landsmarks Industrie
RLSK Pawlograd 0–1 Metall Jarnstad
ESK Storevik 1–5 Lokomotive Jarnstad
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–1 CASK Thorsborg
Libertas Bergheim 3–4 Energie Thorsborg

On Friday night, leaders Partisan visit Storevik to play against second-placed Admiral. Parti begin carefully and almost get punished as Vladcik weaves his way through two opponents, but gets stopped at the last moment by Jernayev deflecting the ball out of danger. Then comes a long shot by Morten Poulsen, just ten centimetres wide. The duel of the playmakers, Poulsen vs. Montag, becomes the big narrative of the game, as the two repeatedly set up top chances. Montag gets the first strike as she beautifully lobs the ball over the head of Helman into a gap, where Jzeovak Vladcik appears and smashes it directly into the net. Poulsen tries to counter before the break, but his free kick is deflected out of bounds by the wall. In the second half, Admiral sit back as Parti attack, but Poulsen gets stuck in the close marking by Joonas Andersson. Him and Evaldsson show why Admiral’s defensive midfield is considered the best in the league by a mile, and it is Evaldsson who launches Vitanov into the decisive attack. Vitanov lays back to Montag, whose shot is deflected by Johansson in goal, but his parry falls right onto the foot of Arvid Jotansson, who scores the final goal of the game.

Behind the duo, CASK drop points in a 1-1 against Torpedo, failing to beat Radu Bartok in the Pawlograd goal despite registering three times the shots of Torpedo. Zirkova plays an unusual defensive midfield role to preserve a lead and does her job fantastically, but it doesn’t help as Torpedo score a lone freak goal off a corner. Lokomotive, on the other hand, score five in Storevik as former ESK striker Vilhjalmur Ruriksson puts three past Rolfrsson, assisted by a stellar performance of Ake Ericsson on Lok’s left wing. Finally, the last big thing of the week proves to be a spectacular game. Libertas take the lead twice with first Nyborg and then Hakeson scoring from a bit of a distance, but both times Energie strike back with Vindjammer and Lindgren picking up the goals. Sienkiewicz scores from twenty-five metres thanks to a deflection off Najmina to set the score to 2-3, but Lajunen’s header equalises again after the break. The game seems neutralised as in the final minutes, a cross by Halstro unluckily strikes the hand of Alyssa Broad and the referee gives a penalty. Coolly converted by Kristin Vindjammer, the unlucky decision seals the game for Energie.

Matchday 16
AFK Savojagrad 0–0 Energie Thorsborg
CASK Thorsborg 1–2 Libertas Bergheim
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Metall Jarnstad 0–1 ESK Storevik
Landsmarks Industrie 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–3 ASK Landsmark
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
FK Chemie Frisks 0–2 Admiral Storevik
Transport Hovikkära 3–1 Traktor St. Andrei

Even though Dynamo are not particularly interesting this year, the police side inevitably gets into the focus of the press as they visit local rivals and leaders Partisan. Teranen, one of the big figures in Industrie’s surprising successes last year, hasn’t been able to shine as much in this season, but today he makes up for it as he opens up with the first goal after twenty minutes with a header into the top left corner off a cross by Persson. Before the break, Ulkanen extends the lead to 0-2 as the Finn scores with a long shot. The stadium is dead silent as the players return, with Shipulin replaced by a second striker in Simon Jacobsen. The youngster scores the first goal in Parti’s comeback quest, as he exploits a little gap between two opponents and scores coldly. Aarsoy launches the next attempt, but sees his cross cleared to a corner - which Helman uses to score the second goal. The reversal is almost perfect and the Perl Kruger stadium comes to life with Partisan pushing hard - and successful. Fifteen minutes before the end, Loeseth passes a ball onto the foot of the pressing Morten Poulsen, who immediately passes him and launches a 5v4 counter attack. Karjanen passes across to Jacobsen, and the young Parti striker scores his second to reverse the derby in the second half.

Torpedo continue to play spoiler to the top teams, as the Pawlograder also manage to draw Lok in Jarnstad thanks to a surprisingly disappointing offensive performance by Lok. With Grivoshenko struck by a flu, and playing only 57 minutes with reduced performance, the Savojar champions lack offensive creativity on the wing, and a man-marking of Ljurbyn is enough to reduce them to long balls. But Lok’s defence is good enough to resist Torpedo’s offence, and Roope’s near-side shot is the only goal for the away team. Libertas announce their return to the pursuing group as they beat CASK away thanks to two goals by Tuomas Lajunen, who poses a serious challenge to Sigurdsdottir’s topscorer crown. Finally, over in Novaya Russica, ASK shoot the frustration off their souls as they demolish DNR 0-3, providing much-needed relief to Viktor Nejman. Nonetheless, management reaffirms that there will have to be more improvements in the future.

Matchday 17
Traktor St. Andrei 2–1 AFK Savojagrad
Admiral Storevik 1–1 Transport Hovikkära
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 5–4 FK Chemie Frisks
ASK Landsmark 0–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–2 Dynamo Novaya Russica
RLSK Pawlograd 1–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
ESK Storevik 5–3 Landsmarks Industrie
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 0–1 Metall Jarnstad
Libertas Bergheim 1–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Energie Thorsborg 3–4 CASK Thorsborg

Nejman fails to provide the requested improvements and definitely loses his job after a 0-3 home defeat to Partisan in what replacement captain Jesper Groen called “a shameful display”. ASK start out promising, defending well and shutting the door for Partisan’s violent attacks, but fail to produce offensively as Nejman’s attempt at pulling a secret weapon in 19 year old striker Nick Hedegaard does not succeed. Hedegaard gets two solid chances in the first half hour, but misses once and is denied by Johansson the second time. Then, shortly before the break, Hytälä lets Alina Lund pass, and her pass to the centre finds Karjanen for the 0-1. Now, ASK completely fall apart and give up a penalty before the break to go into half-time down by two. Things don’t get better in the second half either, and the complete inability of Nejman to react becomes apparent as a dislodged ASK concedes chance after chance. Karjanen gets two major chances to complete the hattrick, but the crossbar and a deflection by Omark deny him. It then is Alina Lund who scores as she pounces on a rebound to finish off the tenure of Viktor Nejman as ASK Landsmark’s coach.

A bit to the West, it is derbytime in Thorsborg, and what a derby it is. Both Valter Birja and Gustav Lindgren note two goals before half-time, but it is CASK that comes out stronger. Flyborg scores off a cross that is not sufficiently cleared and returned to the box by Hytönen, and the Army club is up by one. Kjetil Flyborg is also the man to receive a harsh tackle by Zibo Olberg in the box, and while Flyborg is substituted for safety and Nweke joins the field, Birja misses the penalty. This reinvigorates Energie, but Vindjammer is stopped by Zirkova, who immediately launches a counter with great speed. Via Pjotr Iljurov, the ball finds Nweke, but the youngster shows patience and heads it back to the centre, where Birja completes a hattrick and seals the game as joker Poul Andersen can only shorten the lead. Libertas continue their resurgence as they beat out Lok in a tight game that is dominated by the Bergheimer’s aggressive pressing, and Hakeson scores from fifteen metres with a shot to the top left to bring victory to Libertas and further disrupt the pursuitor’s pack.

Matchday 18
AFK Savojagrad 2–4 CASK Thorsborg
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–0 Energie Thorsborg
Metall Jarnstad 0–1 Libertas Bergheim
Landsmarks Industrie 3–3 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–0 ESK Storevik
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–1 RLSK Pawlograd
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
FK Chemie Frisks 1–2 ASK Landsmark
Transport Hovikkära 0–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Traktor St. Andrei 0–1 Admiral Storevik

Jelena Romanov has been touted as a transfer to Admiral to replace Krister Voynov, before they signed Jzeovak Vladcik, and the young winger shows what got her into the notebooks of the scouts as she scores two assists and a goal against Industrie. But on the other side, she finds her match in the striking duo of Industrie, Sequel Bathanay of Nephara and her sidekick Gabriel Klinger. The latter clearly shows he isn’t as strong as he was next to Teranen, but still has plenty of scoring instinct as he draws first blood after a rebound is not cleared in the muddy and half-frozen ground of Landsmark in December. Minutes after, Romanov scores her goal by shooting the ball through the legs of keeper Albin Lindblom, and the score is even again. Then, Romanov dances past Boedker, swings in to draw Lund and dodges the captain by turning her back, passing up to Jamarin - 1-2. But Industrie fight back, and Bathanay scores from eleven metres with a dropkick to equalise after the break. Striving to continue her show, Jelena Romanov falls in to take the ball herself off the foot of Sundbotten. She drops it off to Däll and moves up the pitch, receives it back and stomps Boedker as she accepts the ball. One quick move and she is down to the side, launching a long ball to the second post where Roope lurks - 2-3. It takes a clumsy tackle and a penalty for Industrie to equalise, a job completed calmly by Gabriel Klinger to the 3-3 final result.

Lok and Energie take points off each other, as Metanov shows perhaps his best match of the season and shuts down Energie’s central offence. Shisaru Zeperin gets a rare start, and the young Hinodejin does a stellar job on the right defence at blocking Vindjammer, and with Esko Nurminen controlling aerial space in his box, Lok survive the onslaught of the Thorsborgers to hold the 0-0. Metall almost manage the same against Libertas, but then comes the fateful mistake of Kiki Neturainen, who lets Geddes sneak past her. With now loads of space, the Schottian winger crosses perfectly to the centre and joker Erland Stromby scores the golden goal. Up top, Partisan do their job as they swiftly dispose of FK Sjoedrhavn, with young Göran Jaerbyn making a surprise appearance and narrowly missing his first SFS goal as a shot from the side is parried by Hedberg, and he puts the rebound against the outer post.

Matchday 19
Admiral Storevik 1–0 AFK Savojagrad
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–4 Traktor St. Andrei
ASK Landsmark 0–2 Transport Hovikkära
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–0 FK Chemie Frisks
RLSK Pawlograd 1–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
ESK Storevik 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 4–4 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Libertas Bergheim 4–3 Landsmarks Industrie
Energie Thorsborg 0–1 Metall Jarnstad
CASK Thorsborg 0–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad

It is time to wrap up the first half of the season, and the highlight of the first day is Admiral’s match against Savojagrad. With Nordmark playing a stellar match and Eloise Davison, who surprisingly moved out right, being able to contain Vladcik in a man-marking, the Storeviker struggle. AFK almost score in the first half, but Juralainen punches a shot by Ishkurin over the bar and picks the following corner off the head of Bains. The patience of Admiral pays off as Jotansson finally finds a gap off a corner and scores the lone goal. Partisan then cement their lead with a convincing 1-3 in Pawlograd, with Lund scoring once and Karjanen twice. Libertas manage to get some air between themselves and their pursuitors by outshooting Landsmarks Industrie, where Klinger picks up two to Bathanay’s one, and get further help in the final match of the round as CASK lose at home to Lok, leading to a split among the pursuitors in a top group (Admiral, Libertas) and a second group (Lok, CASK).

In the relegation battle, focus is on the direct clash of FK Sjoedrhavn and Chemie Frisks. A loss could be devastating for the capital side, who would be distanced by eleven points by the Chemiker, but they fight back valiantly against this scenario. Club legend Elias Hedberg enters the holiday break with a shutout as he secures a 1-0 victory, with the lone goal coming off a solo by the clear star of the team, Urho Surminen. Thanks to RLSK’s loss to Partisan, FKS are still last, but tied in points with the Pawlograders. For Torpedo, yet another draw, although a spectacular affair with eight goals, cannot save them as they join the pack of disappointed midfielders, all tied at 19 thanks to Transport’s Serge Tempest scoring double against a headless ASK.

Standings
   Savojar Football Serien 1  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn         19   15   2   2    40   21  +19    47
 2 Admiral Storevik            19   10   8   1    29   16  +13    38
 3 Libertas Bergheim           19   12   1   6    36   29   +7    37
 4 Lokomotive Jarnstad         19    9   7   3    29   17  +12    34
 5 CASK Thorsborg              19    9   6   4    42   30  +12    33
 6 Energie Thorsborg           19    8   5   6    37   28   +9    29
 7 Savojars Vinge Virkaja      19    7   7   5    36   28   +8    28
 8 Metall Jarnstad             19    8   4   7    20   17   +3    28
 9 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn           19    7   6   6    36   34   +2    27
10 Dynamo Novaya Russica       19    8   3   8    19   20   −1    27
11 Traktor St. Andrei          19    7   5   7    37   41   −4    26
12 ESK Storevik                19    7   4   8    34   36   −2    25
13 Landsmarks Industrie        19    7   4   8    31   35   −4    25
14 ASK Landsmark               19    6   3  10    24   34  −10    21
15 AFK Savojagrad              19    5   4  10    28   31   −3    19
16 FK Torpedo Pawlograd        19    3  10   6    34   38   −4    19
17 Transport Hovikkära         19    6   1  12    18   29  −11    19
18 FK Chemie Frisks            19    4   4  11    23   39  −16    16
19 RLSK Pawlograd              19    3   4  12    21   35  −14    13
20 FK Sjoedrhavn               19    3   4  12    24   40  −16    13

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Savojarsk Cup Part 1

The Cup, for the first time in years, has been expanded to include the four highest tiers of Savojarna. The 24 teams of the two highest regional divisions (Division 1A, including the north of Vestrholm, Norderholmen, Ejana, and Sumanen; Division 1B, including southern Vestrholm and Russica) are contesting a preliminary round, whereas the 16 teams of the highest non-professional league of the country, the semiprofessional Nationalligaen, and the 36 teams of the SFS system join in the first main round. Like in all Savojar cup competitions, there is no seeding whatsoever, but the home right in every fixture goes to the team that is of a lower league (or the one drawn first, if applicable). Until the semi-finals, all matches are played at the home team’s ground, with the final contested in the Nationalstadion Carl Gustaf Bjurman in Sjoedrhavn. Like in previous years, there will be a fully seeded bracket after the initial draw for the first main round, but from the quarterfinals onwards, the SFFB has decided to institute a re-draw for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

International Johnsberg 1–0 Jarov Jarovsk
Bjurman Mävle 3–3 Victoria Haukkala (3–4 AET)
Narod Trepkov 1–2 Virovsk St. Andrei
SK Marjanoli 3–2 Grigori Kartjov FK St. Pjotr
FF Parken Sjoedrhavn 2–3 Hallsberga Vikingur
FK Vestermalm Thorsborg 2–0 FK Freya Grennvik
Jon Palsson IF Ljörvik 3–0 Virkaja 1914 FK
SK Ullström 0–2 Union Poljansk
Norderhaven Drakken 1–0 Aurum Kjefla
Birga IF 1–0 Frisks IF "Admiral Grön"
SFK Barjovo 0–0 Thor Sejersheim (0–0 AET) (2–3 pen.)
RFK Storevik 0–0 Imperial Storevik (0–0 AET) (3–4 pen.)

Like it is usually the case in the preliminary round, there isn’t much of note happening, except for one match: In Storevik, RFK - an expat club for Russian workers living in Storevik, where the entire communication is still done in Russian and which has a reputation of being a political hotbed for Russican liberalism and nationalism - face Imperial, a club rooted in the old Storevik elites. The match itself is a boring drag decided on penalties, but the two diametrically opposed political views of the two groups manifest in violent clashes on the streets, with the police separating the groups and promptly seeing itself under attack as well, as both Russican nationalists and Ejanan Imperial patriots share a hate for the socialist Savojar state.

Framfarir Kjefla 1–1 Agrar Jurka FK (2–1 AET)
Ostemkin Revolution 0–0 Motor Johansborg (0–1 AET)
Sporting Järvonen 0–0 FK Odin Kjaershavn (1–1 AET) (3–1 pen.)
Hallsberga Vikingur 0–8 Admiral Storevik
Union Roopere 0–0 FK Sjoedrhavn (1–1 AET) (4–2 pen.)
Industrie Hovikkära 2–1 ESK Storevik
RLSK Pawlograd 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
Union Poljansk 2–2 Birga IF (3–3 AET) (5–4 pen.)
Norderhaven Drakken 0–3 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
SK Marjanoli 4–5 Pawlograd Marina
Victoria Haukkala 2–3 SK Cuprum Grennvik
SK Sjöveld 2–2 Zenit Jegrava (3–3 AET) (3–4 pen.)
Nord-Sjoedrhavn FF 1–2 Högvald FK
Thor Sejersheim 1–2 Rotor Värstjö
Jon Palsson IF Ljörvik 3–1 Jaromirgrad Union
Polar Grundviken 1–2 AFK Savojagrad
Nemstvo SK 0–1 ASK Landsmark
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 1–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad (1–2 AET)
International Johnsberg 0–2 FK Perl Kruger Sandvik
RAS St. Andrei 0–2 Energie Thorsborg
Elektron Harkka 1–2 Mir Nestrovo
Virovsk St. Andrei 4–3 Tapparainen FK
Partizan Yarkovo 0–0 Juventus Bergheim (0–0 AET) (5–3 pen.)
EU Storevik 1–5 Libertas Bergheim
Trollsheim Jarnsmän 2–3 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Traktor St. Andrei 1–2 FK Metall Jarnstad
Imperial Storevik 1–1 Valdhavn IF (1–2 AET)
Navigator Jaromirgrad 0–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Kallora IF 2–2 Norrhavn FK (3–3 AET) (1–3 pen.)
CASK Thorsborg 3–3 FK Torpedo Pawlograd (3–4 AET)
FK Vestermalm Thorsborg 1–2 Metsuri Virkaja
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–0 FK Chemie Frisks

One of the special things about the Savojarsk Cup is that there is no seeding or any other protection for the SFS teams. In this edition, Fortuna has been particularly harsh, setting half the SFS A against each other. First, we had RLSK hosting (and beating) Transport 1-0 off a goal by Georgi Samarev. Then, Traktor were caught out and countered down by FK Metall, where Sandbeck and Kanarin scored to reverse Traktor’s early lead off a goal by young Oleg Trikhichev, who played his first professional match. DNR let Sara Omark play from the beginning, and the winger thanked it with a goal and an assist in their 2-0 over Chemie Frisks. And over in Thorsborg, CASK and Torpedo went into a wild punch-out, where it became apparent that neither has a backup goalie completely up for professional play. U-18 national goalkeeper Sergey Sharin got a chance to play with the pros and was caught out twice early on by fellow youngster Sergey Nweke, but Mans Sandberg also struggled, leading to a 3-3 that was finally broken in overtime as Ragnar Jorinen headed in a ball by Andersson.

But the focus of the round was on the match between leaders Partisan Sjoedrhavn and defending SFS champions Lokomotive Jarnstad. For this prestige duel, Partisan came out almost in full strength, the only changes being Palvarainen playing instead of Lund and Jacobsen starting for Karjanen. Similarly, Lok’s changes consisted of 19 year old Tristana Palsdottir in place of Metanov, 22 year old Hinodejin Shisaru Zeperin on the right back, and last year’s top striker Hellström up top instead of Ruriksson. The teams pulled no punches, and it was a quick start as Jacobsen managed to almost score, but Nurminen caught the ball in the top left corner. Ljurbyn found more success on the other side as a repelled cross landed on his foot, and he scored with a direct shot. A header by Jernayev off a corner led to a quick equaliser, and the game was now on knife’s edge for the second half. It would take until extra time to determine the fixture, but ultimately the match flipped to Lok’s side as Grivoshenko found a gap to exploit and beat Anders Johansson in the near corner after faking a pass to the centre.

