Hammarby cuts gap to Swedish title leader to three points

Sirius fans in Stockholm watched their team's title advantage shrink to three points after a 2-0 loss to Hammarby on Thursday. The result ends a long run where the underdog club led the Allsvenskan by as many as 12 points earlier this season.

Hammarby now sits second with a better goal difference than the leaders. Four rounds remain in the Swedish league schedule. The match took place in a sold-out stadium in Stockholm. The game's turning point came in the 21st minute when referees awarded a penalty to Hammarby following a foul by Sirius defender Mohamed Soumah.

Victor Lind converted the penalty kick to give Hammarby the lead. Paulos Abraham extended the lead in the 51st minute with a side-footed shot from near the penalty spot. Sirius had gone unbeaten for 16 rounds into August before losing its momentum. The streak broke after star striker Robbie Ure was sold to Sevilla.

Sirius has never won the Swedish top-tier league or cup in its 118-year history. The club lost three straight games before Thursday's match, allowing Hammarby and Djurgarden to close the gap. Hammarby last won the league title in 2001 and finished as runner-up in the previous two seasons. Mjallby, the defending champion, won its own surprise title one year ago.

In Italy, newly promoted Frosinone continued a strong start to its season with a 5-1 win over Lecce. The victory brought Frosinone's total to 13 goals scored in three games. The club from a small city near Rome has avoided relegation in only three of its previous four seasons in Serie A.

Frosinone now ranks sixth in the standings, one point behind AC Milan after nine rounds. In Spain, soccer resumed for the Copa del Rey on Thursday with 21 scheduled games. The matches were originally set for Wednesday but were postponed following a fatal train crash near Madrid. Barcelona and Real Madrid do not compete in the first round of the national cup.