After dramatic stages, HJK in good spirits defeated SJK 3–2 on Sunday. Tuomas Ollila and Topi Keskinen were the club’s power duo, although the victory was sealed by Hassane Bande.
The upper final series of the Veikkausliiga continued on Sunday with one match, where league leader HJK beat SJK 3–2 (1–0) and increased their point difference over KuPS to four again.
Replacement man Hassane Bande scored a valuable 3–2 win for HJK in extra time, 90+2. by the minute. Before this, SJK’s goal nightmare Jaime Moreno had put his team up 2–2 within two minutes after scoring in the 83rd and 85th minutes.
Tuomas Ollila at the same time moved to the top of the goal exchange for domestic league players after scoring the first two goals for HJK. The achievement is wild when you consider that his playing position is left Full-back or wing-back.
Bojan Radulovic HJK 16
Ashley Coffey AC Oulu 12
Peter Michael VPS 12
Jaime Moreno SJK 11
Darren Smith FC Inter 8
Juan Lescano FC Haka 7
Tuomas Ollila HJK 7
Head coach of HJK Toni Korkeakunnas still made rounds right after the match. He didn’t like the penalty kick SJK got in the 83rd minute, which he took very lightly.
– We had two through runs (substitute Radulovic tuhri both) and we could have already led the game 4–0. Then these things can happen. There were some weak moments. Such a crazy ending. Mentally, we have a really tough gang, we didn’t panic, Korkeakunnas praised.
When all teams have three game rounds left, HJK has 50 points, KuPS 46, VPS 42 and FC Honga and SJK 38. FC Inter is sixth with 34 points.
Each team has three games left in the series. HJK will secure the title if they win their next two matches. In this case, KuPS cannot get past, even if they beat HJK in the last round.
HJK secures the championship, already in the next round, if it wins and KuPS doesn’t. Of course, even VPS still has a theoretical chance for the championship.
Wed 27.9. HJK – Honka at 6 p.m
Fri 29.9. VPS – Inter at 6 p.m
Sun 1.10. KuPS – SJK at 6 p.m
Sun 8.10. KuPS – Honka at 3 p.m
Sun 8.10. VPS – HJK at 3 p.m
Sat 21.10. HJK – KuPS at 5 p.m
Sat 21.10. SJK – VPS at 5 p.m
HJK’s victory in Seinäjoki was not a surprise considering the recent performances, as the Club has been undefeated in the domestic league for eight matches. Töölö have won seven of their last eight league matches and drawn once.
The early season comet SJK, on the other hand, has fallen to fourth place in the series due to recent weak results. The team has lost seven matches in the last eight games.
Ollila-Keskinen as SJK’s downstairs bully
SJK started the match better and controlled the game in the opening quarter. Seinäjoki had the first goal of the match in the 8th minute. The home team’s topper Ville Tikkanen shot from a distance, from the aftermath of a corner kick, the ball hit the crossbar of the HJK goal.
HJK took a 1–0 lead when Tuomas Ollila, who was in front of the goal, directed Topi Keskinen a cross from the left into the bottom corner of the SJK goal in the 31st minute.
Ollila and Keskinen, who scored the opening goal, were the Club’s most visible players even in the first 45 minutes. Ollila was close to scoring in the back area already in the 22nd minute, but the SJK keeper Markus Uusitalo managed to get to the ball and saved a big danger spot for a corner.
Keskinen got a penalty kick for HJK right at the beginning of the second half, when SJK’s topper Ibrahim Cisse knocked down the fast HJK tip in the pits.
Tuomas Ollila, who scored the opening goal, safely placed the ball from the penalty kick in the lower left corner and increased HJK’s lead to 2–0 in the 48th minute.
The hit was already the seventh of the season for the 23-year-old winger in the league, where there are only five scorers better than him. Scoring goals is not a strange thing for Ollila, because in the previous two seasons while playing in Ilves, Ollila scored a total of ten league goals.
– I’ve done them before. I’m in the box quite a lot, then those (goals) have to come, Ollila acknowledged the praise for the winger’s wild goal-scoring skills.
SJK’s goal terror Jaime Moreno brought his team to 2-2 in two minutes. Moreno, who came on from the substitution of the 1-2 tie, finished from the spot in the 83rd minute and right after he scored the 2-2 equalizer from in front of the goal in the 85th minute.
According to Ollila, it felt bad and frustrating when SJK went two goals behind to level in an instant.
– Fortunately, we were able to turn the game around. The substitute (Bande) came in well and scored an important goal. They’re stuck with a little bit, now this match fell for us at the end.
As unbelievable as it sounds, HJK hero Ollila mostly spent last Thursday’s PAOK home defeat on the bench.
– Every game is very hungry. Yes, I also want important successes for myself. A great victory today for the team at the end of the season, beamed Ollila.