September 27 & 28, 2020
IFK Mariehamn 0-2 KuPS ( att : 903 )
KuPS maintained pole position at the top of the Veikausliiga with a dominant display at the picturesque Wiklöf Holding Arena for their 7th consecutive win, and they remain unbeaten away from home.
After a fairly even opening, Mariehamn will be disappointed in the manner they fell behind in the 37th minute. KuPS right back Jiri Nissinen was not closed down but he was only able to deliver a weak cross-cum shot straight to keeper Forsman. It should have been a regulation catch but Forsman could only palm the ball down and it ran away from him, and both he and the defender were slow to react, allowing Nissinen to get to the ball first. His attempted square pass hit a defender and rebounded back to him and he was able to scoop the ball into the net from a tight angle at the second attempt.
There was little that could be done to prevent the second goal though, as Udo cut in from left and sent a smart finish across the keeper into the far corner. KuPS had several chances to extend the lead, with the lively Sane hitting a post and feeding Udo to shoot wide.
IFK rarely threatened. Early on KuPS keeper Virtanen had to be alert to tip over a shot from Ukrainian midfielder Dmytro Bilonoh, and 10 minutes from the end Maximo Tolonen spun and hit the post. However, the goals from Ademi, the league’s top scorer, appear to have dried up, and so have the wins. IFK have taken just three draws from their last 6 games and after consecutive 0-2 home defeats, a top 6 finish seems to be slipping away.
FC Honka 1-2 FC Haka ( att : 841 )
A surprise result in Espoo as after being the first side to lose to RoPS ( and deservedly so ), Haka bounced back to inflict just the second defeat of the season to Honka, who also conceded two goals in a league game for only the second time. Accordingly, Haka moved out of the relegation play-off places, Honka stayed in fourth.
It had started promisingly for Honka. After Senegelese striker Kandji had twice gone close, he gave Honka the lead in the 25th minute. Put through from a pass from Demba Savage, he calmly slid the ball to the left of the keeper as he came of his line.
Honka received a set-back three minutes later when midfielder Nasiru Benehene recklessly and needlessly slid in late on a challenge on Haka keeper Hartmann and flattened him way after the ball had been cleared. The referee had little alternative other than to issue a red card to the Ghanaian.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Honka should have doubled their lead three minutes before half-time but Kandji sent his header horribly wide when unmarked 8 yards out, and moments later he shot narrowly over after a fine run.
All the misses proved costly as in first half injury time, Ojala’s dummy to Popovitch’s reverse pass deceived his marker and left Hilska with a simple chance to level the scores.
The best chances in the second half still fell to Honka though, Arko-Mensah shot just wide, and Kandji headed against the bar from another free header, with the Haka defence making desperate blocks on the following shots in the ensuing scramble.
Honka were punished for these misses 13 minutes from time when Popovitch delivered an in-swinging free-kick to the near post for Ojala to glance into the far corner for an almost identical goal from Haka’s draw a week ago at Ilves.
Honka were thrown a potential lifeline six minutes from the end when Haka centre-back Hakkinen received a second yellow card for blocking a quick free-kick. In a dramatic finale, as the ball went to and fro across the Haka 6 yard box in the fourth minute of added on time, Medo was adjusted to have handled to prevent Savage from get his head to the ball. Kaufmann sent the penalty to Hartmann’s left but the keeper was able to block with one hand, and then reacted quickly to bat the ball away from Kaufmann as he went for the rebound. The Haka players joyously mobbed their keeper and celebrated as if they had won the World Cup !
FC Ilves 4-0 TPS ( att : 1,873 )
After three consecutive draws had indicated TPS were playing well enough to move clear off relegation they were well beaten at Ilves to slip back into relegation place-off position.
The star of Ilves’ midweek with at Mariehamn, 18 year old substitute Naatan Skytta was rewarded with a place in the Ilves starting XI. He had the first chance of the game, bursting through a static defence but his shot was too close to Koponen in the TPS goal who made a good save, and then an even better one to thwart Veteli who looked certain to score from the rebound.
Ilves dominated the opening 30 minutes and finally broke through when Aspergren’s teasing cross gave Jair a simple close-range header at the back post. Ilves doubled their lead just before half-time, Koponen could only push Mettala’s low cross towards the penalty spot and Skytta was in the right place to side foot into the empty net.
