ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish-affiliated football club Dalkurd FF continued its push for promotion to Sweden’s first division with a 2-1 victory against opponents Syrianska on Wednesday.
The Kurdish team were the stronger side in the first half and were rewarded with a 1-0 lead. Striker Joseph Ceesay opened the scoring in the 35th minute.
Dalkurd doubled their lead at the start of the second half when midfielder Malkolm Moenza scored in the 48th minute.
Syrianska pulled a goal back on the hour mark from the penalty spot. Ammar Ahmed converted his spot-kick confidently.
Things got worse for Syrianska when they had a player sent off. Success Chimpanka Nwosu was cautioned in the 67th minute before receiving a second yellow and his marching orders 10 minutes later.
Moments later, the team was down to nine men when defender Marko Mihajlovic was shown a straight red in the 82nd minute.
Dalkurd’s (12-3-10) next league game is against Trelleborgs FF (7-9-9) on Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. Erbil time.
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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.
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).