Other SFS teams had a simpler time, as the usual joker Juri Sandrajev picked up a hattrick for Admiral Storevik in their 8-0 demolition of Regional League side Hallsberga Vikingur. EU Storevik from the SFS B, one of the teams that had been considered a candidate for surprise, was swiftly disposed as Libertas’ youngsters Erland Stromby and Johan Simundsen scored two each. But others struggled a lot more: ESK Storevik, among the top teams in the SFS, has seen an early exit by the hands of third-tier side Industrie Hovikkära. Goalkeeper Ilari Hapalainen, a 23 year old part-time dockworker, had managed to hold a lead even as ESK brought SFS VI top-scorer Freya Sigurdsdottir late in the game, and sent the stadium over the moon. Down south in Nemstvo, the local semi-professional team almost repeated the feat against ASK, but the army side managed to punch through a tight net of defenders in the very last moments as Ilari Litmanen found a gap and scored to avoid humiliation for the crisis-ridden side.

Framfarir Kjefla 4–2 Motor Johansborg
Sporting Järvonen 0–1 Admiral Storevik
Industrie Hovikkära 1–1 Union Roopere (1–2 AET)
Union Poljansk 1–2 RLSK Pawlograd
Pawlograd Marina 0–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
SK Cuprum Grennvik 1–2 Zenit Jegrava
Högvald FK 0–1 Rotor Värstjö
Jon Palsson IF Ljörvik 1–3 AFK Savojagrad
ASK Landsmark 2–3 Lokomotive Jarnstad
FK Perl Kruger Sandvik 2–5 Energie Thorsborg
Virovsk St. Andrei 2–2 Mir Nestrovo (2–3 AET)
Partizan Yarkovo 0–4 Libertas Bergheim
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 0–1 FK Metall Jarnstad
Valdhavn IF 1–0 Landsmarks Industrie
Norrhavn FK 2–5 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Metsuri Virkaja 0–3 Dynamo Novaya Russica

Industrie Hovikkära, the surprise winners in their first round clash with ESK Storevik, almost pulled off another surprise against SFS B club Union Roopere, but finally failed to convert their good chance to surprise the country again as in overtime, mid-fielder Patrik Horgaard managed a distance shot to the top corner that Hapalainen could not quite save. On TV after the game, Union manager Pal Kirkkonen stated his impression with Hapalainen’s play and sparked a round of twii.tur rumours that Union may sign the goalkeeper over winter. Virovsk St. Andrei, one of only three remaining Regional League sides, came even closer to the sensation as they led against SFS B team Mir Nestrovo for most of the second half after a penalty by captain and local sports teacher Igor Volkov, but a pass by Ekaterina Antonov found the head of Mir’s central striker Ligurin, and the match went into overtime - where a now broken Virovsk could not keep up the pressure and had to bend to their opposition. The other Regionals also saw their campaign end as Union Poljansk defended valiantly against RLSK Pawlograd, but failed to put up major danger to their defence, and Jon Palsson Ljörvik lost to AFK Savojagrad that didn’t pull through in the second half, where they were already up 3-0.

Things did not get easier for Lokomotive Jarnstad, who had successfully beaten Partisan only to be presented with ASK Landsmark. The army side, still deep in crisis, looked to this game for a chance for reinvigoration and came out with a nominal top side, pushing back Lok early on and getting a goal by Ryberg in before Litmanen even extended the lead to two, but Lok stayed focused and got one back through a penalty by Hellström. Then, Vuotala found a gap in ASK’s defence and just after the break, Ake Ericsson slid into his through pass to beat Jacobsson. The decision came late in the second half with a cross by the overlapping Zeperin, who found Hellström at the second post perfectly. Metall contested a second SFS A derby against Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, and with the Sjoedrhaveners resting multiple key players, Jarnstad hardly ever got into true danger and won the game coolly after a goal by Ekman in the first half.

Framfarir Kjefla 3–2 Admiral Storevik
Union Roopere 1–4 RLSK Pawlograd
Zenit Jegrava 1–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Rotor Värstjö 1–3 AFK Savojagrad
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–2 Energie Thorsborg
Mir Nestrovo 3–3 Libertas Bergheim (3–3 AET) (2–3 pen.)
Valdhavn IF 0–0 FK Metall Jarnstad (1–1 AET) (2–4 pen.)
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica

The traditional question of the octofinals is “how many lower-league teams can make it through the winter?”, and the answer would be, like last year: One. Framfarir Kjefla hosted the previously highly convincing local rivals from Admiral Storevik to a rare Derby of Ejana, a heated affair for many reasons. Not only is there a conflict between the staunchly unionist Framfarir rooted in the notoriously strike-happy mining community and the Navy prestige project of Admiral, but also a long-standing traditional rivalry of the two biggest cities of Ejana. Framfarir did get the better start as Rolfrsson scored after only twelve minutes after the SFS B side pressed hard from the get-go, and they took the lead into the break despite a temporary equaliser by veteran Najman. In the second half, Storevik replaced Najman with Nepharim superstar Sabine Montag, who quickly found a way of passing to Sandrajev and assisting the 2-2. But this would not be the end of Kjefla, whose fans carried Framfarir to further pressing and pushing, and eventually Rolfrsson would go down eighteen metres from the goal. Captain Johanna Arvidsdottir laid the ball down and scored directly, causing frenzy in Kjefla as they eliminated the big Admiral Storevik.

Less luck could be found in Roopere, where RLSK won easily with 4-1, and in Värstjö, where recently relegated Rotor was defeated by AFK Savojagrad. The last Nationalligaen team, Valdhavn IF, came close to a sensation as they held Metall for ninety minutes and scored thanks to Mirjam Netta, but then U-18 national player Bengt Johansson caused a penalty that Kanarin converted. In the shootout, it was of all people Netta who shot her attempt over the goal, and as no Metall player failed, Valdhavn’s sensation did not materialise. Libertas also had to go to penalties against Mir Nestrovo, but could get through as Ronne saved the attempts of Ligurin and Raekstad. Finally, Lokomotive’s run against SFS A teams was finally stopped as reigning cup winners Energie Thorsborg pushed them back too far and managed to get the victory off two late goals, when Lok had been worn out. Now, everything will be reshuffled as the bracket gets redrawn, with Framfarir likely to be seen as the big prize.

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII: The Collapse of a Giant (Part 3/4)

Matchday 20
AFK Savojagrad 1–0 Lokomotive Jarnstad
CASK Thorsborg 0–1 Metall Jarnstad
Energie Thorsborg 4–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Libertas Bergheim 2–3 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 1–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
ESK Storevik 2–1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
RLSK Pawlograd 2–0 FK Chemie Frisks
FK Sjoedrhavn 0–0 Transport Hovikkära
ASK Landsmark 1–1 Traktor St. Andrei
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–5 Admiral Storevik

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, but so far, the Police team has avoided the worst so far. With limited transfer activity and a fair share of chaos in the previous seasons, one could argue that their mid-table place is roughly to expectations, and their early cup exit a consequence of bad luck after being drawn against Metall Jarnstad. But then, after a fairly uninspired first half that ends 1-1, we witness Dynamo losing all stability and order within twenty minutes. Disaster strikes after fifty minutes as Montag dribbles past Hoyberg, passes to Jotansson and the Ejanan scores for the 1-2. Then, three minutes later, Vladcik crosses to the centre, Rydman touches the ball with his arm - penalty, 1-3 Sabine Montag. Zirkkonen has been replaced by Mah Huang by now, and five minutes after the penalty, the Hinodejin scores the 1-4 off a corner, Huang’s first goal in Savojarna. Still less then fifteen minutes after Jotansson’s goal, the collapse is complete as Dynamo’s Liparainen overlaps - and loses the ball. Andersson wins it, shoots a long pass to Vladcik, and the Squornshelan winger has all the space in the world. He dribbles and shoots, gets stopped by Jarnström, but Jotansson converts from short range to complete the drama of four goals in less than fifteen minutes.

Up top, Admiral are the only ones to do their duty. Lok are the first to be shut out by AFK’s brilliant Kevin Nordmark, and because AFK can apparently always count on Eddie Bains scoring at least once to save their lives, the defending champions open with a 1-0 defeat. Minutes later, the same result is confirmed from Thorsborg after a late charge by the home team wasn’t enough to overcome Metall, who defend an early lead by a Lovisa Mortensson long-range shot. The next day, Libertas follow up as they play a strong first half, with Nyborg orchestrating offence, but a positioning mistake by Broad lets Lehtonen find some space and the 2-1 before the break. Reinvigorated by the goal, Savojars Vinge score twice to reverse the match and Lenka Otalainen can put down two more assists on her personal tab. Finally, the leaders themselves are also outclassed by a tenacious ESK that relies not only on Freya Sigurdsdottir, but also on Asta Bjarnasdottir playing the game of her life man-marking Karjanen. With the entire Top 5 except for Admiral losing, the championship opens up a little bit.

Matchday 21
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 4–3 AFK Savojagrad
Admiral Storevik 0–0 ASK Landsmark
Traktor St. Andrei 2–4 FK Sjoedrhavn
Transport Hovikkära 0–1 RLSK Pawlograd
FK Chemie Frisks 1–4 ESK Storevik
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Dynamo Novaya Russica 1–0 Libertas Bergheim
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 1–3 Energie Thorsborg
Landsmarks Industrie 0–2 CASK Thorsborg
Metall Jarnstad 1–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad

In a relatively unspectacular week where most matches have a clear favourite, the prime game of the week is the Jarnstad Derby of Metall and Lok. In the MetallArena, Aleksander Smichov in the home team’s goal is challenged early and can prove his worth as he stops Grivoshenko and Ruriksson in quick succession, but he is eventually beaten off a corner as Ruriksson is found at the near post. But shortly before the break, Metall Jarnstad equalise as Mortensson wins an important ball in mid-field and carries it past Lok’s defensive midfield. Now with the field wide open, she picks up speed to the edge of the box and then plays a deadly pass to Otarov, who scores the equaliser. Metall then, however, fail to back this up and lose due to a distance shot by Ljurbyn in the second half that Smichov can’t get out of his bottom left corner, after it has been deflected there by Metall defender Patrik Hornberg.

Up front, Admiral lose what they made up last week as ASK’s tight defence manages to isolate Arvid Jotansson. With Frans Kirkers nearly man-marking Vladcik, and Montag being controlled tightly, the Storeviker fail to reach their main weapons up front and have to shift towards grinding it out defensively, but their superb defensive midfield prevents any sort of magic coming out of Gavax Nenzi-Abe, who has to shoulder creative duty on his own as Hansborg is occupied with Montag. Meanwhile, Partisan show little trouble with Torpedo, who only manage to keep the game tight thanks to a superb performance by Radu Bartok and fail to pose an offensive challenge beyond Romanov’s occasional spark of genius. Up top, only Libertas shake as they lose to a defensively water-tight DNR and a singular action by Maladict Farrell. Finally, in the back, FK Sjoedrhavn manage to win in St. Andrei and get rid of the last place, celebrating their summer signing Urho Surminen as the star of the game with a hattrick in St. Andrei.

Matchday 22
AFK Savojagrad 0–1 Metall Jarnstad
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–3 Landsmarks Industrie
CASK Thorsborg 1–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Energie Thorsborg 2–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Libertas Bergheim 2–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 0–2 FK Chemie Frisks
ESK Storevik 0–0 Transport Hovikkära
RLSK Pawlograd 1–1 Traktor St. Andrei
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–0 Admiral Storevik
ASK Landsmark 0–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn

FKS hosting Admiral is not expected to be a spectacular game, and the Storevikers use the game for some load management, resting their two foreign stars for veteran Mikael Najman and 21 year old Sigleifur Arnason. Without the duo, Sjoedrhavn’s stars align as captain Rydberg marks Jotansson tightly, JC Idveld in midfield delights the fans with some great buildup work to occupy Admiral’s defences, and in goal, cult figure Elias Hedberg has a great day. In the first half, Idveld finds a gap for Jari Siilonen, who dances past an unlucky Kare Runarsson and scores the first goal for the hosts. In the second half, now playing with Montag (but retaining Arnason, who is one of the best on the field) Admiral aggressively attack, but Hedberg saves two point-blank shots from Jotansson and a dangerous Montag free kick to secure a surprise victory.

The other game in focus is the duel of leaders Partisan, who can now extend their lead back to eleven points, and tied for third Libertas Bergheim. Parti show an odd instance of their old Parti Fifteen issue, as Lajunen strikes early, but can give one back after half an hour as Nemanyev sticks too closely to Karjanen, a gap opens up, and Poulsen pounces on it. Broad and Najmina fail to agree for a moment, and Poulsen scores the equaliser. Karjanen himself then scores the leading goal off an Aarsoy cross. But with Libertas now playing two full-blood strikers, the equaliser comes as Nurkanen pushes forward, crosses to Lajunen, who heads it back to Stromby, and the young striker scores volley to the 2-2. This keeps Partisan’s lead in check at nine points ahead of Admiral, and thirteen ahead of Libertas. The IFCF race is tight as Lok draw too, keeping the top two of last season tied, and Energie beat DNR to join the duo on a tied third spot. Just one point behind them, CASK remain lurking after a 1-1 at home against Savojars Vinge.

Matchday 23
ASK Landsmark 0–1 AFK Savojagrad
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–1 FK Sjoedrhavn
Admiral Storevik 3–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Traktor St. Andrei 1–2 ESK Storevik
Transport Hovikkära 1–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
FK Chemie Frisks 0–1 Libertas Bergheim
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 3–1 Energie Thorsborg
Dynamo Novaya Russica 1–2 CASK Thorsborg
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–4 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Landsmarks Industrie 0–1 Metall Jarnstad

On weekends with few particularly interesting games, you can always count on a good derby to spice things up a little, and today the smaller Sjoedrhavn Derby is up to provide the salt in a bland week. As is common, Dynamo may not particularly care about this game, but over 10’000 FK Sjoedrhavn fans march through the city to the Stadion Dynamo in a powerful manifestation, even though no more than 6’300 can be admitted. The fan march is a blue and red smokefest with chants and music, but the action on the pitch does not match the display of the fans. Dynamo go up quickly as Hoyman heads in a corner after twelve minutes, and Teranen doubles up eight minutes later. The quick double strike breaks FKS’s spirit quickly, and while Surminen scores in the second half, Pohja Ulkanen finishes the game with another goal for Dynamo.

Partisan playing host to Energie should be an interesting game on paper, pitting the leaders against one of their prime pursuitors. But the game doesn’t hold its promise much as Parti are not interested in making anything interesting. Poulsen and Karjanen bring the leaders ahead by half-time, and in the second half Jacobsen converts a cross by Aarsoy to the 3-0 after an hour, reducing Sienkiewicz’s late goal to cosmetics. The other top teams keep up as CASK beat Novaya Russica as they switch up two gears in the second half after Farrell brings the Russians ahead shortly before the break, and Libertas grind it out in Frisks after an early goal by Hakeson. The two other top sides have an even easier time as Admiral see two goals by Jotansson in their victory over RLSK, overshadowed by Viktorija Petrova’s announcement to retire after the season, and Lok’s clinical 4-0 victory in Virkaja is a powerful statement to the strength of the defending champions.

Matchday 24
AFK Savojagrad 3–0 Landsmarks Industrie
Metall Jarnstad 1–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
CASK Thorsborg 2–1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Energie Thorsborg 2–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Libertas Bergheim 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–2 Traktor St. Andrei
ESK Storevik 0–2 Admiral Storevik
RLSK Pawlograd 1–0 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
FK Sjoedrhavn 0–5 ASK Landsmark

This is the phase where the top teams sort themselves out, and any clash between the Top 5 attracts attention. CASK face a big challenge as leaders Partisan visit them, and a loss may widen the gap between them to 17 points, effectively eliminating CASK from all sorts of contention. But the Thorsborg side come out with a punch and score seventeen minutes into the game, as Gren finds a gap to Flyborg and the striker keeps an eye open for Birja in the centre, passing sideways to his mate who has an open goal in front of him. The match then starts to shift towards Partisan. First, Lund finds a pass to the centre that Zirkova can just about clear before it reaches Karjanen, then Thomas Larsen punches out a shot to the top left into a corner. But it takes until after the break for Parti to finally break through, as Nielsen is a tad late on Poulsen and causes a free kick seventeen metres from the goal, which Karjanen converts directly. It is CASK who take the better out of this tight game as eventually, Parti’s defences tire and Grönkjaer is overrun by joker Juhamatti Rajala, the ball comes to the centre, Johansson’s clearance isn’t far enough, and Gren smacks it home from 22 metres, with Parti’s goalie out of position.

Admiral now have a chance to close the gap to six points with a derby victory over ESK, and they see the path to beating the other Storevik team in shutting down Freya Sigurdsdottir. Lauri Zirkkonen is tasked with man-marking the reigning scorer queen of the SFS, and he does so in spectacular fashion, although she forces him to give away a penalty in the second half - which Sigurdsdottir herself promptly shoots over the goal. In offence, they abuse ESK’s weakness on the wing, with Vladcik wrecking havoc in the ESK backline and setting up one for himself and one for Jotansson. Lokomotive Jarnstad and Libertas Bergheim also do their duty to sta four points behind Admiral in a lurking position, with the IFCF battle tight as CASK wait just one point behind in fifth. Finally, poor FK Sjoedrhavn are facing a vicious ASK Landsmark under their new manager Alexander Provorov, former assistant manager of Nejman, who celebrates his first victory as manager. Ryberg, who returns from injury, blasts two past Hedberg, as does Litmanen; the final goal comes from the man of the match Gavax Nenzi-Abe, who also delivers two assists.

Matchday 25
FK Sjoedrhavn 3–3 AFK Savojagrad
ASK Landsmark 1–0 RLSK Pawlograd
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–0 ESK Storevik
Admiral Storevik 4–2 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Traktor St. Andrei 2–2 Libertas Bergheim
Transport Hovikkära 2–1 Energie Thorsborg
FK Chemie Frisks 1–5 CASK Thorsborg
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–3 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–2 Metall Jarnstad
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–0 Landsmarks Industrie

If you had to name one meme to summarise all of Savojar football, it would be Partisan Sjoedrhavn choking when it counts. Last year, they went from leading the league at half-way to almost missing out on international football. This year, their lead was even bigger, and they seem intent on blowing it all as they host Lok and squander a 2-0 lead at half-time. Karjanen and Aarsoy put the leaders into the perfect position for an important victory, but then little mistakes sneak in as they leave the dressing room. With Vuotala replacing Erlandsen, Lok become a more offensive team, and their double playmaker system strikes as the duo easily combines past Parti’s centre, finds Ruriksson, and gets on the board after fifty minutes. Only ten minutes later, Grivoshenko stuns the Perl Kruger as he cleanly dribbles past Thorvaldsson and curves a perfect cross onto the head of Ruriksson, who finishes to equalise. With Parti’s spirit now broken, it seems a question of mere time until Lok’s victory comes, and it is joker Jonas Hellström who gets the honours as Helman misjudges his position, leaves a gap in the middle, and Ljurbyn passes exactly onto Hellström’s deadly left foot to stun Partisan.

Up North, Admiral play the second rivalry in a row as they host their Navy rivals of FK Torpedo. With Radu Bartok rested following a light injury he got in training (according to the team, an overstretched muscle) and defensive organiser Terje Landman suspended, there is little to stop Torpedo’s defence from being an unorganised mess. It is hard to be jealous of Jarkko Virtanen, who is barraged with shots from an unrestricted Admiral side as the game progresses, and four goals by four players are too much to out-score even for the highly talented Admiral offence. Romanov and Roope get one each, but succumb to the firepower of Jotansson, Vladcik, Montag, and Evaldsson. Libertas drop two points in St. Andrei as captain Kasimir Samarov equalises late in the game, leaving CASK with an opening to push their IFCF ambitions - and the Army team capitalise big, blasting five past Karyanov in Frisks. Sergey Nweke gets his first start of the season and pays back the confidence with two goals, one of them a present by defender Heikki Ristolainen, who plays the ball right into his feet. Birja, Rajala, and Gren complete the ranks of scorers, with multiple starting players rested on the Thorsborg side.

