Based on the first leg, HJK is falling in the Champions League qualification to the bottom-ranked Lithuanian champion club.
20:21•Updated 21:15
Toni Korkeakunnsen coached by HJK experienced a humiliating defeat in the opening part of the 1st round of the Champions League qualification. FK Panevezys, who played poorly in the Lithuanian league this season, beat the Finnish champion 3–0 (1–0).
– We dug ourselves quite a hole, but half of it has only been played. Don’t get gloomy now. We now have two bad results and two weak games (loss also to Ilves 0–3). It may be that we return home in a gloomy mood, but we have a week to put things in order and be more ready next week, Korkeakunnas told Urheilu.
FK Panevezys took a 1–0 lead in the 17th minute, when a cross from the left Ernestas Veliulis the opening goal was completed with one touch by the HJK topper Diogo Tomasin from the front. Niki Mäenpää was in a powerless situation at the goal.
HJK midfielder Giorgos Kanellopoulos caused unnecessary trouble in the 65th minute by turning his back towards the goal inside his opponent’s box. The following kicker was sure to sink into the middle of the goal Nicolas Gorobsovwhich doubled the home team’s lead.
Just two minutes later, Panevezys succeeded for the second time in the match from a cross from the left side. The Substitute left free in front of the goal Noel Mbo nikkasi easily scored 3–0 from close range. A top Joona Toivio fatally fell asleep in front of his goal this time.
In the 70th minute, the home team Cheikhou Dieng got his second yellow card, but HJK, who had not received any and also performed poorly in the attacking direction, could not use their man superiority on the field at the end.
– We kept more of the ball and put some pressure on the opponent’s end, but the last decisions were incomplete and sloppy, Korkeakunnas regretted the lack of energy attacking in addition to their own, weak box defense.
Panevezys’ season has gone badly in the Lithuanian league, where the team shares jumbo place. Out of the 21 league matches they have played, they have won only five matches.
The second match will be played on July 16 in Helsinki.
Korkeakunnas reminded that he had been coaching for more than 20 years and had been in the most difficult places.
– There is a big mountain to climb, but the most wonderful things have happened in football. Let’s chase one goal at a time in our Bolt arena. The platform certainly favors us, as it perhaps favored the opponent here. Töölö needs our currently very disappointed fans for support in the second part, notes the HJK pilot.
If HJK clear the first qualifying round of the Champions League, they will face Poland’s reigning champion Jagiellonia Bialystok in the second round.
If HJK falls out of the Champions League qualification at this stage, it will still be able to play in the Eurocourts in the Conference League qualification from the 3rd round.
At 9:15 p.m. Korkeakunnas’ comments were added to the article.