KuPS took advantage of their opportunity and broke a three-point gap over their rivals when they beat FC Lahti 4–3 in a match with a lot of goals on Saturday. Earlier on Saturday, the other top teams HJK and SJK were tied with 1–1.
The character of the match had scored two handsome goals Joona Veteliwho increased his number of goals for the season to five and rose to sixth in the league’s goal exchange, the second best Finnish teammate Urho Nissilän after.
– We have a lot of players who can score goals. It is important that we are able to take victories, Nissilä said after the match.
In the previous match against IFK, KuPS had difficulties in finishing and lost 0–1. Nissilä said that a coach was attached to the finish Jani Honkavaara leading attention before Saturday’s match.
– A great improvement from the last game, even though we conceded three goals, which is too much. But it’s great that four goals were scored, we’re happy with that.
– KuPS rarely had many unclear situations and man’s markings, Urheilu’s expert Antti Pohja said.
The match saw three goals in the first 19 minutes. Nissilä took the Kuopio team into the lead when he shot Gabriel Bispon the ball that he dropped next to him fired into the bottom corner.
Lahti got level after a few minutes when the KuPS defense fumbled and Altin Zeqiri was able to move the ball into the goal.
KuPS’s Veteli got his feet free and shot a 2-1 lead at the end of a quick passing pattern from near the penalty area.
In the second half Matheus Alves made the scores 2–2. However, Veteli struck again and shot the ball into the goal, this time from inside the box.
Saku Savolainen scored the winning goal in the 69th minute. Lahti came again with Alves’ second shot at the end of the goal.
Series jumbo VPS surprised
In Vaasa, league jumbo VPS broke its five-match losing streak in the Veikkausliiga when it covered Inter 3–0. VPS last won in the series on May 5.
Samu Alanko put Vaasalaiset into the lead from a corner kick in the 8th minute Roni Hood of concentration. VPS doubled its lead when Jesper Engström Inter’s pass was intercepted and the Nigerian striker played a vertical ball Peter Godly to Michaelwho cut into the middle and placed the ball accurately into the bottom right corner.
Inter’s evening darkened after a good hour of play, when Juho Hyvärinen was driven out with a straight red when he stopped Hudd, who was running away in the drive-through. Hudd gave the whistled free kick from the situation, and Mikko Pitkänen beamed the Inter keeper Eetu Huuhtanen the ball he blocked in front of him into the net.
Honka close to a big win
Champion favorite HJK was tied for the second time in a row and was close to suffering a defeat when it tied the score with Honga 1-1.
Honka was stuck in a full point pot for more than half an hour Otso Koskinen with a goal, but HJK struggled to level at the very end of regular time.
HJK got a penalty kick in the last minute of regular time for the home team Lauri Laine carelessly played the ball with his hand in his own penalty area.
The guests Bojan Radulovic definitely put the ball in the goal. The hit was the HJK striker’s tenth of the season.
SJK in trouble in Tampere
Third-placed SJK had the opportunity to move to the top of the league with an away win over Ilves. However, the result was a 1–1 draw at the rainy Ratina stadium.
Petteri Pennanen took the hosts to the lead after ten minutes of the second half. Rankkar was preceded by a situation where SJK’s goalkeeper Ovie Ejeheri knocked down by the Ilves striker by Adam Larsson.
SJK rose Jaime Moreno hard to level when the referee looked at the Ilves defender Umar Mohammed blocked the ball with his hand and gave him a red card.
SJK, which is third in the series, is three points behind KuPS with HJK. Seinäjoki have two matches less than the top two without playing.
Coffey struck again
AC Oulu, which is in fourth place in the Veikkausliiga, defeated Haka 3–0 at home.
The people of Oulu took a 3–0 lead in the first half in a five-minute power moment. Niklas Jokelainen scored the opening goal from the penalty kick by Hakan Eero-Matti Auvinen after a manual error.
Moments later, the hosts Noah Pallas slid to the ball on the end boundary and passed to the back post, from which Ashley Coffey finished for sure. Riku Selander headed the 3–0 goal from Jokelainen’s corner kick.
Coffey has scored nine goals this season and is firmly fighting HJK, who has scored ten times, for the top spot in the goal exchange. Bojan Radulovic with.
In the sixth match of the day, KTP and IFK Mariehamn played a 0–0 draw.
Veikkausliiga Standings (text TV).