Matchday 26
AFK Savojagrad 4–3 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Landsmarks Industrie 4–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Metall Jarnstad 0–0 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–1 FK Chemie Frisks
CASK Thorsborg 3–1 Transport Hovikkära
Energie Thorsborg 0–2 Traktor St. Andrei
Libertas Bergheim 3–3 Admiral Storevik
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–6 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
ESK Storevik 1–0 ASK Landsmark
RLSK Pawlograd 2–0 FK Sjoedrhavn

While the focus of the nation lies on the top, the relegation battle slowly heats up as well. FK Sjoedrhavn have a chance to overcome RLSK Pawlograd in a direct duel. But against a scrappy Pawlograd side, their focal striker Urho Surminen is tightly guarded and doesn’t get reached by the limited FK Sjoedrhavn side. Thorsten Croft closely guards Surminen’s best lancer, Jari Siilonen, and annoys the winger to the point that he shoves away Croft aggressively at a corner in the second half, and responds to the Nepharim confronting him at the next opportunity with a swift elbow to the ribs of Croft, which earns Siilonen a red card. FKS cannot stand the pressure and are ground down by RLSK, as eventually Arkanin and Mansberg score one each to keep victory in Pawlograd and pull away from the Sjoedrhaveners. Now one point ahead of the relegation round places, RLSK cannot relax yet, but have gotten themselves a bit of air for the upcoming round.

Up top, the Top 6 enter a weird sort of ceasefire as Partisan opens up the game with yet another failure to win. While Metall struggle to go anywhere offensively and Mortensson’s absence due to her fourth yellow card in the season dearly felt, the central defences of Metall stay solid and can contain the SFS leader’s attacks to stall out a 0-0. Similarly, Lok manage to score an early goal thanks to Ruriksson breaking the shackles of his guards at a corner, but Hinodejin joker Kimiko Maki scores a late goal against a complacent Lok to secure a draw for FK Chemie. No stalls occur between Libertas and Admiral, which rip into each other with no holds barred, but arrive at a 3-3 because of Admiral’s notorious issues on the left back being exploited deadly by Richard Geddes, who is surprisingly deployed on the right wing for once. The Schottian outpowers even the trio of Vladcik, Montag and Jotansson, and with Juralainen having a bad day, the next top two draw is reality. Only CASK seem to have missed the memo and enter IFCF places, as Flyborg and Birja run circles around the centre-backs of Transport, forcing a penalty out of Chauncey for the 1-0 and leaving Vikborg in the dust for the 2-0. Although Hovikkära can fight back in the second half, Iljurov gets the honours off a counter late in the game to close out a 3-1 victory.

Matchday 27
RLSK Pawlograd 1–2 AFK Savojagrad
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–3 ESK Storevik
ASK Landsmark 2–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 2–0 Libertas Bergheim
Admiral Storevik 5–3 Energie Thorsborg
Traktor St. Andrei 3–7 CASK Thorsborg
Transport Hovikkära 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
FK Chemie Frisks 1–4 Metall Jarnstad
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–2 Landsmarks Industrie
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja

Admiral Storevik are the team of the hour, and the first pursuitors receive Energie Thorsborg for a highly aggressive offensive extravaganza. The Navy defence is younger than young as Lauri Zirkkonen is out with a suspension and replaced by Mah Huang (21), and Kare Runarsson benched after his lacking performance against Libertas and replaced by Boris Lavrov (20). This opens spaces for Energie early on as the two youngsters have to get used to the system, and by the thirty minute mark, Vindjammer and Lindgren scored two to Jotansson’s one. But it has never been an issue for Admiral to find offence against a team that gives them the space, and a free kick by Montag and a goal by Vitanov reverse the score until half-time. After the break, it is Jotansson who manages to split Energie’s highly esteemed centre-backs to receive a perfectly timed Montag pass - 4-2. The 5-2 comes a bit after the hour, as Bengtsson is fooled by Vladcik and the Squornshelan catches Marqvist a bit off-guard in her near-side corner. Energie can get one back as Huang is too late against Staale Lund and brings the winger to the ground, causing a penalty that Lindgren converts, but it is too little and too late for Energie.

Even more goals fall in St. Andrei, where Traktor concede early to Birja’s header, and then open the floodgates at the back. Within ten minutes, Birja doubles up from short range and Hytönen curls in a free kick to the 3-0 lead after 17 minutes. With disaster looming, Traktor decide to go all-in and switch out defensive midfielder Slavyana Oleva for striker Vyacheslav Karamasov, who scores shortly after, but the change does not pay off as CASK lead 4-1 at half time. The shootout continues after the break: Pahl dribbles past an opponent and shoots near-side - 5-1. Traktor catch a break as Sundgren shortens to 5-2 and a doubtable penalty decision leads to the 5-3 by Samarov, but their new-found attacking spirit is punished in the last fifteen minutes: Flyborg from close range and Nweke off a counter finish the game with a 3-7 away victory for CASK. Meanwhile, Partisan push Landsmarks Industrie against the wall for ninety minutes, but fail to win as Klinger scores off a corner shortly before the break and a lucky strike by Sequel Bathanay secures Industrie a draw, reducing Parti’s lead to a single point with eleven matches to go.

Matchday 28
AFK Savojagrad 0–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Landsmarks Industrie 3–4 FK Chemie Frisks
Metall Jarnstad 4–1 Transport Hovikkära
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–1 Traktor St. Andrei
CASK Thorsborg 3–5 Admiral Storevik
Energie Thorsborg 1–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Libertas Bergheim 2–2 ASK Landsmark
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
ESK Storevik 5–3 RLSK Pawlograd

CASK and Admiral have been the two teams of the moment, pushing for the title and the IFCF places respectively - and now it’s time for the old rivals to meet. The Old Battle, their meeting is called, and neither Army nor Navy are willing to take any prisoners this time around. Only seven minutes are played as Zirkkonen comes a moment too late and hits the ankle of Flyborg, who still gets off a pass to Birja, but the striker shoots wide. Five minutes later, his shot from thirteen metres just about touches the post and bounces into the net - 1-0. But Admiral reverse the score until the thirty-minute-mark as Vitanov pushes through, crosses to the first post and finds the lurking Jotansson. Shortly after, Evaldsson gets some space as CASK drop back to defend the Admiral Trident, and without a passing lane he just opts for the distance shot for the 1-2. CASK equalise just before the break off a long shot by Gren that Juralainen repels right into the feet of Flyborg. With the game wide open, both teams score off a corner in the first twenty minutes of the second half, but then Admiral start pulling away thanks to Jzeovak Vladcik’s genius technique. The winger dribbles past Jensen easily and draws in Zirkova, only to pass back onto the now free Montag. A late goal off a counter to the name of Juri Sandrajev rounds out the result to 3-5.

Now having failed to get a win in four games in a row, Partisan face a tricky opponent in an away game at Savojars Vinge. The Virkaja side try to bear down the exposed flanks of Parti as Aarsoy and Lund orient themselves offensively, and the unstopping overlaps of Dani Carlin drive the play of the Finns. The Brenecian opens the score after half an hour with a cross from the mid-field, which Salonen takes volley and bashes past Johansson in spectacular fashion. Fifty minutes in, the Finns nearly double up, but Vukkila’s header flies over the bar. Parti get one back thanks to a Karjanen solo, but SVV keep control over the game, and eventually Otalainen gets her stroke of genius as she scores from 25 metres to make it 2-1. Now highly pressured, Parti mount an all-out attack and nearly concede again, but a save by Johansson from close range against Lehtonen saves the day. It still takes injury time for Jacobsen to limit the damage with the 2-2. The drama means that Partisan, who started the second half of the league with a nine point gap, now lag one point behind Admiral. With Lok getting off a win against Traktor and now also breathing down Parti’s neck, can the Sjoedrhaveners recover, or do they choke away a great shot at honours again?

STANDINGS
   Savojar Football Serien A  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Admiral Storevik            28   16  10   2    56   29  +27    58
 2 Partisan Sjoedrhavn         28   17   6   5    55   36  +19    57
 3 Lokomotive Jarnstad         28   15   9   4    49   27  +22    54
 4 CASK Thorsborg              28   15   7   6    67   44  +23    52
 5 Metall Jarnstad             28   15   5   8    35   21  +14    50
 6 Libertas Bergheim           28   14   5   9    49   44   +5    47
 7 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn           28   13   7   8    58   48  +10    46
 8 ESK Storevik                28   13   5  10    51   48   +3    44
 9 Energie Thorsborg           28   12   6  10    54   45   +9    42
10 Savojars Vinge Virkaja      28   10   9   9    50   45   +5    39
11 AFK Savojagrad              28   10   6  12    45   43   +2    36
12 ASK Landsmark               28    9   6  13    35   41   −6    33
13 Traktor St. Andrei          28    8   8  12    52   64  −12    32
14 Dynamo Novaya Russica       28    9   4  15    24   35  −11    31
15 Landsmarks Industrie        28    8   6  14    45   58  −13    30
16 FK Torpedo Pawlograd        28    6  10  12    46   57  −11    28
17 Transport Hovikkära         28    8   3  17    23   40  −17    27
18 RLSK Pawlograd              28    7   5  16    32   47  −15    26
19 FK Chemie Frisks            28    6   5  17    33   61  −28    23
20 FK Sjoedrhavn               28    5   6  17    34   60  −26    21

Rank 1: Savojar Champion, IFCF Champions League qualification
Rank 2-3: IFCF Challengers Cup qualification
Rank 18-20: SFS Relegation Round

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII: Trio Furioso and the tightest fight in years (Part 4/4)

Matchday 29
ESK Storevik 2–4 AFK Savojagrad
RLSK Pawlograd 2–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
FK Sjoedrhavn 4–3 Libertas Bergheim
ASK Landsmark 1–2 Energie Thorsborg
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–4 CASK Thorsborg
Admiral Storevik 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Traktor St. Andrei 3–3 Metall Jarnstad
Transport Hovikkära 0–0 Landsmarks Industrie
FK Chemie Frisks 1–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica

Lokomotive Jarnstad open the final chase for the title with a direct duel against leaders Admiral at a sold out Marinestadion. Neither team seeks the offence, but Lok stand deeper, and the Storevikers take over the midfield thanks to a superb defensive presence by Joonas Andersson taking out Ljurbyn. Montag distributed the balls in the midfield nearly undisturbed, and it is the Nepharim that takes the first serious crack from nineteen metres, but goalie Esko Nurminen punches it out of the top right to a corner. Jotansson rises high, but the ball goes just over the bar. Ten minutes later, Grivoshenko shakes off Vitanov, who lies deep with defensive duties today, and passes through to Ruriksson sliding into the pass, but the Ejanan is a bit too late and misses the ball. In the second half, Admiral push back Lok more and more, but the pressure causes the defensive midfield to get cocky and move up too much. As a consequence, a missed cross by Vitanov gets cleared by Ullqvist and immediately turned around. Oystein plays a long ball to the left, where Ake Ericsson can take it on and run a 3v3 counter. Beating Urkin 1v1, Lok now has a numerical superiority on the counter, and the honours go to Henrik Ljurbyn, who beats Juralainen clean from ten metres.

Partisan manage to capitalise on their main competitors’ loss and take back the lead with a barely challenged 2-0 over Dynamo Novaya Russica, as Jernayev takes Maladict Farrell into close quarters and shuts down the Nepharim. Up top, Lund scores first off a counter, and then Poulsen hits home a free kick in the final fifteen minutes. CASK and Dynamo give each other a good beating with the Thorsborger taking a lead off a Birja header, but Hoyberg and Teranen reverse score. Before half time, Hytönen equalises with a free kick, and before the hour, Flyborg converts a rebound to the 2-3. Switching to an offensive setup, Dynamo chase the goal, but get countered out and see Gren passing out to Iljurov, who cuts between two defenders to score the fourth goal. Dynamo’s desperate effort sees Midtjaer cross in to Teranen for a third goal, but it is too late as CASK win the game and close the gaps up top. Only five points now separate the top four, and it’s even closer at the bottom. RLSK and Torpedo meet in the Pawlograd Derby for a good old scrappy relegation fight, but Torpedo stall out as five defenders and a brilliant Viktorija Petrova wear them down. Bartok is left alone by the defence and concedes twice, removing RLSK from the relegation zone.

Matchday 30
AFK Savojagrad 2–0 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–1 FK Chemie Frisks
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 1–0 Transport Hovikkära
Landsmarks Industrie 1–2 Traktor St. Andrei
Metall Jarnstad 2–2 Admiral Storevik
Lokomotive Jarnstad 5–4 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
CASK Thorsborg 0–2 ASK Landsmark
Energie Thorsborg 2–1 FK Sjoedrhavn
Libertas Bergheim 3–4 RLSK Pawlograd
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 4–2 ESK Storevik

Lokomotive Jarnstad rarely score many goals, but this year, Rjurik Smolderhøve has moved towards a more attacking disposition, and together with the signing of Vilhjalmur Ruriksson, it has made the defending champions an offensive force to be reckoned with. Grivoshenko gets on the board first as he dribbles past two defenders and scores low to the far-side corner, but Dynamo respond fast with a Hoyberg header off a corner and Ulkanen score from twenty metres out. Before the break, Lok get one back, but Dynamo take a 3-2 lead into half-time as Teranen deflects a cross into the goal. After the break, Ericsson scores after a one-two with Erlandsen, and then Lok go back up again as Halvard Oystein scores with a banger to the top left corner. Now up 4-3, Lok finally give up the offensive frenzy, but then Midtjaer breaks through past Hallsen and crosses to the middle, where Metanov comes too late and pulls Teranen’s shirt for a penalty. Dynamo equalise with eight minutes to go, but Lok keep the better end to themselves as they score a late header by Ruriksson for victory.

Thanks to Kevin Nordmark, now poised to leave Savojagrad next season to a yet unknown destination, showing another brilliant game, Partisan fail to score and fall to Eddie Bains’ double. As Admiral’s defences once again fail to hold and Metall draw them, Lok take the lead on par with Partisan and one behind Admiral, but the attention on Sunday shifts to Thorsborg, where CASK host ASK Landsmark to potentially close the gap to two points. But ASK put up a fight against a CASK that looks frankly tired. The Landsmarker have visibly focused all their energy on this one game, and they take a deserved lead as Gavax-Nenzi Abe plays a pass through onto Litmanen, who scores from close range. The attempt to strike back fails as first Birja and then Gren miss narrowly. CASK get into good positions, but fail to score as they miss shots left and right, whereas ASK shift into a defensive position and counter - successfully, as Ryberg nods home a cross by Groen in the final minutes.

Matchday 31
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 2–3 AFK Savojagrad
ESK Storevik 0–1 Libertas Bergheim
RLSK Pawlograd 2–4 Energie Thorsborg
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–3 CASK Thorsborg
ASK Landsmark 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–2 Metall Jarnstad
Admiral Storevik 1–0 Landsmarks Industrie
Traktor St. Andrei 1–1 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Transport Hovikkära 2–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
FK Chemie Frisks 0–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn

With Lok now in the lead, the eyes of the nation fall on the defending champions having to deal with a tough ASK Landsmark, where Alexander Provorov did not yet dare to stray from Nejman’s defensive and tough-to-break setup. A clash of defensively minded teams quickly turns into a clobbering, were it not for a certain Johan Jacobsson. ASK’s goalkeeper stops shot for shot, while news from Sjoedrhavn announce CASK’s expected domination of FKS. At half-time, Lok have outshot ASK 7-2, but they are still even at zero, while their pursuitors from Thorsborg are up by two already. Jarnstad pile on the offence, bringing on Hellström for Erlandsen - and it seems to work, as their domination increases even further. Grivoshenko crosses to the second post, but Hellström misses wide. Then, Ljurbyn shoots from fifteen metres and is denied by Jacobsson. Finally, however, Ljurbyn finds Ruriksson, who has Jacobsson dive onto him, but keeps cool and passes sideways. Hellström rushes in and finishes the job, all but securing Lok another week at the top.

Admiral struggle similarly with the other Landsmark team, but eventually their loaded offence is too much for Industrie. As the underdogs keep up a hard press, they open up gaps in the back, particularly on the side, where Vilanen and Vladcik drive down the wings relentlessly. And in the centre, Admiral have someone more than capable of finding gaps - Sabine Montag lifts a ball perfectly into the free space behind the lines, Vladcik takes it past Jesper Lund in the centre, and Lindblom in goal is caught out cold in a 1v2, allowing Vladcik to score the lone goal. Partisan don’t even show a sign of weakness as they tear down Frisks with two goals in the first twenty minutes, both courtesy of Perttu Karjanen playing what may be the best game of his season. He misses a hattrick though, as his breakthrough right after half-time is met by Karyanov deflecting the ball miraculously and he is subbed off after 77 minutes, leaving the final point to his substitute Jacobsen.

Matchday 32
AFK Savojagrad 1–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–1 Transport Hovikkära
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–0 Traktor St. Andrei
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–1 Admiral Storevik
Landsmarks Industrie 0–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Metall Jarnstad 1–2 ASK Landsmark
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–1 FK Sjoedrhavn
CASK Thorsborg 1–4 RLSK Pawlograd
Energie Thorsborg 1–0 ESK Storevik
Libertas Bergheim 3–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd

For teams in the relegation zone, nothing seems more valuable than unexpected points against a team that was expected to win, maybe even win clearly, against them. Lokomotive fit that description as they host a struggling FK Sjoedrhavn, but the men from the capital put up a formidable fight. Their incredibly fast counters overwhelm a Lok that stands uncharacteristically offensive, especially at the sides, probably being impatient at home against a relegation team, and an overlapping Lea Persson finds space on the other side of the field after twenty-five minutes. Her diagonal pass reaches Midgren, who passes into the hole onto Surminen - and the former Lok striker finishes off with a deadly shot to the bottom left against his old teammates. But they can’t keep this up forever, and as Sjoedrhavn’s energy draws down, Lok come back with a vengeance. Ericsson lets Gennadi Skvortsov look like some random amateur off the stands and crosses to the middle, where two players guard Ruriksson. But the striker just drops the ball back to Hannu Vuotala, who scores from the edge of the box and secures one point for Lok.

Other top teams equally fail to shine. Admiral, waiting one point behind the Jarnstader, take a lead in Virkaja, but give it up as time goes on and Lenka Otalainen orchestrates a magnificent game. Dropping deep, she manages to pull Andersson and Evaldsson out of position and open up spaces for her midfield mates, and Savojars Vinge exploit that perfectly as they reverse the score in the second half. Even worse fates befall CASK, who fall down early after a set piece, but then fail to recover. Instead they run around like headless chickens and allow Mansheim the 0-2 before the break. Half-time doesn’t help them one bit, as a now more offensively oriented CASK runs into all the traps of a clever Pawlograd team. RLSK punch back hard and finish off CASK 1-4 away, with the only goal for the Thorsborger being a late joker strike by Juhamatti Rajala, after already being down 0-4. The audience sends them out whistling and booing, a reaction that defender Polina Zirkova calls “frustrating, but completely understandable - we were bad”. Only Partisan do their duty as they edge out Transport 2-1 thanks to goals by Aarsoy and Poulsen, leaving the Sjoedrhavn team two points ahead of Lok and four ahead of Admiral.

Matchday 33
Libertas Bergheim 1–0 AFK Savojagrad
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–2 Energie Thorsborg
ESK Storevik 1–2 CASK Thorsborg
RLSK Pawlograd 2–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad
FK Sjoedrhavn 0–0 Metall Jarnstad
ASK Landsmark 0–1 Landsmarks Industrie
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 3–2 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
Admiral Storevik 2–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Traktor St. Andrei 2–3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Transport Hovikkära 1–1 FK Chemie Frisks

For once, our attention falls to the bottom of the table, where Landsmarks Industrie fight out the Landsmark Derby against ASK. Industrie start out aggressively pressing the Army team back, but Ryberg almost strikes gold on a counter after a pass by Gavax-Nenzi Abe. But he is denied by Albin Lindblom, who punches out the ball and then catches the following corner out of the air. It seems clear that Landsmarks Industrie are the team that want this victory more, as they need the points in a tight relegation fight, and it pays off after the break. Fifty minutes in, ASK finally cave as a cross by Pernille Norby is insufficiently repelled by Jacobsson, Klinger’s rebound bounces off the leg of Nina Rasmussen awkwardly, and Sequel Bathanay pushes it over the line. Landsmarks Industrie lead against an ASK that seems to have lost all its motivation now, and carries home the victory. Klinger almost extends the lead as well, but hits the post in the final minutes. Thanks to the victory, and helpful results by Dynamo Novaya Russica and Transport Hovikkära, Industrie now reach the safe zone, two points ahead of the tied Transport and DNR.

