SJK suffered its first defeat of the season in the Veikkausliiga, when Haka was better with a score of 2–0. AC Oulu and Gnistan ended up tied for points. See all Saturday’s goals in this story.
SpongeBob Forsberg,
STT Sports
21:15•Updated 21:53
HJK rose to second place in the Veikkausliiga when they claimed away points from Turku with a 1–0 win over Inter. At the top of the series is VPS, which has played fewer matches with a difference of one point.
The winning goal came in the 39th minute, when Kevin Kouassivi-Benissan continued the high center backslash For Anthony Olusanyawho shot into the back left corner.
Olusanya’s shot was the only one HJK got on target.
The reigning champion HJK has started its season with a bang. The away win was their first of the season. It had drawn its previous three matches, including a 0–0 draw against promoted side EIF. The underwhelming performances have been criticized by the supporters and the media has speculated whether the team is in crisis.
The victory was therefore a relief for the team from Helsinki, although the performance was still not very convincing.
Inter had a lot of chances in the match, and they took possession of the ball by 63%, scoring attempts by 13–1 and shots on goal by 7–1. HJK veskar Jesse Öst kept his team up with his saves.
– Game-wise, we were behind Inter, but we still got an important win. After three draws, the points were really needed, HJK’s head coach Ossi Virta said to STT.
Inter, who started the season with the highest expectations, have won only one of their six Veikkausliiga matches and are ninth in the series.
Ruuttu’s TV studio talked about the teams meeting as a crisis derby.
Inter started to get frustrated with the situation as the match progressed, and the striker Jean Botue took two yellow cards in the final moments and flew off the field.
– I am satisfied with everything else except the end result. After that performance, we would have earned points for this match as well, Inter’s head coach Vesa Vasara your sum.
The Fulham loan was settled
Haka defeated SJK 2–0 and thus played the fifth consecutive undefeated match, causing the same guests the opening loss of the season. The winning goal was scored by a loanee from Fulham’s junior teams Imani Lanquedoc20.
– I am happy, of course. I scored and we won. The tactics worked again, and we played as a team, Lanquedoc summed up.
The head coach of SJK, who also won the 2005 championship in Haka Toni Lehtinen admitted the correctness of the result.
– We lacked intensity. Not many opportunities were created, said Lehtinen.
Many Finns have played in Fulham, Jari Litmanen and Antti Niemi the most famous. At the same time, a striker transferred from Jazz has been playing with Lanquedoc Terry Ablade.
– I still remember the match in Sunderland when we won 4-3 and I came on as a substitute. We were friends, and I asked him about the conditions in Finland before I came. I got good advice from him, said Lanquedoc, who lives in Valkeakoski.
The match in question was in the English Under-23 League in August 2021. Ablade played for Fulham’s juniors for five seasons before moving to First League side Carlisle.
– The last time we called was two weeks ago, Lanquedoc, who knows a few words of Finnish, said.
Oulu continues without a win
AC Oulu is still winless in the Veikkausliiga, as it played a 1-1 draw with the promoted Gnistan.
– Frustrating once again. We should win little by little, but it’s not enough, AC Oulu’s topper Samuli Hölttä it rained.
AC Oulu, which started the season with the highest expectations, has collected a meager three points. The team is anchored at the bottom of the series, and the game has not yet seen a leading idea.
Gnistan started scoring after half an hour when Benjamin Tatar centered the ball from the corner of the penalty area in front of the goal, from which Jonas Enkerud guided the game tool to the goal.
Oulu striker Ashley Coffey leveled the game after 39 minutes of play.
Although the victory was not taken, the match was of a special quality for Höltä. Toppari has spoken emotionally about the testicular cancer he got in 2022 and the heavy treatments it brought.
The illness practically took the best blade for a year, but Haukiputaa finally grew up to play in the league in his home region.
– It’s incredibly cool that I get to play the league here. It feels like I’m living in a dream sometimes. The hard journey has been covered, and now the work has been rewarded.
Gnistan started the season cheerfully with victories over Inter and Ilves, but it has been more difficult since then. Before the Oulu match, it had lost three series matches in a row and dropped out of the Finnish Cup with a loss to VJS, which plays in Kakkose.
Updated at 21:52: Added comments from Virtra and Vasara.