TPS held out until the 78 minute, when Veteli’s curling effort from the corner of the penalty area to the top corner gave Koponen no chance. After Fofana hit a post and Koponen made another fine reaction save, the scoring was concluded in the 94th minutes when a soft penalty was conceded awarded for an unnecessary shirt-pull and Ala-Myllymaki scored at the second attempt after his first effort was disallowed for encroachment.
The only black spot for Ilves was a nasty looking ankle injury to forward Mettala, who was stretchered off in obvious agony.
HJK Helsinki 4-0 RoPS ( att : 1,547 )
After the euphoria of their first win of the season in mid-week, RoPS were predictably brought back to earth as HJK made short work of picking up the three points to stay at the top of the table.
HJK overwhelmed TPS and led 3-0 at half-time. Although guilty of missing a number of good chances, including two in the first four minutes, the goals they did score were all quality finishes. Riski Roope scored in the 14th and 44th minutes to go to 11 for the season. The first was a delicate left footed flick volley beyond the fully stretched keeper and the second a powerful drive to end a flowing passing movement. Sandwiched in-between was Schuller’s eye-catching left footed strike from 18 yards into the angle between post and crossbar.
HJK eased off the tempo in the second half and only added one more goal to their tally, a first goal for 17 year old substitute Kai Meriluoto, who ran onto a ball over the top of the square defence to squeeze a shot beneath the diving keeper. A solid performance from TPS keeper Sammy Ndjock also helped to keep the score down.
After six games without a win Inter returned to form with a comprehensive win over Lahti. Inter dominated the match and were full value for the three points.
The first real chance of the match fell to veteran striker Timo Furuholm but his shot went agonisingly wide. Engstroem and Mastokangas also missed good chances before there was a slight element of good fortune about Annan’s opener, which appeared to take a slight deflection to sneak into the corner of the net. A snap shot from Muniz crashed against the bar but it remained 1-0 at half-time.
Inter doubled their lead in the 53 minute when Engstroem was played into the bye-line and presented Furuholm with an easy tap-in inside the six yard box. With ten minutes to play substitute Kallman was played through and despite efforts to foul him he stayed on his feet, shrugged off the defender but unfortunately shot straight at the keeper. Had he decided to fall over it would have inevitably have been a red card to the Ilves player.
However Kallman made amends a few minutes later when Kagayama got behind the Ilves defence to lay the ball on a platform for him to bundle over the line. The Ilves players appealed for a handball but on the TV replays it looked like the referee was correct to decide the ball had come off either Kaufmann’s knee or chest.
Lahti rarely threatened, their best chance came shortly before half time when a shot from Virta was partially blocked by a defender but appeared to be looping over keeper Moisander, who then somehow managed to paw it onto the post and then reacted to kick the ball away before Imbongo could pounce. The subsequent corner bounced off the top of the bar but the keeper had it covered. For Lahti it’s now one win in 8 matches.
In perhaps the game of the weekend and in front of the best attendance of the round, SJK dismissed their midweek loss at home to Lahti to chalk-up their fourth win in five games to reduce the gap with HIFK, for whom it was a first loss in five games, to just one point.
HIFK started brightly but Tukiainen was adjudged to be offside when reacting to tap-in a rebound. SJK responded well and ex-Plymouth winger Jake-Jervis was soon rugby tacked by Mero for a clear penalty, and after much heated debate with Ledezma, Ariel Ngueukam was allowed to take the penalty, which fortunately for him he converted.
A minute later Murilo was put clear on the left and his perfect cross found Jake-Jervis free to stroke past Origi. On the stroke of half time Markkula saw his shot from the edge of the area hit the bar to leave it 2-0 at half-time.
HIJK started the second half strongly, and pulled a goal back on 52 minutes when centre-back Mattila send a stunning free-kick into the top corner. Both sides then had chances before Lepisto’s flying header restored SJK’s two goal lead.
Vitinho kept the game alive by finishing a low cross from Mattson in the 93rd minute, but moments later a HIJK break was ended by an innocuous tussle between with Mattila and Murilo which saw an over-reaction from the Brazilian and a red card for Mattila.
Next Matches
Thursday 1st October – Europa League ( 16.30 UK )
CFR Cluj vs KuPS
Friday 2nd October - 18.30 local/16.30 UK
HIFK vs FC Honka
FC Lahti vs IFK Mariehamn
TPS vs SJK Seinajoki
Saturday 3rd October - 14.00 local/12.00 UK
Finnish Cup Final ( in Turku )
Inter Turku vs HJK Helsinki
Monday 5th October - 18.30 local/16.30 UK
KuPS vs FC Lahti
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