Sweden’s Kurdish club Dalkurd get first win of new season

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish-affiliated football club Dalkurd FF recorded their first win of the new season after they beat opponents Mjallby AIF 2-1 in Sweden’s second-tier Superettan league on Sunday.

Dalkurd was the busier of the two sides in the first half with half a dozen attempts on goal. They enjoyed 52 percent of the possession and found the first goal in the 23rd minute through Joseph Ceesay.

The second half began much like the first as Dalkurd looked to extend their lead, but striker Ahmed Awad could only watch as his vicious shot hit the crossbar.

Mjallby (1-0-3) was determined to get back in the game, and they did just that when striker Jacob Bergstrom scored the equalizing goal in the 58th minute.

However, Dalkurd left it late and found the winner through substitute Kerfala Cissoko on 88 minutes to seal the 2-1 win.

Dalkurd’s (1-1-2) next match is away to Trelleborg FF (0-2-1) on April 28 at 4 p.m. Erbil time.

Based in the Swedish city of Borlänge, Dalkurd was founded on Sept. 26, 2004, by nine Kurdish immigrants as a social project. The club has since built academies in both Sweden and the Kurdistan Region.

The team’s colors are symbolic of Kurdistan, with the Kurdish flag included in the crest on their shirts.

Dalkurd had bull-dozed its way up the ranks of Swedish football since its 2005 introduction in Tier Seven, winning five promotions in its first five seasons.

However, after a string of poor results in Sweden’s top division, Dalkurd were relegated on the last day of the 2018 season, finishing in 15th place with 24 points (6-6-18).