Nordic Football News

FF Jaro – Tampere United 1-4
RoPS – FC Inter 0-0
HJK – IFK Mariehamn 4-0
MyPa – FC Honka 0-2
FC Haka – VPS 1-0
FC Lahti – FC KooTeePee 1-0
TPS – KuPS 3-3

Click on the game for highlights. TPS-KuPS should appear later.

Inter still did not lose, but their form is not so amazing anymore. They have drawn six times in their last seven games. Remarkably, except for Sunday’s goalless draw, Inter have scored the first goal in all those seven games. Maybe they get a bit too complacent after scoring?

The coaches in Veikkausliiga are usually quite professional (well, despite the fact that very few of them wear suits and even fewer really care what they wear for games), but sometimes they go a bit too far. Following MyPa’s defeat against Honka on Sunday, MyPa coach Janne Hyppönen was not very happy with Heikki Pulkkinen’s missed penalty.

We have two rules in the team as far as penalties are concerned. Number one, Tuomas Kuparinen will take the penalty if he is on the pitch. Number two, Heikki Pulkkinen will not take the penalty.

What a confidence boost for Pulkkinen. Anyway, MyPa would have preferred someone other than Honka to break their unbeaten run. They are firmly rooted in the race for the title, however, and should not feel too down-hearted.

IFK Mariehamn succumbed to a four-goal trashing against HJK, who are in great form. FC Lahti, unsurprisingly, got three points and the game was awful. TPS compensated their good recent form by producing a horrible performance against KuPS. Two late goals saved them, but they need to solve a few things out before Inter host them in the second Turku derby of the season on Monday.

In the Champions League, Tampere United are half buried after they went down 3-1 in their home game against Artmedia. Egan will probably post more about that, having been there himself. What I heard was that TamU faced the same problems they have encountered in Veikkausliiga this season.