This weekend the Lux Spring Cup was played in Kristinehamn Arena for the boys 2010 class. The name of the cup indicates that spring would be here but the weather conditions outside the arena painted a much more wintry picture. Once inside the arena, the chalked lines in the artificial turf told us that it was 9v9 that applied. And if it wasn't spring outside, it was at least jump in the legs of the players. This is how it went for them.
Group stage
Group A had the honour of opening the tournament and first out were Hammarö FK and Tullinge Fotboll. Tullinge Fotboll was the bigger team and won the match 7-1. A goal scorer in Tullinge that we will have reason to return to introduced himself with a hat trick, Jonathan Ericsson. There would be another hat trick already in the match that followed between Hammarby IF 26 and Eskilstuna City. Eskilstuna City won 5-1 and their Alvin Rosander scored three of the goals. The matches that followed were all the more even and goal difference finally separated the second from the third in the group.
I Group B they wanted to be no worse when it came to goal production and Michael Fox scored four goals as his Järfälla FF defeated IFK Kristinehamn 14-0 in the group's first match. Norwegian Ready and Tyresö Strand FC offered a goal-poor event. When the final whistle sounded, the scoreboard showed 1-0 to Tyresö after a goal by Viktor Berggren. Tyresö went on to win the group closely followed by Ready who took second place. For Järfälla and Kristinehamn it was B playoff.
Örebro SK and Hammarby IF 11 played first match in Group C. Perhaps the slightly shorter journey helped the Örebro team who won the match 3-1. In the group's second match, BK Skottfint was pitted against BP in a swinging story where Skottfint eventually drew the longest straw and won 4-3. They have Tahir Gerguri to thank for that, who scored a hat-trick in the match. Örebro SK went undefeated through the group and thus won it. Skottfint took second place, BP third and Hammarby 11 fourth.
Group D was marig, as sports commentator Niklas Holmgren had put it. First out in the group were Degerfors IF and Ängby IF who played 1-1. Västra Frölunda and Täby FK were next, with the Gothenburg side winning by the odd goal, 1-0, after a goal from Emil Graaf-Hanäs. The matches that followed in the group were evenly matched and low on goals, and when the group was finished, only four points separated the top from the bottom.
This is what all the groups looked like when they had finished playing:
| # | LAG | M | V | O | F | GM | IM | +/- | P |
| 1 | Tullinge Football | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 9 |
| 2 | Eskilstuna City | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Hammarö FK | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 4 |
| 4 | Hammarby 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 0 |
| # | LAG | M | V | O | F | GM | IM | +/- | P |
| 1 | Tyresö Strand FC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 7 |
| 2 | Ready | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 6 |
| 3 | Järfälla FF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 4 |
| 4 | IFK Kristinehamn | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 40 | -39 | 0 |
| # | LAG | M | V | O | F | GM | IM | +/- | P |
| 1 | Örebro SK | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | BK Skottfint | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| 3 | PO | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Hammarby IF 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 0 |
| # | LAG | M | V | O | F | GM | IM | +/- | P |
| 1 | Västra Frölunda | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Täby FK | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Degerfors IF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Ängby IF | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -1 | 2 |
The play-offs
To the delight of cup general Patrick Luxenburg, none of the quarter-finals in either the A or B play-offs had to be decided on penalties. "Luxen's" Sundays in the hall are often spent staring at the clock, worrying about delays in the match schedule. But he didn't have to do that this time.
I A-playoff quarter-finals Tullinge won 3-0 against Ready, Eskilstuna defeated Tyresö 2-1, ÖSK against Täby ended 6-1 and Skottfint won the Gothenburg derby against Frölunda 2-1. From B play-off quarter-finals Hammarö, Hammarby 26, BP and Hammarby 11 advanced to the semis.
None of the semi-finals had to go to penalties either, and by then the cup general was not just delighted anymore, he was almost lyrical. Albeit a little stressed about the upcoming final, which we will return to soon.
Tullinge and ÖSK square off in the first the semi-finals of the 'A' play-off. It was even and uncertain for a long time, but ÖSK finally won 2-1 after two goals by Frej Eriksson, who became the big hero of the match. In the second semi-final, Eskilstuna faced Skottfint. Eskilstuna convinced with a 5-0 win and thus became ready for the final against ÖSK. Third prize Skottfint was lifted after a match against Tullinge that was decided on penalties.
Hammarby 26 met Hammarby 11 in one of the the semi-finals of the B play-off. Tim Knapp Johnson of the victorious Hammarby team (26) said after the match that it was "a bit hard when we cheer for each other and someone has to win". In the other semi-final, Hammarö won against BP 1-0 after a goal by Malte Skoghammar. BP got their revenge in the match for third prize where they defeated Hammarby 11 on penalties.
So to the finals. I the final of the B play-off Hammarö played Hammarby 26. They had met earlier in the group stage in a match that ended 4-2 in Hammarö's favour. But now Hammarby had a chance for revenge, and they took it. They took the lead early in the match and extended it three times. The final score was 4-0 in favour of Hammaby 26, who thus won the B playoff.
I The final of the A-lust game ÖSK faced Eskilstuna and as usual when it comes to the final of the A playoff in Luxcuper, the match was played over two halves, 25 minutes each. Eskilstuna started the strongest and were rewarded for it when their Alvin Rosander scored their opening goal in the first half. ÖSK pushed for an equaliser but Philip Lines in the Eskilstuna goal denied them more than once with his brilliant and fearless goalkeeping. For a long time it looked like there would only be one goal in the match but then in the last minute of the match ÖSK got a free kick just outside the offensive penalty area. Up stepped Philip Abrahamsson who resolutely thundered in the equaliser, which meant that the match had to be decided on penalties. Once in the penalties, it was finally Eskilstuna who had the last word and was announced the winner of the Lux Spring Cup 2010.
Honours and awards
The shooting league
Jonathan Ericsson, Tullinge football
He introduced himself with a hat-trick in the opening match and then continued to deliver goals. When the scoring charts were summarised after the tournament, they were topped by Jonathan, who scored eight goals in six games. Mobile, fast and sure-footed. Rarely content with scoring just one goal per game.
Goalkeeper of the Tournament
William Anttonen, Örebro SK
ÖSK was the team that conceded the fewest goals in the entire tournament and they have William Anttonen to thank for that. Cruel reflexes, positional security and a strike you rarely see at this age. Keep the name in mind, because William Anttonen may well be guarding boxes in larger arenas in the future.
MVP
Alvin Rosander, Eskilstuna City
Six goals in six games and was behind a bunch more. Alvin Rosander is where it happens on the pitch. He has a good eye for the game, which means he is in the right areas at the right times. And once with the ball at his feet, it seems only the imagination can set limits. Everyone would like to have an Alvin Rosander in their team.
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