Malmo wins Swedish league by beating and overtaking Elfsborg in final round

MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Malmo became Swedish champion for the 23rd time on Sunday by beating title rival Elfsborg 1-0 on a second-half penalty taken by league top scorer Isaac Kiese Thelin.

The win meant Malmo caught up with Elfsborg on points in the final round of the season and won the Swedish league on a better goal difference.

Elfsborg missed a chance to secure the title in the penultimate round last week when they only managed a draw against last-place Varberg, which left the gap to Malmo at three points.

After a scoreless first half in Malmo, the second half was delayed by about one hour after fans set off pyrotechnics that triggered the fire alarm inside the packed stadium.

Malmo took the lead 11 minutes into the second half when Kiese Thelin was awarded a penalty and took it himself to score his 16th goal of the season.

Malmo has the most league titles in Swedish football ahead of IFK Goteborg, which had a poor season and barely escaped a relegation playoff by scoring in second-half stoppage time in a 2-1 win over Varbergs in the final round.

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