“Rankari specialist” Otso Virtanen denied Ilves a victory in a penalty shootout against tough Austria Wien.
11:34am•Updated 12:17pm
On Wednesday, Tampere Ilves advanced to the third qualifying round of the Conference League by beating Austria Wien in a penalty shootout 5–4. Ilves advances with a combined goal score of 6–5.
In advance, Austria Wien was a clear favorite against Ilves, because Wien is one of the most successful clubs in Austrian football. The last time the team advanced to the conference league group stage was in the 2022–23 season.
Ilves head coach Joonas Rantanen was happy about the team’s surprising place in the next round.
– It was known that you have to play two button games, that the next place is possible. A really hard performance from the team. You can’t help but be proud and happy.
– There were many moments when we had to defend from a lower position than in Veikkausliiga matches, Rantanen told Urheilu.
The injured Virtanen became a hero
Ilves changed their goalkeeper in the 121st minute of the game at the end of extra time, when Ville Seppä28, made room Take it to Virtanes.
30-year-old Virtanen prevented Ilves from going on in the penalty shootout when the goalkeeper stopped Vienna’s fifth attempt.
Virtanen had to leave the teams’ first half after the injury. However, the blacksmith managed to fix it elegantly with a win.
– Otso had a small injury, because of which he couldn’t possibly play the whole second game. As the captain of the team, he is an important moral support and it was known that Otso is good to be with (in Vienna) if we go to penalty kicks. He has shown earlier in his career that he is a good defender of tough guys.
– We thought about making a change because Sepä also had a good feeling in the game. We ended up doing the exchange and it turned out to be the right solution.
The preliminary match dates for the third qualifying round of the conference league are August 8 and 15.
– It is believed that Virtanen will be healthy and fit to play quite quickly, head coach Rantanen added.
The fighting atmosphere is fine
Djurgården, who are second in the Swedish Allsvenskan, will most likely meet in the next round.
Finnish gamblers by Rasmus Schüller and Miro Tenhon represented by Djurgården will play the second leg of the Konferessiliiga against Niederkorn from Luxembourg on Thursday. The first leg ended with a clear 3–0 victory for the team.
– Djurgården is an extremely tough opponent. The difference between Austria and Vienna is that in Vienna the league season is just starting and in Djurgården the season is already well underway. Their playing is more ready than Vienna’s. Against them, we are required to stretch again and play key games, Rantanen said.
Against Austria, Ilves showed that the team’s fighting spirit is in order, when it leveled three times in the match.
After a difficult early season, the team has risen to fourth in the Veikkausliiga. Rantanen reminded that the team has also shown its will to fight during the domestic league season. It is shown by the 3-0 win against league leader HJK and turning the VPS game into a win the other weekend.
– I think back to those opening games of the Veikkausliiga season, when we had a really challenging time. At that time, the team already showed perseverance and patience and faith in their own doing. Those experiences have certainly given us a lot more for these moments. We know we can create scoring chances and against Vienna it worked from the start of the game.
Goalkeeper Virtanen received a red card in Ilves’ most recent Veikkausliiga match against VPS. In this way, the team cannot get its injured hero goalkeeper, who is suspended, to score in the upcoming Veikkausliiga match.