On the top, Lokomotive draw the second time in a row against a team they usually should manage to beat. Namenkova plays a brilliant game in the back of the RLSK midfield, and the wingers take their new freedom to the top to secure a 2-1 lead after the hour, but Lok’s class proves too much even for Viktorija Petrova as Hellström equalises in injury time. Partisan capitalise in St. Andrei despite a late charge of the hosts and conserve a 3-1 halftime lead to gain three points and pull ahead by four, but Admiral keep pace with the leaders as Jotansson scores twice against DNR. The early goal by Maladict Farrell can’t save the police club, who now has to think seriously about the prospect of relegation. The race for the title narrows down to a four-way-race, with three clear favourites: Partisan leads the charge with a four-point-gap to Admiral and Lok, and CASK lurk four more points behind. Fifth are Metall, 13 points behind the leaders and waiting for collapse up top to snatch up an international spot, but held back by a failure to score on a harmless FK Sjoedrhavn.

Matchday 34
AFK Savojagrad 1–1 Transport Hovikkära
FK Chemie Frisks 2–2 Traktor St. Andrei
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 0–2 Admiral Storevik
Dynamo Novaya Russica 0–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 1–1 ASK Landsmark
Landsmarks Industrie 3–0 FK Sjoedrhavn
Metall Jarnstad 1–1 RLSK Pawlograd
Lokomotive Jarnstad 0–0 ESK Storevik
CASK Thorsborg 1–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Energie Thorsborg 1–1 Libertas Bergheim

Savojarna’s footballing world stands still as leaders Partisan take on second-placed Admiral Storevik. A victory for the Sjoedrhavener would put them seven points ahead of Admiral with only four more games, and nearly eliminate the Storevik side from contention. But a victory for Admiral would set up the stage for an incredibly tight title race. Aware of what is at stake, Admiral first seem a bit shaky, and after a missed pass by Evaldsson, Poulsen can zip around the defensive midfield and launch Aarsoy, but his cross is just about cleared by Flygstad. Admiral catch themselves after this wake-up call, and manage to pull ahead after 23 minutes as Thorvaldsson wins a ball from Alina Lund and carries it down before setting up Montag, who turns around an opponent and finds Vitanov. The winger shoots through Johansson’s legs and brings up Admiral. In the second half, with Jacobsen on the field, Parti are more aggressive, and they almost manage to equalise as Karjanen passes sideways to Jacobsen, but his shot is blocked by Zirkkonen’s last-minute tackle. Huang gets the next important interception as he clears a through ball right before it reaches Karjanen, and it smells like an equaliser - but then, Parti overstay their welcome. A long ball by Andersson falls right onto the foot of Jzeovak Vladcik, who cuts to the inside before Karlsson and passes to Jotansson. The striker finishes from close range, and Admiral win the top clash.

With Partisan and Admiral now separated by one point, Lok have the chance to create a tight race with the top 3 separated by a single point, but they fail to score against ESK. Halldor Parvin is crowned man of the match after frustrating Ruriksson multiple times with close clearances, and up front ESK almost manage to win as Nikanen finds the head of Sigurdsdottir in the final minutes, but the header bounces off the bar and is cleared by Trent Ullqvist. As CASK also stall against Torpedo and fail to beat Radu Bartok more than once, despite a barrage in the second half, they seem to fall from the title race with a seven-point gap, and only twelve points left to be won. Down the table, the race gets even tighter as two goals by Aleksander Teranen in the Dynamo Derby make Sjoedrhavn take the victory, and thus push Dynamo Novaya Russica down to the relegation spots again. With five teams being within a five-point range, the fight against 18th place heats up.

Matchday 35
Energie Thorsborg 3–4 AFK Savojagrad
Libertas Bergheim 3–2 CASK Thorsborg
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 0–1 Lokomotive Jarnstad
ESK Storevik 1–0 Metall Jarnstad
RLSK Pawlograd 4–3 Landsmarks Industrie
FK Sjoedrhavn 2–4 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
ASK Landsmark 0–1 Dynamo Novaya Russica
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 0–1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
Admiral Storevik 4–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Traktor St. Andrei 1–2 Transport Hovikkära

Libertas Bergheim face off against CASK Thorsborg in what is a crucial game for both sides in their quest to play internationally next season. Libertas dearly need points if they want any shot at the IFCF, while any points lost for CASK could spell the end of their ambitions to a late title charge. Accordingly, neither team hold themselves back in Bergheim, and CASK strike first as Birja takes seven minutes to defeat Najmina in a 1v1 and catch Lotte Ronne between the legs. Bergheim strike back quickly as Richard Geddes leaves Popovich looking like a beginner and crosses to the centre, where Lajunen scores at the second post. The game comes almost to a stall after the goals, with neither team willing to concede again, but almost out of nowhere Gren starts a magnificent dribbling, passes up top to Flyborg, but the ball is saved. Just before the break, the young midfielder manages the same again, and this time Flyborg passes sideways to Birja - 1-2. Bergheim, however, have the longer breath, profiting from their high altitude stadium, and score twice in the final twenty minutes. Lajunen gets his second after 72 minutes after a corner, and in injury time, Stromby pushes a ball across the line in a chaotic situation in the CASK box.

CASK now need help from the teams up top, but they are hoping for a slip-up without any luck. Lok get frustrated by a brilliant Radu Bartok, but eventually score late in the game as a Grivoshenko cross isn’t cleared sufficiently by Bartok and Ljurbyn strikes from twenty metres into a half-empty goal. On Sunday night, Parti visit Dynamo in a tense Sjoedrhavn Derby where Poulsen scores twenty minutes in off a free kick, but the game remains ultra-tight for the whole distance. Hoyberg gets denied twice off a set piece, Loeseth hits the post from twenty-two metres out, and Teranen gets a seemingly safe goal blocked by a last minute tackle by Nemanyev; on the other side, Karjanen misses two golden chances and Aarsoy sees his shot cleared by Jarnström. In the end, Partisan secure the lone goal. Admiral, finally, destroy Chemie despite resting multiple players. Arnason gets two assists in the absence of Vladcik, and up top Sandrajev strikes twice in a 4-0 gala. Another flurry of surprise victories in the relegation fight eliminates FK Sjoedrhavn and Chemie, while up top, the race is reduced to the trio of Partisan, Admiral and Lokomotive; CASK and Libertas fight out the IFCF reserve spot with two points between the two.

Matchday 36
AFK Savojagrad 5–2 Traktor St. Andrei
Transport Hovikkära 0–0 Admiral Storevik
FK Chemie Frisks 0–1 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–2 ASK Landsmark
Dynamo Novaya Russica 2–2 FK Sjoedrhavn
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 3–2 RLSK Pawlograd
Landsmarks Industrie 1–2 ESK Storevik
Metall Jarnstad 0–1 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Lokomotive Jarnstad 3–1 Libertas Bergheim
CASK Thorsborg 2–0 Energie Thorsborg

Lokomotive Jarnstad against Libertas Bergheim is the game that has everyone’s attention given the massive title duel of last year’s SFS, even if it doesn’t have the same massive significance this year. Lok clearly have more to play for, and together with their home field advantage, it sets the table for what becomes a surprisingly clear game. The Jarnstader start out uncharacteristically offensive and score a goal after only nine minutes; Ruriksson is held back in the box by Nemanyev and goes down, Ljurbyn converts the penalty. Libertas have to open up, and after thirty-four minutes a counter strikes gold as Ericsson goes through, passes to the centre, and Ruriksson lets it through for Grivoshenko’s 2-0. The game is all but over, and Lok finish the job in style as a second-half attack leads to the 3-0. Libertas clog the box, but Ericsson finds a free man eighteen metres from the goal in Halvard Oystein, who scores with a spectacular volley. Stromby manages a 3-1 that is nothing but cosmetic, and Lok put on the pressure.

Partisan are still in the pole position with one point reserve to Admiral, and the Sjoedrhavener seem to suddenly remember their destiny. The Red and Gold fall into a traditional Partisan Choke as they go down 0-1 against ASK thanks to a Ryberg header, but save face thanks to Morten Poulsen’s converted free kick from a distance. Then, they go down again as Gavax-Nenzi Abe scores from the edge of the box thanks to a deflection by Rasmus Helman. Their fans already see the inevitable coming, but damage is reduced by Jacobsen’s injury time equaliser. Admiral face Transport away, a difficult game in the best of cases, and even more so when Transport lack their top striker Viilanen due to injury. Now piling on the defences, Hovikkära stall the game to a standstill, with Appalachian Greg Chauncey personally man-marking (and eliminating) Arvid Jotansson. Eino Kiivälä, poised for an international transfer, manages to hold down Vitanov, and Vladcik’s crosses go nowhere as he is marked tightly by two players. At least CASK can beat local rivals Energie, who have not much left to play for, and secure their place on the doorstep of the IFCF.

Matchday 37
CASK Thorsborg 5–2 AFK Savojagrad
Energie Thorsborg 0–2 Lokomotive Jarnstad
Libertas Bergheim 1–0 Metall Jarnstad
FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–2 Landsmarks Industrie
ESK Storevik 2–0 Savojars Vinge Virkaja
RLSK Pawlograd 2–0 Dynamo Novaya Russica
FK Sjoedrhavn 1–1 Partisan Sjoedrhavn
ASK Landsmark 0–0 FK Chemie Frisks
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn 1–1 Transport Hovikkära
Admiral Storevik 3–1 Traktor St. Andrei

Attention turns to one of the tightest title races in SFS history, and there it falls onto Sjoedrhavn. Partisan have to undertake a short hop across the city to the Stadsstadion of FK Sjoedrhavn, whose relegation round participation is long confirmed. But FKS don’t want to see their local rivals lay the basis for their first title in years at the Stadsstadion and try to put on a show, taking a half-time lead off a counter. Boedker initiates swiftly, Persson overlaps on the left, Surminen shows off his killer instinct - 1-0. The audience is silenced quickly as Karjanen equalises from twelve metres after 53 minutes, but the 1-1 is held to the end. Admiral are thus ready to pounce - and pounce they do. Traktor never find a way past the duo of Joonas Andersson and Birkir Evaldsson in Admiral’s midfield, and Montag has a field day with the wide open spaces of Traktor’s defences, shelling poor Georgi Nikitin into submission with two assists and one goal after only 55 minutes. She receives standing ovations as she leaves the pitch early, the win secured. Lok manage to keep up with the Storeviker, defending coolly against Energie and striking back hard with two counters in the second half - in classical boring, but efficient style, they tie with Admiral for the lead, but are behind on goal difference. Partisan lurk only one point behind.

On the bottom of the table, two direct duels occur between Torpedo and Landsmarks Industrie, as well as RLSK and Dynamo Novaya Russica. For both these games, the winner will be mathematically safe from relegation, whereas the losers have to get points on the last day - and they are fought hard, as could be expected. In Pawlograd, Landsmark fight tooth and nail and equalise twice, but Jelena Romanov’s hammer from thirteen metres is too much for the Industrialists - Torpedo manage to terminate a disappointing season with a black eye rather than the ultimate humiliation of a relegation round, although Markus Mellin will be very happy about his transfer. Across the road in the Stadion Alexey Sakharov, RLSK don’t give Novaya Russica any room. Nepharim striker Maladict Farrell is taken down by his countryman Thorsten Croft in the box and has to be subbed out in the first half, but Terkala misses the penalty - it shall be DNR’s only real chance. Mansheim strikes off a counter, and Croft heads in a corner for the 2-0 final result. Four teams are left standing, with Traktor and Transport having the best cards in their hands.

What does that mean for the final round? Up top, all teams play home games against opponents who have their fate locked in already. Partisan receive RLSK Pawlograd, likely to have somewhat fizzled out after their recent salvation from the relegation battle - on paper the easiest opponent, but Parti are down a point and need some help. Lok have the hardest draw with CASK Thorsborg, but will require an offensive setup as they are down five goals in the goal differential compared with Admiral. Finally, Admiral face AFK Savojagrad, whose season began as a miracle, continued as a nightmare, and ended in mid-field.
At the bottom, Traktor have the best hand. A single point at home against Dynamo Sjoedrhavn puts them safely away, and even a loss can be stomached if any other team in the fight drops points. Traktor face ASK Landsmark, a tougher opponent, but are similarly likely to make it with a draw. Landsmarks Industrie have the toughest draw in Libertas Bergheim, and just one point in hand against DNR - which brings us to the final of the seven games to watch, Dynamo Novaya Russica against ESK Storevik. DNR need any point they can get, and then have to hope for a slip-up of another side. Watch next week, as the SFS culminates!

STANDINGS
   Savojar Football Serien A  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Admiral Storevik            37   21  12   4    71   36  +35    75
 2 Lokomotive Jarnstad         37   21  12   4    65   35  +30    75
 3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn         37   22   8   7    69   46  +23    74
 4 CASK Thorsborg              37   20   8   9    87   61  +26    68
 5 Libertas Bergheim           37   19   6  12    66   59   +7    63
 6 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn           37   17   8  12    74   63  +11    59
 7 Metall Jarnstad             37   16   9  12    44   33  +11    57
 8 Energie Thorsborg           37   16   7  14    69   61   +8    55
 9 AFK Savojagrad              37   16   7  14    67   59   +8    55
10 Savojars Vinge Virkaja      37   14  12  11    65   58   +7    54
11 ESK Storevik                37   16   6  15    61   61    0    54
12 RLSK Pawlograd              37   12   7  18    55   64   −9    43
13 ASK Landsmark               37   11   9  17    43   50   −7    42
14 FK Torpedo Pawlograd        37   10  11  16    61   73  −12    41
15 Traktor St. Andrei          37    9  12  16    66   84  −18    39
16 Transport Hovikkära         37   10   8  19    31   48  −17    38
17 Landsmarks Industrie        37   10   7  20    56   71  −15    37
18 Dynamo Novaya Russica       37   10   6  21    29   48  −19    36
19 FK Chemie Frisks            37    7   9  21    38   74  −36    30
20 FK Sjoedrhavn               37    6  10  21    46   79  −33    28

Rank 1: Savojar Champion, IFCF Champions League qualification
Rank 2-3: IFCF Challengers Cup qualification
Rank 18-20: SFS Relegation Round

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII: Final Matchday Conference Liveblog

Three teams are in contention up top, and all teams play home games against opponents who have their fate locked in already. Partisan receive RLSK Pawlograd, likely to have somewhat fizzled out after their recent salvation from the relegation battle - on paper the easiest opponent, but Parti are down a point and need some help. Lok have the hardest draw with CASK Thorsborg, but will require an offensive setup as they are down five goals in the goal differential compared with Admiral. Finally, Admiral face AFK Savojagrad, whose season began as a miracle, continued as a nightmare, and ended in mid-field. This also makes the IFCF spots already distributed, as CASK Thorsborg are guaranteed to finish fourth and wait for the Cup to decide their fate.

1. Admiral Storevik -- 75 pts / GD +35
2. Lokomotive Jarnstad -- 75 pts / GD +30
3. Partisan Sjoedrhavn -- 74 pts / GD +23
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4. CASK Thorsborg -- 68 pts / GD +26
5. Libertas Bergheim -- 63 pts / GD +7

At the bottom, only one spot in the relegation rounds is still contested, but four teams are still in danger of being the unlucky one. Traktor have the best hand, as a single point at home against Dynamo Sjoedrhavn puts them safely away, and even a loss can be stomached if any other team in the fight drops points. Transport face ASK Landsmark, a tougher opponent, but are similarly likely to make it with a draw. Landsmarks Industrie have the toughest draw in Libertas Bergheim, and just one point in hand against DNR - which brings us to the final of the seven games to watch, Dynamo Novaya Russica against ESK Storevik. DNR need any point they can get, and then have to hope for a slip-up of another side. Watch next week, as the SFS culminates!

15. Traktor St. Andrei -- 39 pts / GD -18
16. Transport Hovikkära -- 38 pts / GD -17
17. Landsmarks Industrie -- 37 pts / GD -15
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18. Dynamo Novaya Russica -- 36 pts / GD -19
19. FK Chemie Frisks -- 30 pts / GD -36
20. FK Sjoedrhavn -- 28 pts / GD -33

The focus games for the day are:
AFK Savojagrad vs. Admiral Storevik - a (high) victory for Admiral, and they will celebrate the title. Anything else requires some help from CASK and RLSK.
Lokomotive Jarnstad vs. CASK Thorsborg - a top-notch matchup in its own right, Lok require a point more than Admiral in order to defend the title, or a blowout victory. Conspiracy theorists suggest CASK may let them run up the score in order to prevent an Admiral championship.
Partisan Sjoedrhavn vs. RLSK Pawlograd - for Parti, the path to the championship is “win or die trying - and then hope for some support elsewhere”. At least RLSK have not much left to play for.
Traktor St. Andrei vs. Dynamo Sjoedrhavn - a point is enough for Traktor, and even a loss likely to work out, but you don’t want to risk it.
Transport Hovikkära vs. ASK Landsmark - Victory means security, and a draw may too. A loss has Hovikkära rely on others to keep them out of the red.
Landsmarks Industrie vs. Libertas Bergheim - the toughest matchup on paper, and a draw will not suffice. Requires a victory unless Dynamo don’t win their game, and that will be a challenge against the fifth of the league.
Dynamo Novaya Russica vs. ESK Storevik - hosting a mid-table team that hasn’t had a goal to play for since months ago is probably your best bet when you need points. A draw may suffice if Landsmark get pummeled, but likely, they need to win.

The rest of the games:
FK Chemie Frisks vs. FK Sjoedrhavn - the “duel of the damned” between 19th and 20th, both certain to contest this matchup again in relegation round.
Savojars Vinge Virkaja vs. FK Torpedo Pawlograd - Virkaja may want to finally finish in the upper half again, but otherwise, not much to play for here.
Metall Jarnstad vs. Energie Thorsborg - seventh versus eighth, and relevant for bragging rights at best.

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Formations
There are not many surprises to be found. Partisan are the most interesting, playing Jacobsen and Karjanen as a two-top and resting Henning Roesk in mid-field. It’s a risky play, but it may be the right call when needing to beat a scrappy team like RLSK. CASK play Nweke and Rajala from the beginning, with Morten Pahl and Kjetil Flyborg moving to the bench. Sigmundur Vilmarsson starts for Dynamo Novaya Russica as Farrell is still out with an injury he received against RLSK, but the Nepharim sits on the bench and - according to rumours - is cleared to play a maximum of 45 minutes.

1’ - Everywhere
We’re off in all stadia! The conditions are as to be expected in early summer Savojarna - the sun is setting slowly, the wind is blowing lightly, and in general the conditions are just fine. With temperatures ranging from 10 to 19 degrees and no rain predicted, everything is set for a football celebration!

4’ PAR 0-0 RLSK
Partisan know the weight of the occasion and push hard. Jacobsen gets a pass from Aarsoy, but misses the goal by about half a metre on the far side. Petrova was in a good position, but it’s a warning shot to Admiral and Lok!

5’ LOK 0-0 CASK
CASK don’t want to relax. Sergey Nweke, clearly looking for some recognition by the coach, fires a shot from fourteen metres that is almost good, but with a solid dive, Esko Nurminen stops the ball in the bottom left corner. An audible sigh goes around the stadium.

