Ilves put its spoon in the championship soup in the game of giant stakes – a tingling end ahead in the football league | Sports in a nutshell

The high-class and entertaining top fight of the football Veikkausliiga went to Ilves in Tammela’s evening lighting.

Ilves, who shook off the troll of over three years of winless KuPS league games, paid their fish debts in the extremely important Veikkausliiga top match, where the team from Tampere was better with 1-0 goals.

Ilves kept their championship dream alive with three points and took second place in the series with 45 points, ahead of HJK ​​with a better goal difference. Despite the defeat, KuPS, who celebrated the cup trophy on Saturday, remained at the top of the league with a margin of two points, with three rounds left in the Veikkausliiga.

– Thinking about the championship, this was a must-win for us. No matter how it ended up. The championship is not entirely in our hands, but if we manage all the remaining games, then I see no reason why we should not celebrate at the end of the season, Ilves defender Juhani Pikkarainen your line.

Next Saturday, the high-stakes games continue when HJK and Ilves meet in Helsinki. KuPS will host FC Haka on Sunday in Kuopio.

In an even opening half, KuPS had better chances, although only Ilves managed to score.

The guests Otto Ruopan the shot was saved by the reaching, 195-centimeter tall Ilves top player Pikkarainen partly even from behind the goal line, but without goal line technology it was impossible to say whether the ball completely crossed the goal line in the 21st minute.

– I felt like I couldn’t get anywhere other than the finish line. This time the ball came straight, and it was a very important goal save, Pikkarainen admitted.

KuPS Axel Widjeskog rattled the crossbar in the 35th minute. Just a couple of minutes later Ilves Oiva Jukkolan the shot, on the other hand, took a lucky bounce from the KuPS player’s calf, unexpectedly, on a bad day, the goalkeeper Johannes Kreidlin.

The league goal for Jukkola, who made a breakthrough in Pikkhuuhkaj, was the fifth this season. Lauri Ala-Myllymäki did a strong preliminary to Ilves’ 1–0 goal with his decisive exploit in the middle area.

In the second, goalless half, the Ilves keeper Take Virtanen perfectly blocked by the KuPS tip Ousmane Diawara a dangerous front corner kick in the 66th minute. Five minutes later, KuPS keeper Kreidli’s adventure ended with a loss of the ball, but Ilves Ala-Myllymäki couldn’t get a game tool towards the goal.

In the last decade, Ilves Adele’s Kreidl prevented the top goal with a vigilant reaction save. KuPS Substitute Jonathan Muzinga tuhri from a few meters from the equalization spot to the second floor in extra time 90+5.

In the lower continuation series, AC Oulu beat FC Inter for the second time this season with goals 1–0 and at the same time reduced the gap to IFK Mariehamn and the qualification line to seven points. 44-year-old from Haukiputa Mikko Isokangas has now led AC Oulu as head coach in four league matches, where the team has collected no less than 10 points.