Meeting between SJK and HJK on Sunday 24.9. from 17:15 on TV2, Areena and ‘s website.
Will VPS ever disappear again?
That question had to be asked to the head coach of VPS For Jussi Nuorela In the story of the sports screen before the upper final series of the Veikkausliiga started.
– I believe that the defeat is closer than the previous defeat. But we won’t necessarily lose anytime soon, Nuorela smiled.
Nuorela’s self-confidence was not unfounded. The people of Vaasa started the final series by defeating KuPS in Kuopio on September 17 with a score of 2–0.
Now, on Friday evening, Honka fell 3–0 in Espoo.
Midfield Prosper Ahiabu your kid Antti-Ville Räisänen the free kick into the net in the 37th minute. In the extra time of the opening period Peter Godly Michael escaped the goalkeeper Teppo Marttinen after a long goal kick and hit 2–0.
In the second episode, Honga’s topper Aldayr Hernandez guided the ball into his own goal after a strong rise from Michael.
– Personally, this was probably one of the easiest games of the season. We defended really well, the guy didn’t get to the goal posts much. Pretty cool, goalkeeper Marttinen told STT.
Historic winning streak
VPS won only one of their first 12 Veikkausliiga matches of the season. There were eight losses, at worst five in a row.
The Veikkausliiga has seen a record-breaking game of chairs this season. Before the start of the playoffs, no fewer than seven teams had changed head coaches.
One of the big reasons is the increase in TV money received by the clubs. The value of the main league place is thus greater than before, and the clubs are looking for changes in direction by all means.
The emergency brake was not pulled in Vaasa. Nuorela was allowed to continue – and now VPS set the Veikkausliiga’s all-time winning streak record.
Since losing to Honga away on June 27, VPS have won every match they have played. Today, VPS got its 12th win in a row, and just as a guest of Honga. VPS rose to share the longest winning streak of the Veikkausliiga era with HJK. HJK won 12 matches in a row in the 2002 season.
The longest winning streak in the Finnish main league is three wins away. HIFK won 15 matches in a row in 1933–34 in the SM series.
When Nuorela was asked if she was afraid for her own laundry during the summer, the answer came again with a smile on her face.
– After all, this has been quite incomprehensible. Seven coaches have already left, and I think a couple of others have been pretty close at some point.
– It wouldn’t have required many more losses. Then you would surely start thinking seriously about whether it would be worth doing something. You can’t just lose forever, Nuorela continued about her own situation.
Nuorela has emphasized in interviews that his team has not performed any magic tricks in turning a losing streak into a historic winning streak.
In the early season, VPS had a lot of painful last-minute setbacks and destruction on the offensive end. In light of the statistics, VPS was not as bad as the league table showed in the first half of the season.
– Nothing has changed in the big picture. In the early season, there were better games than what we have played recently, Nuorela summed up to after ten wins.
European place in binoculars
Because VPS and Nuorela felt that in terms of playing the team is in good shape, they continued to believe and trust in the improvement of the results. Now in Vaasa, it is felt that VPS is in the places it should be – recently some games could have been lost, but on the other hand, more points should have been accumulated from the beginning of the season.
VPS has been great in special situations, plays aggressively and when necessary brazenly straightforward.
The big duo at the attacking end, the Nigerian Peter Godly Michael and the Australian acquired in the summer transfer window Harry Sawyer, have also found quite a flow state. Especially from the beginning of the season, Michael’s messing up goal posts was the talk of the Veikkausliiga, but not anymore.
Michael has now hit 13 league goals – ten of them in the last eight games. Sawyer has saved three hits and is 18 years old Roni Hudd with four.
Thanks to his strong momentum, VPS has now risen to 42 points. It’s the third in a row. KuPS, who played less in the match, have 43 points and HJK have 47 points.
However, the farce team of the early season cannot yet be announced as a place in the European competition. Only the two best teams in the Veikkausliiga will make it to next summer’s European qualifiers, while those ranked 3–7 will play for a place in a separate tournament after the finals to qualify for the Conference League next summer.
A full round in the lower end series
On Friday night, all the teams in the lower final series were also in a hurry. FC Lahti beat AC Oulu 2–1, Ilves beat KTP away 3–0 and IFK Mariehamn took a 2–1 home win from Haka.
For Mariehamn, which is at the bottom of the series, the victory was extremely important. It rose to within two points of KTP. Ilves is again four holes ahead of KTP and tied for the first place in the straight line.
Veikkausliiga standings from this link (teletext).
Meeting between SJK and HJK on Sunday 24.9. from 17:15 on TV2, Areena and ‘s website.