7’ - GOAL! TSA 1-0 DSJ
Matti Sundgren strikes first as he dodges a challenge by Omark and cuts to the centre, staring down Jarnström in a 1v1 and beating him with a shot to the bottom right! As of now, this secures Traktor from relegation.

8’ - GOAL! LAI 0-1 LIB
A double whammy for Landsmarks Industrie, who get scored on by Nyborg’s free kick from nineteen metres out just as news from St. Andrei make the rounds. The relegation battle just got a lot tenser.

10’ AFK 0-0 ADM
Admiral are starting slow. Andersson is caught out by a well-pressing Andrei Ishkurin, who passes out to the side. But the cross towards Eddie Bains is caught out in the centre by Zirkkonen, who averts disaster for now.

11’ - GOAL! PAR 0-1 RLSK
What a start in Sjoedrhavn! Partisan are pressing hard for the first goal, but it is RLSK who strike first as Makis Kotsonis’ long-range shot is repelled right on the feet of Mansheim, who scores from short range.

13’ PAR 0-1 RLSK
A near miss for Karjanen right off the bat. Partisan are so far the most engaged team by far, but it is not translating to the scoreboard.

14’ - GOAL! TSA 2-0 DSJ
No holds barred for St. Andrei! Oleva lobs the ball onto the foot of Samarov, who passes sideways to Borislav Yarkov and it’s the second goal for Traktor, rapidly approaching safety.

15’ TRH 0-0 ASK
No goals in Hovikkära so far, but Gavax-Nenzi Abe comes at least close. Their long-range shot is deflected by Transport defender Vikborg and fools goalkeeper Kari Tuvanen, but just about grazes the post and lands out.

17’ AFK 0-0 ADM
Admiral’s game plan of “rely on Sabine Montag for some brilliance” almost works out as her pass through the gap in the opposition defence lands on the foot of Jotansson, but Nordmark denies the goal from short range heroically!

18’ - GOAL! AFK 0-1 ADM
There is a big step towards the title for Admiral! The corner after Nordmark’s parry yields a goal as Vladcik’s cross seems aimed for Jotansson at the first post, but the striker lets it pass for the second post, where Birkir Evaldsson lurks and scores volley! If they hold this lead, it will be a title for Admiral unless Lokomotive win by six goals.

20’ LOK 0-0 CASK
Grivoshenko manages to push down the right wing and cross in to Ruriksson, who decides to lay back to Ljurbyn instead of going for the goal. The mid-fielder misses narrowly and Zirkova clears the situation.

21’ GOAL! PAR 1-1 RLSK
Partisan claw back some hope with a goal by Perttu Karjanen. Aarsoy notes that he has been waiting behind the lines and finds the pass to Karjanen, and the Savojar Captain passes Croft for a good shot to the top left.

22’ DNR 0-0 ESK
Freya Sigurdsdottir is about fifteen centimetres away from pushing Novaya Russica into desperation as she heads a ball above the bar.

24’ GOAL! LAI 1-1 LIB
Sequel Bathanay brings back some hope for Landsmarks Industrie as the ball gets passed to her by Pernille Norby, and she accepts the ball to twist around an opponent and scores from ten metres out!

25’ TSA 2-0 DSJ
Dynamo almost score their own first one, but the distance attempt by Loeseth is saved by Nikitin.

27’ TRH 0-0 ASK
Viilanen shoots from the side, and the ball gets repelled by Jacobsson, and it falls right on the foot of Serge Tempest! But the young Audioslavian fails to hit the ball correctly and flies wide, denying Hovikkära their release.

28’ GOAL! PAR 2-1 RLSK
Partisan completely reverse the score! Lund cuts to the inside and crosses right before Taranyi dives in with a sliding tackle that hits the winger on the ankle. Yellow card and penalty is the verdict, and Karjanen doesn’t hesitate - Partisan are now in second place.

30’ GOAL! AFK 1-1 ADM
Shipulin drives down the left side and exploits Admiral’s notorious issue on the fullback position, crossing in - and Lirov manages the goal, beating Mikka Juralainen at the first post and putting Partisan on the virtual throne!

31’ DNR 0-0 ESK
On the bottom, things are no less dramatic. Sigmundur Vilmarsson almost scores, but Rolfrsson scrapes it from the top left corner to save the day for ESK.

33’ GOAL! LOK 1-0 CASK
The race up top takes another turn and within five minutes, all three top teams have been virtual champions at least for a bit! Lok score on a counter as Erlandsen passes to the top, Ruriksson dribbles past Nielsen and scores between the legs of Larsen!

34’ TSA 2-1 DSJ
Traktopr put on the offence again, but Slavyana Oleva’s shot from 25 metres flies just over the bar.

36’ LOK 1-0 CASK
Thorsborg may not be fighting for much anymore, but their attacks are still dangerous. Nweke slides into a cross by Pahl, but falls a few centimetres short.

39’ DNR 0-0 ESK
This rapidly becomes the tightest match on the bottom, but Terkala shoots right into the arms of Rolfrsson from ten metres out.

40’ AFK 1-1 ADM
What a shot by Montag! From the edge of the box, she takes a ball with her chest, turns around Perkkanen and shoots, but Nordmark catches the ball.

41’ TRH 0-0 ASK
How good a chance does ASK need to score? Ryberg heads over the bar from five metres out after a mistake by Chauncey, but no luck for the Landsmarkers.

42’ PAR 2-1 RLSK
Partisan try hard to finish off RLSK before the break, but the attempt to reach the two-top is foiled as Aarsoy’s cross is cleared out by Thorsten Croft.

44’ AFK 1-1 ADM
The duel up top becomes very open as Andrei Ishkurin almost drives the dagger into the heart of Admiral, as his long-range shot is deflected by Zirkkonen and flies just wide of the goal.

45’ - Half-time
An incredibly open race at both ends comes to a halt. Here’s the virtual table right now, including our non-focus games:

1. Lokomotive Jarnstad -- 78 pts / GD +31
2. Partisan Sjoedrhavn -- 77 pts / GD +24
3. Admiral Storevik -- 76 pts / GD +35
.
15. Traktor St. Andrei -- 42 pts / GD -17
16. Transport Hovikkära -- 39 pts / GD -17
17. Landsmarks Industrie -- 38 pts / GD -15
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18. Dynamo Novaya Russica -- 37 pts / GD -19
19. FK Sjoedrhavn -- 31 pts / GD -32
20. FK Chemie Frisks -- 30 pts / GD -37

46’ - Everywhere
The games restart! Who can take the crown of Savojarna in the final 45 minutes?

48’ TSA 2-1 DSJ
Dynamo come out of the gates with a punch. Loeseth bypasses Oleva for a pass to the top, and Ulkanen nearly scores, but misses high.

49’ PAR 2-1 RLSK
Partisan don’t hold back either. They may be reliant on help from CASK, but Poulsen’s long-range shot at least almost shores up their side.

51’ GOAL! LAI 2-1 LIB
The sky darkens further for Dynamo Novaya Russica as Industrie widen the gap at the bottom. Gabriel Klinger, who has struggled for most of the season without Teranen by his side, receives a great side pass by Bathanay and scores from short range.

52’ LOK 1-0 CASK
What a shot by Sergey Nweke! CASK’s youngster takes aim from nineteen metres out, but misses narrowly and sends a jolt through the stadium as his shot violently hits the ad board.

53’ TRH 0-0 ASK
This game remains on knife’s edge as Ragnhild Viilanen scores a goal, but gets it disallowed as she was off-side at the time of the cross. The decision visibly upsets passer Eino Kiivälä, who receives a yellow for complaining.

55’ DNR 0-0 ESK
Novaya Russica push the issue and bring on Maladict Farrell; not for Vilmarsson, but for Libor Milanov. That leaves them with basically three centre forwards on the field in a desperate attempt to stave off relegation.

56’ GOAL! AFK 1-2 ADM
The title race takes another turn! Admiral score as Davison is played out with a wonderful one-two between Vilanov and Montag, finished with a cross to the centre that Jotansson lets through, but Vladcik converts at the second post. With this goal, Admiral are back on top!

58’ TSA 2-1 DSJ
Pressure mounts in St. Andrei - Sundgren takes a swing from about nine metres, but Jarnström deflects it over the bar. Traktor already get their seventh corner in the game.

59’ GOAL! TSA 3-1 DSJ
Traktor can probably consider themselves near safety as a cross off the corner by Martinova lands on the head of Juha Teronen, who heads in the ball for the 3-1. Unless Dynamo score three, they stave off relegation threats for another year.

60’ LOK 1-0 CASK
Lok start tumbling as Paddi Gren bypasses Erlandsen easily and launches Birja up front, but in Lok’s defence Trent Ullqvist can clear the ball in front of Birja’s feet.

62’ TRH 0-0 ASK
Transport score… almost. Serge Tempest gets the ball in front of the goal, but from eight metres, the young Audioslavian shoots into the arms of goalkeeper Jacobsson.

63’ PAR 2-1 RLSK
Partisan open gaps at the back. Aiming at another goal, they charge forward and lose the ball, leading to an overlap by Karpanen that almost ends in success, but Andersson punches the ball away before Mansheim reaches it.

65’ GOAL! DNR 1-0 ESK
The relegation fight takes another dramatic turn as Maladict Farrell shoots, but sees his shot blocked in extremis by Halldor Parvin. The ball rebounds into the box and Vilmarsson converts, putting Transport in the hot seat.

66’ AFK 1-2 ADM
Penalty in Savojagrad! Vladcik receives a long ball by Evaldsson, crosses it to the centre, and in the aerial duel ensuing, Rundman touches it with his hand. After VAR consultation, the referee points to the spot and may have decided the league right here.

67’ GOAL! AFK 1-3 ADM
It’s in! Montag converts coolly to the bottom left, leaving a mark on this season where she may very well be crowned MVP.

69’ LOK 1-0 CASK
Lokomotive Jarnstad also barely manage to maintain second place as Rajala’s shot is deflected uncontrolledly by Nurminen, but Metanov clears narrowly before Sergey Nweke.

70’ GOAL! TSA 3-2 DSJ
Not the most important goal, but at least a beautiful one. Pohja Ulkanen loses patience and shoots from twenty-three metres, and the ball fits exactly into the top left corner.

72’ DNR 1-0 ESK
Dynamo shift backwards again, taking Terkala off the pitch for a 19 year old defensive midfielder in Igor Löfqvist - just in time, as the new man can intercept a deadly pass to Helman.

73’ LAI 2-1 LIB
Libertas press with an overlap of Alexey Nurkanen and cross to the centre, where Lajunen beats out Malinsson in a header duel, but can’t get the ball past Lindblom. Sundbotten clears the ball away, and it flies out, with Industrie’s hope still alive.

74’ DNR 1-0 ESK
ESK almost make Dynamo cry as Sigurdsdottir gets a cross on the second post and has remained completely free after a mistake in the central defence, but the cross is a bit too imprecise and she cannot quite reach it. Tensions rise and rise!

76’ GOAL! PAR 2-2 RLSK
Partisan, whose hopes are almost academic anyway as they rely on two other games going their way, are now thrown out of the window completely as a Namenkova bangs the ball towards the goal and it goes in off a thigh from a defender.

78’ LOK 1-0 CASK
Lok seem suddenly very deflated, and CASK want to use the chance to avoid finishing the season with a loss. Nweke brings the ball across the box into the way of Flyborg, but Nurminen deflects the ball over the bar with his foot.

79’ TSA 3-2 DSJ
In typical Traktor fashion, they almost give up their two-goal-lead, but the shot by Kristina Midtjaer goes just a tiny bit high. With ten minutes on the clock, Traktor seem safe.

80’ PAR 2-2 RLSK
Parti seem to have their honour insulted by RLSK’s equaliser. Poulsen weaves through the mid-field and lobs it up to Jacobsen, but in front of the goal, he looks for the pass to Karjanen - which is intercepted by Petrova, who clears the ball in her final game.

81’ TRH 0-0 ASK
Transport are pressing more and more, knowing that they desperately need a goal now. Benjamin Tin seeks an opening, but the joker gets denied by Jacobsson in the near corner.

84’ GOAL! LAI 2-2 LIB
Libertas manage to claw back a goal as Richard Geddes dribbles past Boedker with relative ease, and cuts to the inside; right as the defenders focus on him, he drops it to Hakeson, who scores completely open from 15 metres! Still, as long as Transport don’t score, Industrie are safe.

85’ AFK 1-3 ADM
Sabine Montag is taken off the field and celebrated with standing ovations, reciprocated even by a few AFK fans, as the Nepharim playmaker likely will celebrate her arrival in Savojarna with a title.

87’ TRH 0-0 ASK
Is there still hope for Hovikkära? Tempest gets a ball on his foot, takes aim, shoots - but it is deflected. A corner for Transport is secured by Jacobsson.

88’ DNR 1-0 ESK
Farrell! Out of nowhere, the Nepharim striker stands in front of the goal, but shoots directly at Rolfrsson. A goal would have taken Dynamo to security.

90’ LAI 2-2 LIB
A near-miss by Bathanay breaks the hearts of Landsmark’s fans. A goal would have meant security, but it remains tense as a goal by Hovikkära now would equal relegation round for Industrie.

91’ TRH 0-0 ASK
A perhaps final chance in Hovikkära as Hansborg takes down Serge Tempest twenty metres from the goal. A free kick for Transport’s captain, Valerija Pitanova, and a scuffle breaking out at the edge of ASK’s box!

92’ FINAL WHISTLE - AFK 1-3 ADM, PAR 2-2 RLSK
The game is over in Savojagrad, and Admiral - having won the match - win the title of Savojar Champion! While celebrations break out in Savojagrad and Storevik, the tension rises in Hovikkära as Pitanova takes aim.

92’ GOAL! TRH 1-0 ASK
Valerija Pitanova curls the ball beautifully into the top left corner, and Transport Hovikkära change the course of events at the last possible moment! The fans storm the pitch immediately, even though there is about another minute to play. Barring a goal by ASK, Transport save themselves literally in the last minute!

93’ LAI 2-2 LIB
Landsmarks Industrie attempt a last-second rise against the inevitable, but the cross to Klinger is a bit too long. No luck again!

93’ FINAL WHISTLE - LOK 1-0 CASK, DNR 1-0 ESK, TSA 3-2 DSJ
Three more games are over, and Traktor can catch a breath. Dynamo make a big step towards securing their top flight status, but can’t relax yet.

94’ FINAL WHISTLE - LAI 2-2 LIB
Landsmarks Industrie fail to score and are now in the hot seat. Play still hasn’t continued in Hovikkära, and unless ASK score in the final seconds of the game, Industrie are down after a heartbreaking turn.

96’ FINAL WHISTLE - TRH 1-0 ASK
The game in Hovikkära is over after a fervent pitch invasion, and it ends with the golden victory for Hovikkära that saves them from the relegation round, and pushes Landsmarks Industrie into the relegation round!

AFK Savojagrad 1–3 Admiral Storevik
Traktor St. Andrei 3–2 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Transport Hovikkära 1–0 ASK Landsmark
FK Chemie Frisks 0–1 FK Sjoedrhavn
Partisan Sjoedrhavn 2–2 RLSK Pawlograd
Dynamo Novaya Russica 1–0 ESK Storevik
Savojars Vinge Virkaja 0–0 FK Torpedo Pawlograd
Landsmarks Industrie 2–2 Libertas Bergheim
Metall Jarnstad 2–3 Energie Thorsborg
Lokomotive Jarnstad 1–0 CASK Thorsborg

STANDINGS
   Savojar Football Serien 1  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Admiral Storevik            38   22  12   4    74   37  +37    78
 2 Lokomotive Jarnstad         38   22  12   4    66   35  +31    78
 3 Partisan Sjoedrhavn         38   22   9   7    71   48  +23    75
 4 CASK Thorsborg              38   20   8  10    87   62  +25    68
 5 Libertas Bergheim           38   19   7  12    68   61   +7    64
 6 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn           38   17   8  13    76   66  +10    59
 7 Energie Thorsborg           38   17   7  14    72   63   +9    58
 8 Metall Jarnstad             38   16   9  13    46   36  +10    57
 9 Savojars Vinge Virkaja      38   14  13  11    65   58   +7    55
10 AFK Savojagrad              38   16   7  15    68   62   +6    55
11 ESK Storevik                38   16   6  16    61   62   −1    54
12 RLSK Pawlograd              38   12   8  18    57   66   −9    44
13 ASK Landsmark               38   11   9  18    43   51   −8    42
14 FK Torpedo Pawlograd        38   10  12  16    61   73  −12    42
15 Traktor St. Andrei          38   10  12  16    69   86  −17    42
16 Transport Hovikkära         38   11   8  19    32   48  −16    41
17 Dynamo Novaya Russica       38   11   6  21    30   48  −18    39
18 Landsmarks Industrie        38   10   8  20    58   73  −15    38
19 FK Sjoedrhavn               38    7  10  21    47   79  −32    31
20 FK Chemie Frisks            38    7   9  22    38   75  −37    30

Rank 1: Savojar Champion, IFCF Champions League qualification
Rank 2-3: IFCF Challengers Cup qualification
Rank 18-20: SFS Relegation Round

Awards

SFS VII Team Of The Season (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Mikko Juralainen (Admiral Storevik)
Defenders: Bjarne Thorvaldsson (Partisan Sjoedrhavn), Trent Ullqvist (Lokomotive Jarnstad), Lauri Zirkkonen (Admiral Storevik), Ole Löfqvist (Transport Hovikkära)
Midfield: Joonas Andersson (Admiral Storevik), Morten Poulsen (Partisan Sjoedrhavn), Sabine Montag (Admiral Storevik)
Forwards: Jzeovak Vladcik (Admiral Storevik), Eddie Bains (AFK Savojagrad), Vilhjalmur Ruriksson (Lokomotive Jarnstad)

SFS VII Topscorer:
1. Valter Birja (CASK Thorsborg/27 goals)
2. Vilhjalmur Ruriksson (Lokomotive Jarnstad/23)
3. Tuomas Lajunen (Libertas Bergheim/22)
4. Arvid Jotansson (Admiral Storevik/21)
4. Aleksander Teranen (Dynamo Sjoedrhavn/21)
4. Thorbjörn Vukkila (Savojars Vinge Virkaja/21)

SFS VII MVP (voted by players, managers and journalists, total: 500 votes):
1. Sabine Montag (Admiral Storevik/193 votes)
2. Morten Poulsen (Partisan Sjoedrhavn/101 votes)
3. Eddie Bains (AFK Savojagrad/69 votes)

SFS VII Best Goalkeeper (voted by managers and journalists, total: 100 votes)
1. Esko Nurminen (Lokomotive Jarnstad/26 votes)
2. Mikko Juralainen (Admiral Storevik/24 votes)
3. Andrea Jovanova (Dynamo Novaya Russica/10 votes)

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SFS VII: Relegation Round and Lower Leagues

SFS B

Rotor, having retained a significant part of their SFS A team of the last season, are very clearly aiming to achieve immediate re-promotion, and their start to the season underlines the ambition. A few draws knock them down to fourth place, but they spend the first eight games unbeaten before a loss to Union Roopere breaks the streak. I seems to be a mere hiccup, however, and after a MD 18 victory over their direct rivals up top, Metsuri Virkaja, they never relinquish the lead and convincingly win the SFS B. Behind them, Metsuri enter a tight race with SK Cuprum Grennvik and almost lost the qualification for the relegation round at the last opportunity with a loss to Union, but thanks to EU Storevik winning their final match against Grennvik as well, the loss was without consequence. Behind them, Motor Johansborg came close thanks to a later surge, but a MD 26 loss to Cuprum Grennvik in a 3-4 shootout ended their hopes, as it meant that even three victories in a row in the end came too late to revert the tables.

