Sweden: Stockholm Mean Machines upend Göteborg Marvels, edge closer to playoff berth

The Stockholm Mean Machines broke open a tight football game scoring 33 second half points to pull away and defeat the Göteborg Marvels 45-27 in Sweden’s Superserien.

Running back Emil Knutsson, the league’s leading rusher, paced the Mean Machines with 141 yards on the ground, scoring two touchdowns. Anders Hermodsson threw for 144 yards and three touchdowns, two to wide receiver Matt Retzlaff who caught five passes for 85 yards. Damien Scanella caught a touchdown pass and for Stockholm. Defensive lineman Malcolm Engstrom added a 14 yard pick six.

For the Marvels, Gerard Johnson, again doubling as backup quarterback and running back, threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions. Starter Jonathan Anderson completed 9 of 12 passes for 61 yards but threw a pick six. Johnson also rushed for one touchdown. Alpha Jalloh had four receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns while Oscar Wahlberg caught a touchdown pass.

Stockholm took a 6-0 first quarter lead on a Hermodsson to Retzlaff 12 yard touchdown pass extending it to 12-0 on Engstrom’s 14 yard interception return for a touchdown. A bad punt by Stockholm late in the first quarter gave the Marvels great field position on the Mean Machines 26 yard line. Johnson scored five plays later to narrow the lead to 12-7 at the half.

The third quarter was all Stockholm as they scored three times on touchdowns by Knutsson, Retzlaff and Scanella as Goteborg’s offense seemed to vanish. A Johnson to Jalloh 74 yard touchdown was the only bright light from the Marvels to close out the quarter. But Retzlaff returned the ensuing kickoff all the way to the Marvels 14 yard line and Hermodsson took the ball in himself to up the lead to 38-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Goteborg’s offense came alive again as Jalloh found a seam again and scored on a 70 touchdown pass from Johnson.

Stockholm responded on the very next series with Knutsson capping a 46 yard drive with a 16 yard touchdown giving the Mean Machines a 45-21 lead with just over nine minutes left. The Marvels struck again as now the defenses seemed to vanish. Johnson drove his team down to the 32 yard line and then connected with Wahlberg to close the gap again, 45-27.

The two teams had combined for a total of 27 points in the space of under five minutes.

That, however, seemed to end the fourth quarter offensive onslaught. Neither team could find the end zone again despite good field position.

With the win, Stockholm edged closer to the playoffs. The Marvels now at 1-4 need to win at least two of their last three, or have Uppsala lose their last three to reach the playoffs.