The derby that got away
Hammarby led 2–1 at AIK and lost 3–2. That is the week in one scoreline, and it hurts more than a normal defeat because of how it happened (1) (2). A missed penalty, a defensive substitution that backfired, and a lead surrendered to a 19-year-old's 83rd-minute winner (6) (9). Second place is still intact, but the gap to the top just got real.
Abraham: the penalty and the price tag
Paulos Abraham stepped up, took the ball after a pre-match agreement with Amin Boudri, and missed. Nordfeldt saved it (4) (6). His quote after the game, "we all wanted it," reads better than the result (4). But the bigger Abraham story ran all week: Lorient bid 45 million kronor, and the striker is openly disappointed Hammarby will not sell (16) (1) (31). Mikael Hjelmberg's response was blunt: no ambition to sell him at all, and no Habeşoğlu signing either (30). A player who wants out, a club that has decided he stays, and a derby decided partly by a penalty he missed. That is a tense combination.
The collapse was structural, not bad luck
Victor Eriksson was substituted because Rydström feared a second booking, and Hammarby's shape never recovered (5). Boudri went off injured, reluctantly, and Rydström later admitted he might have taken him off earlier (8). Warner Hahn's verdict was the truest one: "we gave them hope" (7). This was not an off day. A team chasing the title cannot hand a derby back after leading in the second half.
What to watch
Away to Örgryte on Sunday, September 6, then Brommapojkarna at home a week later (2). Abraham's mood and where he plays, wide or up top, is the immediate question. Lorient will be back in January. For now, the promise from the club is that nobody of consequence leaves in this window (29) (30). The derby showed what this squad can do and what it still throws away.
The women's team did their part: 3–1 over Vittsjö, four points off Häcken in the gold race (18) (22). Filippa Curmark scored her first for the club (22).
