KuPS had a chance to secure the National Football League championship by beating HJK in Helsinki, but “Klubi” didn’t want to watch the away team’s celebrations.
Anu Karttunen,
Hinn Hirvonen
At the beginning of the season in May, HJK upset KuPS in Kuopio by a score of 4–0, and on Sunday they beat KuPS at home 4–2 (2–0). Thus, the National League championship is still open. If KuPS had won the match, it would have already secured its third consecutive championship. There are still three rounds left in the League Championship Series.
HJK had two good scoring opportunities at the very beginning of the match, but Fanny Söderström KuPS’s goal made a save. In the ninth minute, the home team succeeded when Lotta Lindström managed to deliver the ball skillfully To Jenna Topra and his curling shot sank into the goal.
After that, KuPS pushed greedily towards the HJK goal, but only managed to hit the top bar twice.
Just before the break in August, returned to the domestic fields Iina Salmi showed his skills with a wonderful free kick. Salmi shot the ball from about 40 meters directly into the top corner of the goal.
KuPS started the second period strongly and a substitution came on the field Pink Ariyo reduced the game to 1–2 in the 68th minute. However, HJK bluntly killed the Kuopio team’s momentum a couple of minutes later with a counterattack. Salmi was able to complete his second hit of the evening.
Lindström, the number one goal scorer in the national league, increased his number of goals to 17 in the 78th minute of the match and already took HJK to a 4–1 lead. Only by Kröger The 2–4 goal was little consolation for the people of Kuopio, as the team did not get any more goals.
– We didn’t cover the bet and the second goal was a great shot, it couldn’t have been prevented. In the end, the risk level was raised a little and then goals are easily scored. Not even my own finish was successful today, but there were quite a lot of chances, KuPS defender Anni Hartikainen stated.
HJK and KuPS meet on October 1st in the final of the Finnish Cup.
– Now let’s go to Kuopio to lick our wounds and plot patterns through a little vacation for the Cup final. I believe that we will be able to take care of both posts in Kuopio, Hartikainen assured.