HJK equalized at the last minute against Molde. The dream of a playoff spot is still alive. Atomu Tanaka and Joona Toivio played for the last time in front of the home crowd.
Micke Suopuro,
Samu Saatsi
21:40•Updated 21:45
On Thursday, HJK faced Norwegian Molde in the Men’s Conference League. The stakes of the game were clear: both practically needed a win in order to maintain their chances for the next games starting in February.
Molde got off to a wild start when Frederik Ihler scored two goals in the first half hour. Lee Erwin however, managed to narrow down after half an hour due to a special situation. Lucas Lingman gave an accurate free kick and Erwin continued the ball into the goal.
HJK sought an equalizer in the second period. In the end, an equalizer was seen in extra time, when Kai Meriluoto got the ball into the goal. The final score was 2–2 (1–2). The draw meant that HJK still has a slim chance of a further place in the Conference League.
HJK will play the last match of the first round of the Conference League next week in Seville as a guest of Real Betis. An away win could at least take the Helsinki team to the playoffs.
The dispute between HJK and its supporters colored the starting points of the match. Supporters lit flares during the game, for which HJK will be fined by UEFA again.
Tanaka and Toivio said goodbye
The match was HJK’s midfielder To Atomu Tanaka and topper Joona Toivio the last in front of the home crowd.
The Japanese player represented HJK for a total of eight seasons. HJK’s all-time foreign reinforcement won five Finnish championships in the club’s ranks and played more than 230 competitive matches.
HJK is so far the only club abroad where Tanaka, 37, has played in his long career. His career continues According to MTV Urheilu in the next season, the runner-up in the ranks of KTP.
Toivio, the long-time central defender of the Finnish national team, is a HJK graduate who played his first major league matches in HJK only after returning to Finland after years of playing abroad. However, his position in HJK is reflected by the fact that Toivio has worn the captain’s armband this season.