Gentjana Rochi’s four goals guaranteed the Kuopio Football Club the Finnish Cup championship. Next, the people of Kuopio are looking for the third consecutive championship of the National League.
KuPS made club history on Sunday, when it won the first women’s soccer Finnish Cup championship. The people from Kuopio won the championship in a show of style, as they beat the 17-time cup champion HJK by as much as 5–0 (3–0).
The most visible player of the champion team was Gentjana Rochi, who completed no less than four spectacular hits. The cup championship tasted good to the North Macedonian.
– We have been waiting for this for so long. Finally we were in the final and we won! This was the only thing I haven’t won in Finland. Now I finally got it. I am proud of both myself and the team. We made history today, Rochi beamed.
Roch’s first two goals came in the first period with spectacular shots. In the second period, he completed his third goal, first from a corner in the 78th minute, and a minute later he completed his fourth goal from a through drive.
– I am happy that I scored goals, but I have to give credit to my team. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. We were all on the same page today and everyone gave 100 percent. It brought a result, Rochi assured.
KuPS, who won the previous two Finnish championships, had previously only reached the semi-final stage in the Cup. This time, the team eliminated FC Nokia, Åland United and Ilves from the playoffs and had a goal difference of 21–1 in three matches.
KuPS head coach Pauliina Miettinen was relieved after the match, because even though the team leads the National League by six points to HJK, the season has not been easy. Miettinen himself arrived in Kuopio in the middle of the season, when Ollipekka Ojala went on sick leave.
– We have been through a lot with this team. I have been to Europe, losing important games and getting promoted from there. This week has been amazing in training, and it showed today on the field. I’m really proud, Miettinen said.
HJK has been a thorn in KuPS’s side this season, as the Helsinki team has beaten KuPS twice this season. According to Roch, the team has studied HJK’s game hard, especially this week.
– The players react well to the changes. It was a really great performance from the team, Miettinen praised his proteges.
“KuPS was more accurate”
In the HJK camp, the loss naturally took a toll. by Linda Nyman according to the cup championship was one of the big goals of the season, but now the team has to settle for silver medals like last season.
In Nyman’s opinion, HJK had chances in the match, but unlike the previous meeting between the teams, which HJK won 4–2, the Helsinki team this time did not succeed in finishing.
– Matches like this are decided in boxing and today KuPS was more precise. Teams like KuPS will take advantage of the situation if we leave them room, Nyman said.
KuPS has a chance to decide the championship on league Wednesday
KuPS is looking for a double championship this season, and it has a chance to secure the third consecutive Finnish championship in Wednesday’s PK-35 Vantaa match played by .
According to Miettinen, the team gained a lot of self-confidence from the Cup championship, but the people of Kuopio are not thinking about the golden jubilee yet.
– Three games left. We will definitely focus on each game fully and try to do our best to bring the championship to Kuopio, he said.
Tampere Ilves celebrated their victory in the men’s Finnish Cup on Saturday. It beat Honga from Espoo 2–1 in the final match. Ilves, who played a sticky season in the Veikkausliiga, will receive a direct place in next season’s European Conference League qualifiers as well as 50,000 euros.
Ilves is ninth in the Veikkausliiga. The team fought for a long time even in the relegation zone, but earlier this week the team secured their place in next season’s league. Honka received 10,000 euros for second place in the Cup. It is fifth in the Veikkausliiga, and the team still has a theoretical chance for third place.
KuPS again received a prize pool of 20,000 euros for their victory in the Finnish Cup, and HJK received 4,000 euros.
The interviewer was Walter Kronqvist.