After going 16 Allsvenskan games unbeaten and building what appeared to be an unassailable lead at the top of the table, Sirius have now suffered back-to-back defeats. Their latest setback came in emphatic fashion at home against Hacken, who strengthened their hold on third place with a convincing victory.

Sirius 0-3 Hacken

Sirius’ impressive unbeaten run finally came to an end against reigning champions Mjallby, despite the league leaders throwing away a 3-0 advantage before eventually losing 4-3. However, a first home defeat of the season against Hacken represented an even tougher blow for the Uppsala side.

Hacken, who had ended a recent winless spell with a narrow victory over basement club Halmstad last time out, looked the stronger side from the outset and took the lead shortly before the half-hour mark.

The visitors had Sirius chasing shadows before a flowing passing move culminated in Mikkel Rygaard slipping the ball through to Julius Lindberg. The Hacken attacker then unleashed a powerful effort from around 20 yards, with a deflection taking the shot beyond David Celic.

Sirius, who had still managed to score five goals across their previous two winless matches, struggled to create chances on this occasion. The hosts registered just two attempts on goal throughout the 90 minutes and rarely threatened to find an equaliser.

Their situation worsened shortly after the hour mark when Gustav Lindgren doubled Hacken’s advantage. A long ball forward was nodded on by Lindberg, while a deflection only helped it fall perfectly into Lindgren’s path. The forward kept his composure to bury the bouncing ball and make it 2-0.

Hacken’s dominance ultimately ensured Sirius suffered a second consecutive defeat, raising further questions about the league leaders’ recent form after such a remarkable unbeaten start to the campaign.

Ten minutes from time, Getingarna added a third goal on an evening when they barely had to break a sweat. Adrian Svanback broke free down the right after Sirius committed more players forward, before squaring the ball for an unmarked Lindgren, who completed his brace.

A victory for Hammarby against GAIS on Sunday 23rd would reduce Sirius’ lead to just six points, little more than two weeks after it stood at 14 points. Meanwhile, back-to-back wins have moved Hacken to within two points of Bajen for the time being, while they hold a three-point advantage over AIK in fourth place.