The 2014 Swedish Cup is getting 'Sirius' ... Superettan side IK Sirius continued to claim big game, this time knocking off IFK Göteborg in the quarterfinals to reach the final four. Sirius faces Elfsborg in the semifinals on May 1. Malmö and Helsingborg square off in the other semi. The final is May 15.
Sirius showed its Cup intentions are serious in the group round when it beat Allsvenskan sides Djurgården and Halmstad. In the quarterfinals against Göteborg, the reigning Cup holders, the Superttan side continued its Cinderella run, albeit with some help from IFK.
The Angels played more not to lose than they did to win, fully expecting to overawe their lower-division opponents. After an initial flurry of chances in the opening minutes, however, Göteborg seemed more content with keeping Sirius off the scoreboard than with scoring goals for itself. Robin Söder missed from close range in the 14th minutes, a misfire he soon regretted.
Sirius played a defensive game punctuated with counterattacks in the 30th minute, capitalized on some shoddy defense to take the lead. Sirius midfielder Johan Arneng lofted a corner in the Göteborg penalty area that the Angels failed to clear. Sirius forward Joakim Runnemo blasted a shot toward goal but it was 23-year-old Moses Ogbu who secured the goal. Ogbu got his head on the ball to re-direct it past IFK goalkeeper John Alvbåge for a 1-0 lead. Ogbu celebrated with a double-somersault.
Göteborg continued to play as though it had the lead and not Sirius, showing little creativity or concern. Söder came close to netting an equalizer in the 38th minute, but that was about all the offense the Angels mustered. Sirius played the final 10 minutes with just 10 men after defender Carl Nyström picked up his second yellow card of the match. Despite the man advantage, Göteborg was unable to mount any real threat.
“We have a good basic strategy and played it well,” said Sirius head coach Kim Bergstrand. “We played well and don’t have to apologize to anyone for winning.”
IFK Göteborg manager Mikael Stahre was less-than-happy with his team’s performance.
“We gave a very weak effort,” Stahre said. “It is completely useless to go out of the Cup like this.”
Sirius has not lost a competitive match since last April 4. It has never won the Swedish Cup.

Elfsborg tops Häcken
Elfsborg moved into the semifinals with a 1-0 win over BK Häcken March 23 at Borås Arena. Elfsborg last won the Cup in 2003 and faces Sirius May 1 in the semifinals.
Marcus Rohden broke open a scoreless duel when he scored in the 67th minute. Niklas Hult set up the goal as he raced down the left side of the pitch and sent in a cross from the touch line. Rohden broke free from his marker and put his head on the ball, directing it past Häcken goalkeeper Kristoffer Källkvist. The goal was fitting as Elfsborg controlled the bulk of the play. The Borås side particularly held Häcken striker Moestafa el Kabir in check El Kabir went into the match as the leading scorer in the Cup with five goals in three games He left the match in the 62nd minute with a foot injury, making him doubtful for Häcken’s March 30 opener in the Allsvenskan.

Malmö reaches semis
Defending Allsvenskan champions Malmö FF took a step toward adding to its trophy haul after it knocked off Brommapojkarna 2-0 March 22 in the quarterfinals of the Swedish Cup. Malmö faces Helsingborg in the semifinals May 1.
After a scoreless first half, defender Filip Helander put Malmö on the scoreboard when he fired in a shot from six yards out off a Magnus Eriksson corner kick. Simon Kroon made it 2-0 four minutes from time when he beat BP goalkeeper Ivo Vazgec after Vazgec stopped a shot from Emil Forsberg.
Although it advanced, the Cup has been costly so far for Malmö, which has lost Ricardinho and Marcus Rosenberg to injury and Guillermo Molins to a suspension. Markus Halsti joined the suspended list when he received a red card. Halsti could miss Malmö’s Allsvenskan opener.

Helsingborg advances
Helsingborg rallied from a first-half 1-0 deficit to beat GAIS 2-1 and advance to the semifinals of the Swedish Cup.
Robert Washaw put GAIS in front after 30 minutes when he redirected an Andreas Drugge free kick past HIF goalkeeper Pär Hansson. David Accam tied the match in the 59th minute and celebrated by removing his shoe and pantomiming a phone call to his mother. Alvaro Santos scored the game winner two minutes later when he knocked in the rebound of a Christoffer Andersson shot.