A Sadat Karim early strike gave Halmstads BK a first-leg lead over Helsingborgs IF in the 2021 Swedish Allsvenskan relegation play-offs on Saturday.
The Ghana striker gave his side a dream start by putting the ball in the back of the net after a corner kick in the 7th minute.
Not much happened for the remaining minutes of the first half.
Helsingborgs – who were playing hosts at Olympia – were left to chase the equalizer in the second half but a stable Halmstads defense made it difficult for them to penetrate.
Goalscorer Sadat Karim was substituted after 72 minutes while versatile Tom Boakye played full throttle as a winger for Halmstads.
Another Ghanaian in former Ebusua Dwarfs midfielder Benjamin Acquah came off the bench in the 81st minute for Helsingborgs.
The 1-0 win puts Halmstads in pole position to maintain their Swedish topflight status.
Halmstads BK will host the second at Örjans Vall on Tuesday, December 14.