At the bottom, drama was the name of the day as Zenit Jegrava and Agrar Jurka fought to the last day. Zenit, having dropped from a comfortable mid-table position thanks to a five-game losing streak, and then dropped down into the relegation spots after yet another three-game streak, still had a decent shot to secure their SFS B allegiance as they played the already relegated, last-placed FK Odin Kjaershavn. Kjaershavn, shook by financial trouble and in serious questions regarding their existence in the following year, would have to be beaten relatively clearly, but if Zenit were to accomplish that, a loss of Agrar against champions Rotor Värstjö - especially if it was with two or three goals difference - may secure them at the last moment. However, while Zenit did their duty, Agrar managed a 2-2 against a complacent Värstjö, and secured their survival at the last moment.

In the relegation round, featuring the bottom three of the SFS A and the top two of the SFS B fighting it out for three SFS A positions, FK Chemie Frisks repeated their feat of last season, managing a clearly dominant relegation round, in which a 3-1 in Sjoedrhavn secured them qualification after four games. For Rotor, a 4-1 victory over Metsuri meant that they would go into the last day with promotion also nearly secured, and they sealed the deal in Landsmark with a 2-2 against Industrie, which saw both teams through. In a long-distance duel between FK Sjoedrhavn, Metsuri Virkaja, and Landsmarks Industrie, the winner of the direct meeting of Sjoedrhavn and Virkaja would progress to the SFS A on the cost of Industrie, but as both sides failed to score in a timid and overly conservative matchup, it was Landsmark that secured their top flight level.

STANDINGS
   SFS B                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Rotor Värstjö           30   18   7   5    72   38  +34    61
 2 Metsuri Virkaja         30   16   7   7    37   21  +16    55
 3 SK Cuprum Grennvik      30   17   4   9    49   38  +11    55
 4 Motor Johansborg        30   16   5   9    62   49  +13    53
 5 Union Roopere           30   13   8   9    47   44   +3    47
 6 EU Storevik             30   13   5  12    51   55   −4    44
 7 Norrhavn FK             30   12   6  12    51   50   +1    42
 8 Navigator Jaromirgrad   30   12   5  13    57   55   +2    41
 9 Framfarir Kjefla        30    9  11  10    56   55   +1    38
10 Mir Nestrovo            30    9  10  11    49   47   +2    37
11 Polar Grundviken        30   10   7  13    37   43   −6    37
12 Elektron Harkka         30   10   6  14    49   57   −8    36
13 Agrar Jurka             30    8   8  14    43   57  −14    32
14 RAS St. Andrei          30    8   7  15    35   46  −11    31
15 Zenit Jegrava           30    9   4  17    46   64  −18    31
16 FK Odin Kjaershavn      30    6   8  16    36   58  −22    26

Rotor Värstjö and Metsuri Virkaja qualify for promotion/relegation round
Zenit Jegrava and FK Odin Kjaershavn are demoted to Nationalligaen

Promotion/relegation round

Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts                                
1 FK Chemie Frisks       4   3  0  1    9   5  +4    9         —   3–1   —    —   2–3
2 Rotor Värstjö          4   2  1  1    9   7  +2    7         —    —    —   2–1  4–1
3 Landsmarks Industrie   4   1  1  2    9   9   0    4        0–1  2–2   —    —    — 
4 FK Sjoedrhavn          4   1  1  2    7   8  −1    4        1–3   —   5–3   —    — 
5 Metsuri Virkaja        4   1  1  2    5  10  −5    4         —    —   1–4  0–0   —

FK Chemie Frisks and Landsmarks Industrie remain in SFS A
Rotor Värstjö are promoted to SFS A
FK Sjoedrhavn are demoted to SFS B
Metsuri Virkaja remain in SFS B


Nationalligaen

Standings
  Nationalligaen                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nemstvo SK                     30   15   5  10    53   43  +10    50
 2 Valdhavn IF                    30   14   7   9    37   31   +6    49
 3 Pawlograd Marina               30   13   8   9    44   38   +6    47
 4 Partizan Yarkovo               30   11  12   7    55   51   +4    45
 5 Jaromirgrad Union              30   12   8  10    38   30   +8    44
 6 Trollsheim Jarnsmän            30   12   6  12    57   58   −1    42
 7 Sporting Järvonen              30   11   9  10    31   34   −3    42
 8 FK Perl Kruger Sandvik         30    9  14   7    28   21   +7    41
 9 Juventus Bergheim              30   10  11   9    28   24   +4    41
10 Industrie Hovikkära            30   10   9  11    36   37   −1    39
11 Tapparainen FK                 30   10   8  12    47   51   −4    38
12 Nord-Sjoedrhavn FF             30    9   9  12    28   37   −9    36
13 Kallora IF                     30   10   5  15    35   43   −8    35
14 Ostemkin Revolution            30    8  11  11    22   31   −9    35
15 Högvald FK                     30    7  12  11    28   31   −3    33
16 SK Sjöveld                     30    7  10  13    35   42   −7    31

Nemstvo SK and Valdhavn IF are promoted to SFS B
SK Sjöveld are demoted to Regional Division 1A
Ostemkin Revolution and Högvald FK are demoted to Regional Division 1B

Regional Division 1

   Regionalligaen 1A Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Imperial Storevik 22 12 8 2 29 12 +17 44
2 FK Freya Grennvik 22 10 7 5 35 25 +10 37
3 RFK Storevik 22 9 7 6 14 8 +6 34
4 Victoria Haukkala 22 9 5 8 33 36 −3 32
5 International Johnsberg 22 8 6 8 26 22 +4 30
6 Jon Palsson IF Ljörvik 22 7 9 6 39 37 +2 30
7 Bjurman Mävle 22 7 9 6 30 30 0 30
8 Norderhaven Drakken 22 8 4 10 16 19 −3 28
9 Aurum Kjefla 22 5 11 6 33 34 −1 26
10 Frisks IF "Admiral Grön" 22 6 6 10 36 46 −10 24
11 Virkaja 1914 FK 22 6 5 11 29 41 −12 23
12 SK Marjanoli 22 3 7 12 28 38 −10 16

   Regionalligaen 1B Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Jarov Jarovsk 22 13 4 5 48 33 +15 43
2 SFK Barjovo 22 12 6 4 35 23 +12 42
3 FF Parken Sjoedrhavn 22 12 4 6 49 32 +17 40
4 Thor Sejersheim 22 12 4 6 33 27 +6 40
5 Narod Trepkov 22 9 4 9 35 33 +2 31
6 Grigori Kartjov FK St. Pjotr 22 9 3 10 50 51 −1 30
7 Virovsk St. Andrei 22 8 5 9 43 44 −1 29
8 Birga IF 22 8 4 10 26 27 −1 28
9 Union Poljansk 22 6 8 8 44 50 −6 26
10 SK Ullström 22 7 3 12 38 48 −10 24
11 Hallsberga Vikingur 22 5 6 11 36 50 −14 21
12 FK Vestermalm Thorsborg 22 3 5 14 22 41 −19 14

Regional Division: National Finals

                        Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 FK Freya Grennvik 10 7 3 0 17 5 +12 24 — 3–0 5–2 2–2 1–0 1–0
2 SFK Barjovo 10 3 6 1 12 9 +3 15 0–0 — 3–3 0–0 2–0 1–0
3 Jarov Jarovsk 10 4 3 3 17 16 +1 15 1–2 0–0 — 1–3 1–0 3–0
4 RFK Storevik 10 3 5 2 11 10 +1 14 0–1 3–3 1–1 — 0–2 0–0
5 FF Parken Sjoedrhavn 10 1 4 5 4 8 −4 7 0–0 0–0 2–3 0–1 — 0–0
6 Imperial Storevik 10 0 3 7 0 13 −13 3 0–2 0–3 0–2 0–1 0–0 —

Imperial Storevik, Jarov Jarovsk, and FK Freya Grennvik are promoted to Nationalligaen
FK Vestermalm Thorsborg are re-assigned to Regional Group A to maintain numerical balance

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Savojarsk Cup Part 2

Quarterfinals
Framfarir Kjefla 2-3 Energie Thorsborg
The defending champions of the Savojarsk Cup don’t bother with being friendly against the last remaining lower-league side. It takes less than ten minutes before Pernilla Sander and Petteri Jantaniemi play a one-two that rips open Kjefla’s mid-field and then launch Andersen up top, who turns around Ullersson in the central defence and beats young goalkeeper Ragnar Patriksson with a flat shot to the left post. As half an hour has passed, Kjefla claw back a goal off a corner, but Thorsborg seem the dominant side and take a 1-2 lead into the break following a goal by Vindjammer at the far post, taking a cross by Flemming Skov volley to the near corner. The third goal comes from captain Valentin Ljungberg before the hour, with a hard shot from twenty metres out. Despite a couraged effort, Kjefla can’t quite manage to shake Energie’s superb central defence, and only one more goal comes to the Ejanans thanks to a counter after a Thorsborg corner, where the champions get a bit over-eager and face a counter finished by Kjefla winger Traustir Palsson.

Savojars Vinge Virkaja 2–2 AFK Savojagrad (2–3 AET)
Savojars Vinge are always a danger in the Cup, as their quick and fluid football can easily overrun an unsuspecting opponent. Having swiftly disposed of two amateur teams and then shown an uninspired, but successful performance against lower SFS B side Zenit Jegrava, SVV now finally show most of their true strength in the Cup, against fellow mid-table side AFK Savojagrad. Trying to contain SVV, they field Zyukov instead of Ishkurin, creating a flat 4-4-2, but the change only works for fifteen minutes before Lehtonen breaks through and scores. Ten minutes later, Carlin overlaps and uses Stenberg as a launching pad to combine through and cross to the centre, where Irina Korpikoski doubles up. AFK now shook, they revert to the offence - and get rewarded. Shipulin gets the first one back after fifty, as he makes Oleg Barkov look like a beginner and passes inside to Lirov for the 2-1. Then, in the final fifteen minutes, Ishkurin plays a magistral pass to Shipulin, who dribbles past Sootala himself and scores flat to the far corner. In overtime, AFK have the better end, as Nordmark parries two dangerous chances himself, and on the other end, Eddie Bains ends SVV’s dreams as he converts a through pass by Ishkurin.

FK Metall Jarnstad 0–4 Libertas Bergheim
Libertas, whose ambitions in the League have been hampered, come out with fire in their eyes and press Metall relentlessly. Until half-time, only one goal falls as Hjalmar Staal fells Terjakov in the box and Mika Hakeson finishes cleanly from the spot, but Libertas dominate the game and could easily be up by two or three. In the second half, Metall see themselves forced to open up a little, and the open spaces are immediately exploited by Libertas. Ten minutes into the second half, Nurkanen joins the attack and draws two defenders, passes back to Vikingstad, and he finds Stromby in the box for the 0-2. In the 77th, Broad takes the ball off Roman Kanarin and launches a counter with a long ball to Geddes, who leaves two opponents behind and finishes himself - 0-3. And then, in injury time, Vikingstad’s long shot is repelled by Hornberg, and falls right onto the foot of Terjakov for the fourth goal of the night. An annihilating victory for Libertas Bergheim, who will advance with a lot of confidence.

FK Torpedo Pawlograd 3–3 RLSK Pawlograd (3–3 AET) (2–4 pen.)
The Pawlograd Derby is always special, and even more so in a KO duel. The tensions are turned up to eleven as the Navy Club and the Russian Liberals meet, but fans are denied a confrontation of two big goalkeepers as Torpedo rest their Nepharim star, Radu Bartok. They may soon regret this decision as a shot from twenty-three metres by Johan Arnheim is passing by a blundering Jarkko Virtanen. RLSK shift to defend their lead and do so harshly, but Torpedo find a way with Jorinen scoring from short distance. The game becomes a hard fight for every centimetre even in the first half already, and the better half-time position goes to Torpedo as Romanov gets the 2-1 after a counter. But RLSK fight back hard, and after a corner, the ball bounces around the box uncontrollably before Makis Kotsonis pushes it over the line for the equaliser in the 56th minute. Ten minutes later, they double up by virtue of Samarev striking from close range, but Roope finds a way through their defences and passes to the middle, where Jorinen gets his second goal. Penalties have to decide after a stalemate in overtime, and decide they do. Samarev, Romanov, Arkanin, Roope, and Namenkova all score, and playmaker Vitali Zhirkov is tasked with the third penalty for Torpedo. But the shot to the bottom left is saved by Petrova off a simple instinct, and the stadium falls into awkward silence after Kotsonis converts with a shot to the centre. This leaves the pressure on defender Karina Stjernberg - who promptly shoots over the bar, and pushes Torpedo into defeat.

Semifinals
RLSK Pawlograd 2–2 AFK Savojagrad (2–2 AET) (4–5 pen.)
RLSK try to sit back and counter AFK, and it seems initially successful - a counter over the left side leads to a four-versus-three situation after an overly eager overlap by Eloise Davison, and Arkanin remains cool in front of Kevin Nordmark and slots the ball home between the goalkeeper’s legs. The Academics struggle to get through RLSK’s defence, with Bains being shut down by Taranyi and Croft, and Lirov failing to beat Petrova twice, but before the break, they get their goal with a distance shot of Ishkurin. Twenty minutes into the second half, Olaf Hensberg finds a bit of space on the right side as Mikhailov advances too fast, and crosses diagonally into the run-up of Eddie Bains, who scores the reversal. But the teams are too tightly locked, and within less than ten minutes Mansheim equalises with a shot from a turn, hitting to the top left and beating Nordmark. The extra time is fought hard, with two yellow cards on each side and a red to RLSK’s Valentina Strakhova after a second hard tackle in front of the box, but as Petrova saves the free kick, RLSK defend the draw to penalties. However, unlike in the Derby, they don’t keep the better end this time. With four shots gone and scored, the score being 2-2, Namenkova tries to score in the middle and is called on the bluff by Nordmark, who saves the shot. As all five Savojagrad players convert, AFK advance 5-4 on penalties.

Libertas Bergheim 1–3 Energie Thorsborg
Against Metall, Libertas have been strong thanks to their relentless offensive that pushed back Metall on a broad front. Energie are more than willing to match this, and respond by putting their wings on extra duty. The Libertas system, with three defenders and advanced wingbacks, proves highly vulnerable to a high pressing on the wings, the yellow and black strikers pounce behind their opponents, and particularly Geddes has no chance at controlling Staale Lund. It is Lund who scores first, scoring the 0-1 after fifteen minutes as the Schottian left a gap and the Savojar exploits it, beating Andrea Najmina and scoring to the close post. Then, Libertas manage to score the equalised by hands of Lajunen, but it is disallowed for off-side, and five minutes later Forsberg scores off a corner. From the break, Libertas return with a new system, shoring up the sides, but it is too late. Although Geddes, now allowed to fully commit himself to the attack, finds Terjakov for a 1-2, Energie manage to shut down the offence of Libertas thanks to a superb central defence, often forgotten but one of the strongest duos in the SFS. Then, in the final ten minutes, they score the decisive goal thanks to Sienkiewicz’s one-two combination with Jantaniemi and a pass out to the wing to Kristin Vindjammer, who scores the final goal of the match to bring the defending cup champions back into the final.

Final
Energie Thorsborg 3–1 AFK Savojagrad
Thorsborg are coming back to Sjoedrhavn for their second cup final in a year, and the similarities are significant - again, it’s a sunny and mild June day; again, the opponents are a relatively securely mid-table Russian side; and again, Energie are the favourites. However, this time they are no longer looking for the IFCF in the league, but somewhere in the upper mid-field, meaning that today, both sides have to win in order to secure international football. That results in both sides lining up at their theoretical best, looking for a victory in offence. Energie’s wide, pressing-heavy 4-3-3 is well-equipped to push back the diamond of AFK, but the Savojagraders hope to find gaps in Energie’s pressure and set aggressive counters and attacks themselves. The stadium is sold out, and it is loud, with both cities being a similar distance from Sjoedrhavn - either 85 minutes by train from Thorsborg, or 90 minutes by ferry from Savojagrad. At 14:30 sharp, referee Jukka Loparinen starts the match, and Thorsborg kick it off.

Energie start with a punch, and Vindjammer manages to bypass her opponent first at the five minute mark, but her pass to the centre is cleared just before Lindgren gets his foot in. The second chance of the game comes to Energie again, as Staale Lund shoots from the side and gets a corner, which Forsberg nearly puts into the net, but he misses by a few centimetres. Then, Savojagrad come back at fifteen minutes as Lirov breaks through, but he is taken down in the last moment by Zibo Olberg with a just-about-legal tackle. The audience barely gets to take a breath in the first twenty minutes, but they get rewarded only just after the half-hour as Ljungberg plays a long ball onto the foot of Vindjammer, who crosses it in - but Lindgren doesn’t go for the header, but lengthens it to Sienkiewicz, who scores into an almost open net. Before the break, AFK almost score their own, but the attempt of Eddie Bains is repelled by Johanna Marqvist, and the second attempt by Ishkurin is blocked by Roman Forsberg. The game is tight, but with a slight advantage for Energie, and this is reflected in a 1-0 lead at half-time.

The second half kicks off with an Energie that comes out of the locker room determined, and with their lead on the board, they have smelled blood in the water. It takes only five minutes until Vindjammer gets a dangerous free kick from nineteen metres, but it gets cleared by Kevin Nordmark to a corner. This is a dangerous situation with Lindgren, Forsberg, Ljungberg and Jantaniemi all lurking, but Kristin Vindjammer’s fake long cross is intercepted at the first post by a sneaky Staale Lund, who beats Nordmark on the near post with a surprising header to the 2-0. AFK react and replace Mitryushkin with the more offensive Viktor Zyukov, and it seems to work in pressuring Thorsborg back a bit more. After a rare mistake by Ljungberg, Zyukov finds a gap to the side, where Shipulin beautifully bypasses Lucas Bengtsson to fake a cross, but instead passes back into the open space where Ishkurin is running - and scores from twenty-one metres out to the top left corner. A beautiful goal for AFK that does bring back hope, but it doesn’t quite materialise as Thorsborg shift to a defensive stance - and get a counter in the final minutes, leading to Vindjammer’s goal to secure the 3-1 and the second cup for Energie Thorsborg in a row.

Energie Thorsborg 3-1 AFK Savojagrad (1-0)
Nationalstadion Carl Gustaf Bjurman, 76’800 spectators (sold out)
Referees: Jukka Loparinen; Markko Antisinen, Kiira Nurmo

Goals: 31’ Sienkiewicz 1-0 (Lindgren). 51’ Lund 2-0 (Vindjammer). 66’ Ishkurin 2-1 (Shipulin). 85’ Vindjammer 3-1.
Yellow cards: 19’ Olberg, 41’ Ljungberg (both foul), 52’ Lund (excessive celebration), 73’ Zyukov (foul).
Red cards: --
Remarks: Energie without Sander (injury).
Energie Thorsborg: Marqvist - Halstro, Forsberg, Olberg (80’ Tormashevski), Bengtsson (74’ Skov) - Jantaniemi, Ljungberg, Sienkiewicz (68’ Larsson) - Vindjammer, Lindgren, Lund.
AFK Savojagrad: Nordmark - Davison, Perkkanen (74’ Allman), Rundman, Martinov - Mitryushkin (55’ Zyukov) - Shipulin, Hensberg - Ishkurin (80’ Olgajev) - Bains, Lirov.
Player of the game: Kristin Vindjammer (ENT)

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Meet the Teams: Savojarna Handball League Preview

Admiral Storevik
Location: Storevik, Ejana
Stadium: Stadion Admiral, cap. 9’400
Colours: White, Black, Red

Admiral are used to being one of the major teams in any sport that the Navy Sports team touches, at least in terms of the vicious hate between them and the side of ESK or CASK, but their handball side is just kind of continuously overlooked. Although it has a considerable draw and occasionally found success, its fanbase consists largely of football fans bored throughout the winter and coming to Stadion Admiral instead. On the pitch, they are known for a relatively balanced approach and a tactical bent, as well as being always on top of their physical power.

