An inspirational captain, furtive fans and sawn down statues: When Malmo met Copenhagen

Malmo’s win, which ensured they topped Europa League Group B ahead of the more seasoned European contenders FC Copenhagen, was a story of journeys.

The Independent has a long and excellent article about the FCK Copenhagen vs Malmö FF derby fight for the win of the Europa League group in the final game of the groupstage last Thursday.

By the time the final whistle went in Copenhagen’s Parken stadium on Thursday night the Malmö fans hidden throughout the home section had long since given the game away. Their 1-0 away win was a victory seen as proof they can now fight for the title of best team in Scandinavia, and was celebrated raucously. “We’ll play you again, we’ll beat you again, bloody easy three points,” the refrain rang.

Malmö’s win, which ensured they topped Europa League Group B ahead of the more seasoned European contenders FC Copenhagen, was a story of journeys. Forty minutes is all it took for the Malmö fans to travel across the Øresund bridge to the fixture, the shortest away trip in European competition, and closer than any of Malmö’s domestic rivals in Allsvenskan.

By contrast, for their captain, Markus Rosenberg, his last game as a professional footballer brings to an end a journey started 32 years ago when he first joined the club. Though in England he is associated with a brief spell at West Bromwich Albion, to Malmö he is the home boy who did good. A man who went out and scored goals in the Bundesliga, LaLiga and Eredivisie before coming back to his boyhood club in 2014, elevating them to regular European competitors.

Since Rosenberg returned Malmö have seen their most successful period in Europe since their European Cup final appearance in 1979, making it through to European competition proper five times. And now, after Thursday’s win, they have reached the knockout stage of the Europa League twice in the last two years.

“When the final whistle went, chants of “Markus Rosenberg, Markus Rosenberg” rang out”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be the name associated with the Swedish club abroad, but in the eyes of the fans there is no doubt over who is king. Hammering that message home, in the late hours of Wednesday night, an attempt was made to saw down the huge statue of Ibrahimovic outside Malmö’s stadium.

That same night a statue paying tribute to Rosenberg’s career was placed outside Malmö Central Station ahead of his last game by his club.

You can read the entire article here: An inspirational captain, furtive fans and sawn down statues: When Malmo met Copenhagen

Source: TheIndependent