The reigning Norwegian champion Molde FK, who went into the match as favourites, fell at the feet of the people from Helsinki in Töölö. Topi Keskinen scored the only hit of the match.
Helsinki Football Club faced the Norwegian champion Molde FK in the opening match of the second round of the Champions League qualifiers. The big Norwegian club fell 1–0 in the Helsinki team and suffered their first loss in eight matches.
HJK took the lead at just under half an hour, when Atom Tanaka gave a long pass and Top Middle showed off his speed. Keskinen blazed through the entire field, getting in front of the Norwegian goalkeeper by Jacob Karlström with. Accurate finishing between the legs and the people from Helsinki take a comfortable lead. The hit was the only one of the match.
The winner of the match pair advances to the third qualifying round of the Champions League. At the same time, at least a place in the group stage of the Conference League would be guaranteed. The losing team’s games continue in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
The next partial match will be played in Molde a week from now on Wednesday 2 August.
Last week, HJK got a good start to their Euro qualifiers by defeating Northern Ireland’s Larne in a thriller with 3–2 on aggregate.
The story is updated.