Argentia Tannakull
Location: Tannakull, Ejana
Stadium: Tannakull Municipal Arena, cap. 4’850
Colours: Blue, White, Green

Argentia are the smallest professional side in Ejana. Hailing from the centre of the island, part of a historically somewhat forgotten region, and by far the most rural team, Argentia are a local phenomenon with a relatively small, but incredibly passionate following and a locally sourced playerbase. While there is a bit of a tendency to play physical and simple, the style of Argentia shifts every few years based on the availability of players in the small, but handball-crazy region.

BHK Kjefla
Location: Kjefla, Ejana
Stadium: BHK Arena, cap. 14’100
Colours: Yellow, Black, Blue

One of the constant fighters for the title against ESK, BHK Kjefla are a force to be reckoned with and the pride of a region that is full of gripe against the Storevik centre, as well as a team with a particularly loud following due to the lack of other top-level sports in Kjefla besides an often underachieving hockey team. BHK are stereotyped to be the physical and rough counterpart to ESK’s more playful style, but this is not nearly as deep a divide as it is claimed to be. A Northern miner’s team, BHK are proud, arrogant towards any team outside Ejana, and incredibly successful.

CASK Thorsborg Handball
Location: Thorsborg, Vestrholm
Stadium: Savojar Army Gym Main Hall, cap. 1’700
Colours: Red, White, Blue

CASK are often considered a prime example for handball in the South: Run by ambitious state institutions, CASK find some decent success, but usually do so in a gym that is neither big, nor glamorous, nor full. For playoff games, they occasionally manage to sell out the Main Hall, but by and large, Thorsborg simply doesn’t care that much for handball - which is understandable given the presence of two professional football and hockey clubs each. On the pitch, discipline reigns supreme, and there is little technical flair to be expected.

Dynamo Sjoedrhavn
Location: Sjoedrhavn, Vestrholm
Stadium: Stadsstadion Hall 1, cap. 5’600
Colours: Red, White

A foil to CASK in many ways, Dynamo SK play a team for the sheer honour of playing a top-level team to carry the banner of the Savojar Police. The difference here is that Dynamo are not a true title contender in football or hockey, and handball has become somewhat fashionable in the city of Sjoedrhavn during the 2000s. As a result, Dynamo occasionally throw cash on the table for a star, and build their team around them - and have reached a few playoff finals, only to be defeated by ESK or BHK.

ESK Storevik
Location: Storevik, Ejana
Stadium: Norsk Palace, cap. 18’800
Colours: Grey, Black, Red

The second Giant of Savojarna next to BHK, the Ejanan Sport Club claims for themselves to replace the island of Ejana on the national stage. Record champion, about as proud (or arrogant) as BHK, and widely supported in the city of Storevik, ESK are the posterchild of Savojar handball and regularly sell out the Norsk Palace, originally an ice hockey stadium, when playing BHK, EU, or Admiral. Often playful and technical, as they are commonly stocked with Savojarna’s best players.

EU Storevik
Location: Storevik, Ejana
Stadium: Stadion Professor Asgeirsson, cap. 11’200
Colours: Purple, White, Black

The team of the Ejanan University has long been considered a bit of a lower offshoot of ESK, and continues to exist in the shadow of the big brother across the river. But EU have since become a force of their own thanks to solid scouting, and are quite fervently supported on the Eastern side of town, and have a heated rivalry with ESK. Their game is somewhat more simple than ESK’s, whom they love to deride as weaklings who can’t take a good block.

Norderholmens HK Kjaershavn
Location: Kjaershavn, Norderholmen
Stadium: Northern Arena, cap. 4’900
Colours: White, Navy

NHK Kjaershavn is the only remaining top-level side in the city of Kjaershavn, and thus fiercely supported despite their often rather weak results. Handball is intensely popular in Norderholmen, but the scattered nature of the islands makes it very hard for them to build up a force - the stadium is among the smallest handball stadia in the North, but it’s also one of those that are most reliably full. Norderholmens HK are a strongly locally sourced side, and play an offensive, explosive, and physical kind of handball that delights many spectators.

PT Hovikkära Handball
Location: Hovikkära, Sumanen
Stadium: PT Hall, cap. 6’000
Colours: Red, Gold

PT Hovikkära are of course best known as the Communist Party’s ice hockey team, but their handball division is no slouch either. The only SHL A team in Sumanen, they have a fringe, but devoted following across the island except for the North, where the second-division team of Orjalahti are more popular. PT are often considered a bit of a plastic team, but their fans are quick to point out that they have a pretty successful youth division. There is always a lot of technique in PT, although the extent to which they build their strategy around it varies.

RSK Novaya Russica
Location: Novaya Russica, Russica
Stadium: Stadion Igor Lavrov, cap. 3’900
Colours: Yellow, White, Black

RSK are a medium-level side, drawing from a large amount of players as the centre of Russica is a region that is known as a sports hotbed. Despite the low popularity of handball in the region, Novaya Russica have been able to push the sport at schools and, as a result, received a decent talent influx to secure them occasional play-off appearances. The team is often playing very defensive, but this is more due to necessity than to conviction, and can change wildly over the seasons. Its fanbase is small, but passionate, and draws from all over Russica.

Respublika Savojagrad
Location: Savojagrad, Russica
Stadium: Rushmore Arena, cap. 5’800
Colours: Teal, Black, Gold

Respublika are known as “the other Russica team” on the mainland outside Savojagrad, where they are almost universally hated; in the rest of Savojarna, they are largely known as an also-ran. Founded by Ejanan migrants, they share a lot of their audience as well as their arena with Club International, the legendary Savojagrad basketball club. Following the Ejanan school of direct, physical, and team-based handball, they play offensively and with a huge workrate. The fans are a numerous, but not particularly loud or fervent.

SK Cuprum Grennvik
Location: Grennvik, Ejana
Stadium: Cuprum Arena, cap. 9’600
Colours: Maroon, White

Cuprum are the number three in Ejana and the nation, and somewhat overlooked by the wider public due to the duel of BHK and ESK that dominates the handball community of Savojarna. They are often referred to as having a massive chip on their shoulder because of that, but Cuprum fans are actually quite notably friendly and much more relaxed than the Big Two’s constantly clashing groups. They are a solid side relying on traditionally excellent goalkeeping and one or two strong homegrown talents.

Sjoedrhavn SHK
Location: Sjoedrhavn, Vestrholm
Stadium: Stadsstadion Hall 1, cap. 5’600
Colours: Blue, Red, White

SHK are Sjoedrhavn’s secondary team, founded quite long ago but only picking up recently as an influx of people from the rugged and handball-crazy North made the sport quite popular in the Savojar capital. This handball fad has made SHK a strong side that has been able to content the playoffs recently, and often draws its fans from the young and alternative community of the city. They put a lot of emphasis on the individual contributions of teammates, aiming for a powerful and creative side.

Spartakus Jarnstad
Location: Jarnstad, Vestrholm
Stadium: Jarnstad Municipal Sports Centre, cap. 2’400
Colours: Black, White, Red

While handball has been traditionally popular in the North, Jarnstad has not been well represented recently due to a corruption scandal in the handball section of Metall, which saw them collapse and not be refounded. After two attempts at re-founding Metall or another Jarnstad club, they finally have a team again with Spartakus, a side that is truly the fans’ team, and usually sells out their stadium with incredibly passionate supporters. On the pitch, they are limited, however - players have not yet found their way to Jarnstad.

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SHL Regular Season 1: Part 1/2

BHK Kjefla manage a very strong opening half of the season, and manage to underline their ambitions to the crown of Savojarna with a victory grinded out hard against their rivals of ESK in the BHK Arena. Their duel is not only the duel of the two biggest, historically most successful sides of the country, but also a clash between the fragile, elegant ESK winger Halldor Gislason and BHK’s tall, heavy backcourter Sigurdur Birkirsson; although Birkirsson’s Kjefla wins by two, Gislason can claim victory in their personal clash by scoring four goals more. The clash of those two eternal rivals actually gets decided by the consistency of BHK, only losing two games over the first half of the season; comparatively, ESK manage to fall into a bit of a slump particularly against physical sides, losing to local competition Admiral and EU Storevik as well as to PT’s explosive play. Placed only sixth in the league, ESK have a lot to make up for, being placed as low as rarely before.

Behind BHK’s charge lurk SK Cuprum, riding their star goalkeeper Morten Grönholm and pivot Jonsi Gudmundsson to an impressive six-game winning streak before losing out very narrowly in their MD 7 matchup with Spartakus Jarnstad, of all sides; a later loss to Sjoedrhavn SHK shows a general trouble for Cuprum to keep up with limited sides who rely on their strengths. A loss against BHK put the Grennviker in second place, right ahead of an impressive and spectacular PT Hovikkära circulating around their superb backcourt duo of Lars Bergman and Petteri Olaniemi, considered the two best on their positions outside Ejana.

The two Russian sides have fought a relatively bitter, and defensively focused, duel on the long distance, with their direct clash ending in a clear victory for Savojagrad thanks to winger Adrien Moulin, a member of the Donnacona migrant community (although with Savojar licence and passport), scoring eight goals against RSK. In the standings, they can confirm their dominance in Russica for now, going into half-time on fourth place to RSK’s seventh after the latter lose to Dynamo Sjoedrhavn to close out the half. In a packed midfield, single games can mean everything, which makes it ever more painful that EU Storevik, starting out the season well and picking up a victory over local rivals ESK, fail to beat Argentia Tannakull at the end of the split. A victory would have separated the University side from the four relegation round contestants, and boosted their playoff charge significantly; but as it stands, Argentia’s Asgeir Wotansson scores eight to keep EU out of the playoffs.

Among the relegation scrappies, CASK are probably doomed - winning only two games against Admiral and SHK spell trouble, although they do have a surprising draw against BHK Kjefla on their scorecard to give them new hope. Admiral themselves are not much better, only two points ahead of CASK despite having beaten their local rivals and title co-favourites ESK earlier in the season. Norderholmens HK and Argentia Tannakull, similarly, are struggling to keep their heads above the water, but were notably more expecting to be in trouble. The question is whether this can actually help them to avoid relegation trouble, or if their campaigns are going to be marked by mud-fighting against the inevitable.

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 BHK Kjefla                       13   10   1   2   371  312  +59    31
 2 SK Cuprum Grennvik               13   10   0   3   360  322  +38    30
 3 PT Hovikkära Handball            13    9   0   4   358  347  +11    27
 4 Respublika Savojagrad            13    8   0   5   341  328  +13    24
 5 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn                13    7   1   5   348  344   +4    22
 6 ESK Storevik                     13    7   0   6   353  337  +16    21
 7 RSK Novaya Russica               13    6   1   6   343  344   −1    19
 8 Spartakus Jarnstad               13    6   1   6   328  336   −8    19
 9 Sjoedrhavn SHK                   13    6   0   7   331  347  −16    18
10 EU Storevik                      13    5   1   7   344  331  +13    16
11 Argentia Tannakull               13    4   0   9   319  360  −41    12
12 Norderholmens HK Kjaershavn      13    3   2   8   325  344  −19    11
13 Admiral Storevik                 13    3   1   9   314  351  −37    10
14 CASK Thorsborg Handball          13    2   2   9   338  370  −32     8

SHL B

Libertas Bergheim have to stomach an early loss to Industrie Thorsborg, but then manage to push themselves up the table with a near-perfect remainder of the split, only drawing two more games, but staying unbeaten for twelve matches. Behind them, Metall Jauska and Vulkan Kjefla mount a charge, but the true carnage of the SHL B doesn't occur until the end of the playoff places. Grennvik and Hovikkära manage, for now, to separate themselves from the field, but behind them, things are incredibly tight with Jonsvik, Grundviken, Industrie and Värstjö all within one point. If those four rob each other of points, it may be smooth sailing to the playoffs for all above, but if they don't and a clear challenger emerges, all hell will likely break loose behind the top eight, looking for a furious charge that may lead them all the way up into the SHL A.

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Libertas Bergheim        15   12   2   1   441  374  +67    38
 2 Metall Jauska            15   11   1   3   428  369  +59    34
 3 Vulkan Kjefla            15   10   1   4   395  372  +23    31
 4 Hallsberga HK            15    9   1   5   395  389   +6    28
 5 HK Chemie Frisks         15    9   0   6   426  383  +43    27
 6 HK Orjalahti             15    8   2   5   413  390  +23    26
 7 JSK Grennvik             15    8   0   7   387  371  +16    24
 8 Hovikkära Skipsmän       15    8   0   7   397  408  −11    24
 9 Jonsvik SK               15    6   1   8   387  399  −12    19
10 Polar Grundviken         15    5   4   6   384  408  −24    19
11 Industrie Thorsborg      15    6   1   8   377  401  −24    19
12 Rotor Värstjö            15    6   0   9   407  407    0    18
13 ESK Storevik II          15    5   1   9   410  427  −17    16
14 Marina Pawlograd         15    5   0  10   370  420  −50    15
15 Agrar Jurka              15    2   1  12   364  418  −54     7
16 Odin Landsmark           15    1   3  11   364  409  −45     6

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SHL Regular Season 1: Part 2/2

Like in the first half of the season, BHK are the dominating force of the second half as well, despite their second half being marginally worse and resulting in two more losses, as well as another draw against Sjoedrhavn SHK. Most prominent and painful among their six season losses will be matchday 22, featuring a crushing 30-24 loss against ESK at Norse Palace, commanded by ESK’s 23 year old pivot player Hrolfr Haraldsson and finished off by Gislason’s seven goals; BHK’s Birkirsson is completely shut down by a superb performance of ESK goalkeeper Arnason. The victory kickstarts a late charge by ESK that sees the defending champions surge to second place, leapfrogging Cuprum and PT on the penultimate matchday thanks to an away victory in Novaya Russica.

Ejana just barely misses out on holding the top three on the island, as SK Cuprum fail to hold on to their miraculous start. A slip-up of BHK on MD 15 gives them a lead, but on MD 21, Admiral fight out a late comeback and a 20-22 away victory against Cuprum - who will go on to earn only one point from the last six games, and end their regular season in fourth place. PT Hovikkära are the ones to profit, playing an incredibly consistent season - with the exception of a brief fall to fourth on the penultimate matchday thanks to a loss to Dynamo Sjoedrhavn and ESK’s leapfrogging to second, the Finns spend the entire second half of the season in third place. Two victories against ESK and a win over Cuprum give them confidence leading into the playoffs.

Talking of playoffs, Respublika Savojagrad are first on the back half of quarterfinals, opening against SK Cuprum in what is expected to be a fairly entertaining and friendly matchup. Savojagrad have reached fifth place mainly through a consistent performance against weaker teams, and the occasional victory against a top team thanks to a solid offence centered around Moulin and centre Pavel Okarov. The path to victory for Cuprum goes through Grönholm shutting down the duo, as Savojagrad’s defence has shown a propensity to errors.
Sixth to the party are Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, facing off against PT in a difficult matchup. While Dynamo play a solid game, being in an awkward phase without any true stars, they are likely to be broken down by PT’s superior backcourt, who will be able to exploit relative physical weaknesses in the Sjoedrhavener’s defensive line. The path to victory for Sjoedrhavn will only lead through a stellar performance by Jesper Knudsen in goal; a veteran who has thus far not been outstanding, but has the skill to decide a match.

This leaves us with the matchups of the Top Two. ESK are presented with seventh-placed Sjoedrhavn SHK, who have spent much of the season flying under the radar near the cutoff. While they have managed to make some waved by drawing BHK, their final game of the regular season was against ESK, and saw the Sjoedrhaveners being down a notch from the start at the Norsk Palace, finishing in a simple five goal victory, with SHK never finding a way to counter the sheer skill of Halldor Gislason.
Finally, dominators BHK Kjefla face RSK Novaya Russica. The Russians had a rather average season, with the clear highlight being the Double over Savojagrad in the Russican Derby, including a hard-fought 20-24 in Savojagrad that had seen goalkeeper Oleg Lavrov and defender Vladimir Nevchuk rise to prominence by shutting down the offence of the Republicans, spelling a good omen to also shut down BHK’s physical brand of handball. However, the offensive line of Novaya Russica doesn’t seem good enough to trouble BHK.

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 BHK Kjefla                       26   18   2   6   734  624 +110    56
 2 ESK Storevik                     26   17   2   7   715  647  +68    53
 3 PT Hovikkära Handball            26   17   0   9   700  684  +16    51
 4 SK Cuprum Grennvik               26   16   1   9   699  648  +51    49
 5 Respublika Savojagrad            26   15   2   9   690  660  +30    47
 6 Dynamo Sjoedrhavn                26   15   1  10   683  671  +12    46
 7 Sjoedrhavn SHK                   26   12   2  12   674  690  −16    38
 8 RSK Novaya Russica               26   11   3  12   664  677  −13    36
 9 EU Storevik                      26   11   2  13   686  679   +7    35
10 Admiral Storevik                 26    8   5  13   649  693  −44    29
11 CASK Thorsborg Handball          26    8   3  15   667  694  −27    27
12 Argentia Tannakull               26    7   3  16   651  721  −70    24
13 Spartakus Jarnstad               26    7   2  17   643  711  −68    23
14 Norderholmens HK Kjaershavn      26    5   2  19   653  709  −56    17

Playoff Matchups (first listed team plays first leg at home):
RSK Novaya Russica (8) vs. BHK Kjefla (1)
Sjoedrhavn SHK (7) vs. ESK Storevik (2)
Dynamo Sjoedrhavn (6) vs. PT Hovikkära (3)
Respublika Savojagrad (5) vs. SK Cuprum Grennvik (4)

SHL B

Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Libertas Bergheim        30   23   2   5   866  738 +128    71
 2 Metall Jauska            30   20   3   7   860  760 +100    63
 3 Vulkan Kjefla            30   20   1   9   813  760  +53    61
 4 JSK Grennvik             30   17   3  10   808  753  +55    54
 5 HK Chemie Frisks         30   17   2  11   835  758  +77    53
 6 Hovikkära Skipsmän       30   17   1  12   797  787  +10    52
 7 HK Orjalahti             30   15   5  10   823  789  +34    50
 8 Hallsberga HK            30   15   3  12   774  806  −32    48
 9 Jonsvik SK               30   14   4  12   787  792   −5    46
10 Rotor Värstjö            30   15   0  15   801  806   −5    45
11 Polar Grundviken         30   12   4  14   802  816  −14    40
12 ESK Storevik II          30   10   1  19   794  838  −44    31
13 Industrie Thorsborg      30    9   2  19   724  808  −84    29
14 Marina Pawlograd         30    8   3  19   747  834  −87    27
15 Agrar Jurka              30    4   4  22   754  843  −89    16
16 Odin Landsmark           30    3   4  23   728  825  −97    13

Playoff Quarterfinals:
Hallsberga HK (8) 44-54 Libertas Bergheim (1) (24-23, 20-31)
HK Orjalahti (7) 56-59 Metall Jauska (2) (28-25, 28-34)
Hovikkära Skipsmän (6) 54-49 Vulkan Kjefla (3) (27-22, 27-27)
HK Chemie Frisks (5) 51-53 JSK Grennvik (4) (27-29, 24-24)

Playoff Semifinals:
Hovikkära Skipsmän (6) vs. Libertas Bergheim (1)
JSK Grennvik (4) vs. Metall Jauska (2)

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
SHL Regular Season 1: Part 2/2

Playoff Quarterfinals:
RSK Novaya Russica (8) 47-56 BHK Kjefla (1) (24-22, 23-34)
BHK Kjefla face a first stumbling block with RSK, who manage to out-defend the Ejanans in the first leg at home. Pushed by a sold out stadium, Lavrov rises to the occasion in goal and defends shot upon shot, while Birkirsson is completely taken out of the game by Nevchuk. Up front, however, Novaya Russica can’t convert their advantage and fail to prepare a strong lead, and this comes back to haunt them in the match in Kjefla, where Birkirsson and winger Traustir Haraldsson manage to smash in Lavrov within the first ten minutes. Being down four only after a few minutes, RSK seem broken and lose the playoff quarterfinal unspectacularly.

