Sweden: Stockholm Mean Machines win season opener, edge Göteborg Marvels
The Stockholm Mean Machines needed a fourth quarter touchdown to finally put away the stubborn and surprising Göteborg Marvels 30-22 in the opening game of the Swedish Superserien Friday night in Stockholm. Sweden.
Mean Machines quarterback Anders Hermodsson completed 13 of 22 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another 41 and a touchdown. Running back Emil Knutsson had 23 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown while receivers Michael Retzlaff and Damien Scannella each caught a touchdown pass. Retzlaff had seven catches for 105 yards while Scannella recorded three receptions for 48.
Jonathan Andersson from the Marvels threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns with his main target, Oscar Wahlberg, hauling in six passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Edvin Almeida Taborda caught two passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Alpha Jalloh had three carries for 41 yards while running back Gerard Johnson had a quiet game with just a pair of carries. However, he threw the Marvels first touchdown pass of the game.
Stockholm opened the scoring on their first drive as Hermodsson connected with Retzlaff on a 14 yard touchdown pass to give the Mean Machines a 7-0 lead.
Göteborg responded with a “trick” play on their first play from scrimmage as Johnson found Tarboda on a 66 pass and run to even the score at 7-7.
Stockholm’s offense continued to dominate the line of scrimmage as Hermodsson marched his team on a five-play, 72 yard touchdown drive, capping it with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Scannella, restoring the lead, 14-7.
The Mean Machines increased the lead to 17-7 midway through the second quarter on a field goal but Goteborg responded with another big play as Anderson found Wahlberg for a 68 yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 17-14 at the half.
The Marvels defense finally began getting stops in the second half giving the offense a chance and Andersson took advantage hitting Tarborda for another long touchdown pass, this one from 38 yards out giving Göteborg a 20-17 lead midway through the third quarter.
Two possessions later, Stockholm capitalized on an Andersson interception, as Knutsson found daylight and raced 34 yards to regain the lead for the Mean Machines, 23-20. However, the Marvels stuffed a two-point conversion attempt and returned it all the way for the two points, edging them closer, 23-22.
Andersson engineered another excellent drive for the Marvels, reaching the Stockholm 10 yard line before being picked off in the end zone for his second interception of the game.
Stockholm added another touchdown in the fourth quarter as Hermodsson carried the ball in from the 17 yard line increasing the lead to 30-20.
As the Marvels offense pushed for another touchdown, Andersson was intercepted again, this time at midfield with two minutes left. Stockholm held on to the ball and began celebrating their first win of the 2018 season.