Sjoedrhavn SHK (7) 44-57 ESK Storevik (2) (23-28, 21-29)
Gislason had been at the core of SHK’s chanceless defeat in Storevik to close out the regular season, and in the week between this game and the beginning of the playoffs, the Sjoedrhavener have not found a recipe against the winger’s pure skill. But the true stars of the series are backcourter Jón Eythorsson, who redefines the position from Savojarna’s traditional “siege towers” to a smooth playmaker that tears holes into SHK left and right; and ESK’s previously unremarkable goalkeeper Uller Helgason, who organises the defence with ease and builds the basis for a splendid defensive series.

Dynamo Sjoedrhavn (6) 42-54 PT Hovikkära Handball (3) (24-27, 18-27)
PT Hovikkära in the playoffs are commonly a spectacle, and the same is true this year. Bergman and Olaniemi are a perfect embodiment of the “siege tower” approach to the backcourt position and share 19 goals between the two over the series, and left winger Iivo Laparainen manages to complement the duo with his incredibly fast counters. But as impressive as PT are offensively, the true hero rising to the occasion is PT’s goalkeeper Alexander Nurjamäki, as he manages to help his team to be the only side in the playoffs to stay below 20 goals conceded in the home game. Dynamo never had a chance, frankly.

Respublika Savojagrad (5) 52-56 SK Cuprum Grennvik (4) (23-27, 29-29)
Respublika, centered around Moulin, have a lot of hope going into this series - only to lose it all when they face Grennvik at home. The Copper Miners hold Savojagrad at arm’s length as their defensive winger, Johan Oygaard, is personally assigned to make Moulin’s day miserable and does so with success. In a fast series, Gudmundsson shines especially in the away game, where he orchestrates fast counters and a strong defence, with Grönborg deflecting shot upon shot. Okarov’s frustration gets to the point that Respublika’s centre even misses the second leg due to an attack on his opponent at the end of the first game. A hard-fought series, with the better end for Cuprum.

Playoff Semifinals:
SK Cuprum Grennvik 43-62 BHK Kjefla (22-27, 21-35)
The Duel of Ejana’s number 2 and 3, nominally, between defensively solid sides - and it becomes an aggressive, offensive thing that was not particularly expected by anyone. The insane result of more than 60 goals across the series by BHK is all centered around Kjefla’s stars in offence, Birkirsson, Haraldsson, and the 20 year old centre Olafur Pálsson, breaking through the defences of Cuprum. On the second game in Kjefla, Cuprum’s Grönholm breaks down completely and is simply shot out of the building.

PT Hovikkära Handball 44-53 ESK Storevik (23-26, 21-27)
A promising first game between two teams that have been close to each other in the regular season, but PT’s backcourt strength is outflanked by ESK’s superior wingers. The Kings of Ejana show that they are simply the most versatile offensive team in the League, and finally, Helgason steps up to the occasion and achieves his top level in the return match, and in Norsk Palace, PT’s backcourt duo is shut down by ESK playing incredibly disciplined defence and forcing their shutdown defenders in Holmgren and Ingmarsson, taking PT by surprise and destroying all hopes of the Finns to go to Sjoedrhavn.

Playoff Final:
BHK Kjefla 27–23 ESK Storevik
In the Stadsstadion, BHK meet up with their big rivals from ESK. The two regular season duels both fell into ESK’s hands, but away from the island and with a title on the line, they can’t quite live up. In the defence, ESK’s weaknesses were covered up across the playoffs, but with Ingmarsson dropping a few balls here or there and a few nervous or overly risky passes in the beginning mess up their game, and BHK capitalise immediately. Here, where it counts, Birkirsson truly shines, completely eliminating Storevik’s unconventional playmaking backcourter Eythorsson and outscoring his rival Halldor Gislason by three goals. BHK’s physical aggression decides the game in favour of the challengers, and they take the Savojar title in a convincing fashion.

BHK Kjefla are the SHL 1 Champions

---

Playout Semifinals:
Norderholmens HK Kjaershavn 53-57 CASK Thorsborg Handball (24-27, 29-30)
Argentia Tannakull 50-57 Spartakus Jarnstad (29-29, 21-28)

Playout Final:
Norderholmens HK Kjaershavn 65-50 Argentia Tannakull (29-27, 36-23)

SHL B

Playoff Semifinal:
Hovikkära Skipsmän (6) 46-54 Libertas Bergheim (1) (23-30, 23-24)
JSK Grennvik (4) 48-52 Metall Jauska (2) (24-28, 24-24)

Playoff Final:
Metall Jauska (2) 60-50 Libertas Bergheim (1) (32-28, 28-22)

Relegation Playoff:
Metall Jauska (SHL B) 53-55 Argentia Tannakull (SHL A) (26-32, 27-23)

Argentia Tannakull remain in the SHL A

[Savojarna]

SFS VIII Season Preview (Part 1/2)

20. FK Chemie Frisk (20.)

There haven’t been many claims to fame for Chemie Frisk, but one of them will definitely be that they can claim to have driven the SFFB League Commission into a rule change. Only two seasons after the relegation round system has been implemented, the league decided to revert to the old system of two direct relegations and one team going through a relegation play-off thanks to Frisk’ two last places in a row, followed by a stellar performance in the four relegation round matches. Frisk failed to acquire any players in the window, and things did not get easier than last season - the attempt to avoid relegation will be Chemie’s focus.

Stadium: Stadion NAK Chemie (capacity: 18’500)
Manager: Jotan Baldursson (4)
Expected formation: 3-5-2
Starting XI: Valery Karyanov - Kasperi Perkinen, Ulf Sundhaugen, Heikki Ristolainen - Joona Pärvi, Antoni Parashenko, Fridtjof Jansrud, Lars Torhaug, Thomas Andersson - Jarkko Kapanen [C], Ivan Onagin
Notable reserves: Kalle Nyhavn (RB), Carl Hedman (RM), Kimiko Maki (ST/HIN)
Transfers incoming: -- |[b] Outgoing: Niina Saparinen (CB, to ASK Landsmark, 0.6 million NSD)

19. Rotor Värstjö (SFS B Champion)

Rotor managed not only a promotion, which wasn’t that much of a surprise after their highly convincing SFS B campaign, but more notably have managed to keep their team together despite a few strong performers. Important upgrades have been made in acquiring two SFS A veterans in Isarin and Palvarainen from Partisan, and two youth players on a loan to strengthen their depth. Sveinn Arnason reportedly comes with a buyout option at the end of the season, which would make him an even more valuable asset; however, we can’t see Rotor do much more than try to fight the relegation. Simunov’s team will have to take everything step by step, but may very well be one of the most competitive promotion teams in recent SFS history.

Stadium: Värstjös Samfunnetsstadion (capacity: 22’000)
Manager: Gennadi Simunov (54)
Expected formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI: Lauri Kappakari - Pal Stendholm, Anders Hangren, Dmitri Dmitriev, Henrik Lund - Harald Barnerud [C], Ljubomir Zhirkov - Eirikur Perhaug, Rika Lundell, Heikki Palvarainen - Thorgeir Jonsson
Notable reserves: Andrey Matriyev (CB), Tomas Herman (RB), Sveinn Arnason (MS)
Transfers incoming: Pyotr Isarin (DM, Partisan Sjoedrhavn, 0.2), Heikki Palvarainen (RM, Partisan Sjoedrhavn, 0), Dmitri Dmitriyev (CB, FK Torpedo Pawlograd, loan), Sveinn Arnason (18, ESK Storevik, loan) | Outgoing: --

18. Landsmarks Industrie (18.)

With few Industrie players being able to truly shine in the previous season, they managed to keep their side together, but also didn’t do much in terms of change looking forward. Aleksen has been kept on, a probably smart decision given the reduced capacities of Landsmarks Industrie and the rather dry coaching market in Savojarna right now. We don’t expect a lot of change from Landsmark: at best, they manage to evade relegation early on, at worst, it’s a stint in the SFS B for the Industrialists. With Tedenby and Poulsen in the team, as well as Lindblom and Norby in the near future, there are some possibilities for the future, but as of now, Industrie are in a tough spot with only Bathanay and Klinger as their hope for life.

Stadium: Landsmarks Arbetarnas Stadion (capacity: 22’900)
Manager: Mika Aleksen (39)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 flat
Starting XI: Albin Lindblom - Olaf Sundberg, Victor Malinsson, Jesper Lund [C], Lasse Boedker - Kjetil Borkerud, Vitaly Namenkov, Johan Sundbotten, Pernille Norby - Sequel Bathanay (NPH), Gabriel Klinger
Notable reserves: Lovisa Tedenby (CM), Erik Gustafsson (RM), Valtteri Lehto (ST)
Transfers incoming: Nikolaj Poulsen (RB, from Agrar Jurka FK, 0.2 mil. NSD) | Outgoing: --

17. Dynamo Novaya Russica (17.)

Last year, DNR’s transfer window was spectacular, but their big signing in Maladict Farrell and Yamaj Blonz-Jok has not worked out at all. This time, their transfers were a lot less spectacular, and the biggest change came on the bench, signing former Metall coach Loevith and changing their system after an absolutely disappointing season where they only averted relegation in the very final minutes of the League. With half of their striker duo gone, a bit of a tactical shift is in order, and Mertonen is not getting younger. Chances are that DNR are not going to be in great shape this year, as they look for a new path up front and wait for their new prospects to develop.

Stadion: Stadion Dynamo (capacity: 29’700)
Manager: Hjalmar Loevith (55)
Expected formation: 4-5-1
Starting XI: Andrea Jovanova - Damjan Kirov, Ivan Paramin, Ljubor Neparev, Pavel Orjanin - Pontus Klingberg, Alexander Sejersted, Joona Rintanen, Yamaj Blonz-Jok (QUS), Ville Mertonen [C] - Maladict Farrell, Sigmundur Vilmarsson
Notable reserves: Johanna Sundqvist (CB), Libor Milanov (DM), Ilja Netrajev (RF), Ljubor Taramin (ST)
Transfers incoming: Hjalmar Loevith (coach, FK Metall Jarnstad), Johanna Sundqvist (CB, Motor Johansborg, 0.6), Alexander Sejersted (CM, FK Sjoedrhavn, 0.4), Ilya Netrajev (RW, Akademien Dynamo, 0) | Outgoing: Mirko Johansson (coach, free), Sara Omark (RM, AFC Mayville/EUR, 1), Kaapo Terkala (MS, Northandryun Rovers/QUE, 0.78), Arseni Petrov (LB, retirement)

16. Transport Hovikkära (16.)

With Virtanen gone, Transport have been struggling hard, just barely avoiding relegation; Kiivälä moving to Teusland is probably not helping. Now, their defensive line got even more beefed up, which is a bit odd at first glance, as defence hasn’t been their issue in the first place - but at second glance, it makes a lot of sense. Keeping TH’s identity, the team signed a fitter, younger wingback in Oouri compared to the aging Löfqvist, whose defensive play was among the best in the League, but overly conservative. Warner, on the other hand, is a classic gap-plugger for a team in a relegation scrap to avoid suffering too much from a still too young Kristina Meranen. Hovikkära’s future looks brighter than may be expected, with two 19 year old prospects in the pipeline, but in the short term, the lack of a new striker may spell trouble once more.

Stadion: Pohjoiskaivaa (capacity: 46’000)
Manager: Ville Turamäki (57)
Expected formation: 5-3-2
Starting XI: Kari Tuvanen - Amelia Warner (NPH), Greg Chauncey (APY), Rasmus Vikborg, Valtteri Uutala, Samerin Oouri (SRS) - Kirill Parvanov, Anders Hallbeck, Valerija Pitarova [C] - Serge Tempest (AUD), Ragnhild Viilanen
Notable reserves: Kristina Meranen (LB), Ole Löfqvist (RB), Benjamin Tin (RM), Teemu Jeraväinen (ST)
Transfers incoming: Amelia Warner (LB/NPH, New Sarum/ETN, 1.25), Samerin Oouri (RB/SRS, Viltvodle City/SRS, 1) | outgoing: Eino Kiivälä (LB, FC Felsenkirchen 1879/STL, 1.5), Petter Samuelsson (CB, retirement)

15. RLSK Pawlograd (12.)

The elephant in the room, of course, is the end of the career of Viktorija Petrova. Jushchenko may be a solid lower-level SFS A goalkeeper, but it will be impossible for RLSK to ride the GK Wave the way they used to. In the back, things got a bit more agile with the addition of Ylvenoinen, a young and modern wingback who did a good job at FKS, and the addition of Asha Solbachen in mid-field has made the side a bit more versatile. The big risk, other than the goalkeeper position, in RLSK’s team is the offensive side of things. With Arkanin gone late in the window and RLSK unable to get a replacement in the offensive midfield, they may struggle up front, and have additional trouble thanks to the high age of their strikers.

Stadium: Stadion Alexey Sakharov (capacity: 37’000)
Manager: Grigori Markov (65)
Expected formation: 3-5-2
Starting XI: Stanislav Jushchenko - Karol Taranyi, Thorsten Croft (NPH), Valentina Strakhova - Rasmus Ylvenoinen, Asha Solbachen (NPH), Svetlana Namenkova [C], Makis Kotsonis (NPH), Mikko Karpanen - Georgi Samarev, Carl Mansheim
Notable reserves: Hans Juul (CB), Valtteri Jovanov (DM), Johan Arnheim (CM), Oleg Shipulin (LM)
Transfers incoming: Stanislav Jushchenko (GK, AFK Savojagrad, 0.6), Rasmus Ylvenoinen (LB, FK Sjoedrhavn, 0.3), Asha Solbachen (CM/NPH, Crisisbless United/NPH, 0), Michail Pavlov (CB, RLSK Academy, 0), Patrik Eriksson (ST, NSA Vesterkustslän, 0) | outgoing: Denis Arkanin (OM, Libertas Bergheim, 1.25), Viktorija Petrova (GK, retirement)

14. Traktor St. Andrei (15.)

We get it, Tesharov is a club legend and all, but by now it seems clear that he has dropped the ball and Traktor’s leadership should consider a change on the sidelines. The absolute most goals against and and a disappointing 15th place suggest that maybe, it is not enough to just relentlessly attack, and it may actually be a question of time until the fervent supporters of St. Andrei loses patience. Tesharov didn’t help his case by rejecting any transfer movement over summer except for two youth prospects to relieve Nikitin in goal and add to his left side, but at least it’s something. On the pitch, we’re wondering if Schottian Anna Witchstone is rewarded for her strong performances off the bench, and if Karamasov finally receives a bigger role.

Stadion: Stadion Traktorov (capacity: 56’000)
Manager: Slavomir Tesharov (70)
Expected formation: 3-4-3
Starting XI: Georgi Nikitin - Kari Temarainen, Igor Barushin, Juha Teronen - Krister Marström, Slavyana Oleva, Anna Witchstone (SCT), Danijela Ukarin - Matti Sundgren, Borislav Yarkov, Kasimir Samarov [C]
Notable reserves: Oleg Eremenko (CB), Alexandra Martinova (RB), Vyacheslav Karamasov (ST)
Transfers incoming: Finn Kopperberg (GK, NSA Vesterkustslän, 0), Jukka Palander (LM, Union Roopere, 0)| outgoing: -

13. FK Torpedo Pawlograd (14.)

It has been a truly horrible year for Torpedo - the team invested heavily by buying Nepharim GK Radu Bartok and got completely nothing out of it, as none of the remaining players up front could match the goals by Markus Mellin, while the defence was commonly exposed at the flanks and could not provide the pressure required for Liyushkin’s system. Now, the second Navy team has tried to solve the problem by even heavier transfer activity, signing former national coach Olaf Jurtanen and remodelling the team around his signature magic rectangle. The addition of Dina Chapman may contribute to pressure from the back, and Tabur should provide much needed shuttling between the parts of the game. The pieces are there, but after Jurtanen’s failure in the national team and the debacle of Torpedo last season, there isn’t too much confidence left.

Stadium: Stadion Admiral Rjurden (capacity: 52’000)
Manager: Olaf Jurtanen (40)
Expected formation: 4-2-2-2
Starting XI: Radu Bartok (NPH) - Ylvi Japarainen, Mirka Ceciu (NPH), Terje Landman [C], Dina Chapman (CMT) - Johan Däll, Selvala Tabur (SRS) - Jelena Romanov, Antti Roope - Pjotr Jamarin, Ragnar Jorinen
Notable reserves: Oleg Petrov (RB), Boris Grigorin (DM), Vitali Zhirkov (OM)
Transfers incoming: Olaf Jurtanen (coach, free), Selvala Tabur (CM/SRS, Yassaca/SRS, 1.25), Dina Chapman (RB/CMT, Alnio University of the Arts/CMT, 0) | outgoing: Jarkko Virtanen (GK, Armstrong/NPH, 0), Dmitri Dmitriev (CB, Rotor Värstjö, loan)

12. AFK Savojagrad (10.)

AFK have come back with a vengeance off the back of Kevin Nordmark, who has been among the best goalkeepers in the league yet again, and Schottian Eddie Bains scoring 18 goals in the season. Their two-top remains largely unchanged, and Nordmark refused a transfer to his native Sjoedrhavn, wanting to stick with his academy club AFK for the rest of his Savojar career. AFK have managed to add one major transfer in Brenecian Lyn Townsend, who can operate on multiple positions on the left side of the pitch and offer very important variety on the flank; expected to start on LB and push forward against weaker or defensive teams, but on LM against the hard-pressing top sides. AFK have the pieces for the puzzle, but given their traditional inconsistency, we don’t believe it until we see it.

Stadion: NUSArena (capacity: 14’800)
Manager: Emil Haraldson (46)
Expected formation: 4-4-2 diamond
Starting XI: Kevin Nordmark - Lyn Townsend (BRE), Linus Perkkanen, Martin Rundman, Sergey Martinov - Dmitry Mitryushkin [C] - Alexei Shipulin, Olaf Hensberg - Andrey Ishkurin - Eddie Bains (SCT), Jacob Lirov
Notable reserves: Eloise Davison (LB/NPH), Viktor Zyukov (CM), Lipa Kuznetsov (RM)
Transfers incoming: Lyn Townsend (LB/BRE, Finbar Stalwarts/BRE, 2.5), Lipa Kuznetsov (RM, AFK Savojagrad Youth, free) | outgoing: Stanislav Jushchenko (GK, RLSK Pawlograd, 0.6)

11. ESK Storevik (11.)

Halldor Freyrsson has reached the goal of keeping ESK away from relegation yet again, but the question of complacency must be asked. Their transfer activity was highly limited, getting only a left back in Darya Macar; and while she fills an important hole left by an aging and increasingly lacking Henrik Nyman, ESK have deeper issues than that. The season has shown the extent to which they ride the boost of a strong Freya Sigurdsdottir, and with the central forward getting older and not producing like she used to - not the least also shown by losing her NT starting position - it’s unclear if they manage to push the way they need to. Sveinn Arnason may be a worthy follow-up, but his development is a few years away, and while the move to Värstjö may be a very good choice for the future, on the short term it won’t help their issues with over-reliance on Sigurdsdottir.

Stadion: Ejansk Stadion (capacity: 41’000)
Manager: Halldor Freyrsson (60)
Expected formation: 4-2-2-2
Starting XI: Fridtjof Rolfrsson - Darya Macar (SRS), Asta Bjarnasdottir, Halldor Parvin, Sigurdur Arjonsson - Sigrun Baarsjö, Finnbogar Gudmundsson - Arvid Persson, Harri Nikanen - Rikard Helborg, Freya Sigurdsdottir [C]
Notable reserves: Patrik Vilanen (OM), Olafur Palsson (RF), Uller Sigfridsson (ST)
Transfers incoming: Darya Macar (LB/SRS, Sporting Jaglan/SRS, 1) | outgoing: Sveinn Arnason (MS, Rotor Värstjö, loan)