Nordic Football News

FC Inter – Haka 0-2

0-1 Sami Ristilä 50.
0-2 Mika Mäkitalo 54.

Attendance: 3116

PRESS CONFERENCE

Job Dragtsma, FC Inter:

-We were the better team, but if you mistakes and do not score goals, this can happen. I am satisfied with the way we played.
-We tried to win the game, Haka tried not to lose the game. One team played the game, the other just wanted to see what happens and countered occasionally.
-We gave it away, you just cannot make the mistakes we made if you want to win.
-I cannot really explain Verino’s mistakes. He simply missed two easy balls.

Olli Huttunen, Haka:

-We won a very good team, but we must keep in mind that this is like any other game in the sense that it gives no more than three points.
-Inter were way better in the first half, we were muppets. I was very disappointed with the first half and held a harsh team talk at half-time. You just can’t win if you lose every single ball.
-In the second half we created some pressure, and it resulted in mistakes, which in turn resulted in goals.
-Dragtsma said that we only tried not to lose, but that is not true. There’s many ways to win a football game: they tried to win the game through ball possession, we did the dirty work.

Ari Nyman, FC Inter:

-We controlled the first half and had no problems whatsoever.
-The goals were too easy, and it’s obviously difficult to try and break the kind of heavy defence we saw today.
-It’s not fair to put the blame on any one player. Everyone makes mistakes, but when someone in the defensive line makes a mistake there’s a good chance that it shows on the scoreboard.

Mika Mäkitalo, Haka:

-We came here looking for three points and we got what we wanted.
-I celebrated my goal fairly calmly. I spent so much time at Inter that I had to hold it back a little.

LIVE BLOG

90+5 minutes: Ojala’s last desperate effort marks the end of the game, Haka win 2-0. Comments from Job Dragtsma and Olli Huttunen to follow in 15-25 minutes.

90+4 minutes: Kauppila clears on two occasions.

90+3 minutes: Inter are visiting the last chance saloon – a corner from the right, to be delivered by Sanevuori.

90+1 minutes: Bäckman’s through ball finds its way to Strandvall, who is offside. Strandvall kicks the ball away and receives a booking.

90 minutes: Viljanen wins the ball deep in his own area and Inter are given a foul for some odd reason. Sanevuori puts the free kick into the construction site that will be the new end stand in a couple of months.

90 minutes: Additional time 5 minutes, what the hell?!

88 minutes: Substitution for Haka, Innanen leaves the pitch and is replaced by Petri Viljanen. Inter are putting on some pressure, but mainly pose a threat through long range efforts and crosses. Haka defend well, and Inter can’t make their way through down the middle.

85 minutes: Hynynen counters for Haka, Lehtonen saves Inter from a third conceded goal at the last moment.

84 minutes: Nothing comes of it. Ramirez should have been given another yellow card there, as he clearly struck the ball before the referee gave the permission. Munukka lets Ramirez get away with it.

84 minutes: Another Inter free kick, this time from 25 meters. Ristilä thinks he’s fouled and handballs while on the ground.

82 minutes: An excellent strike from Ramirez, but Korhonen is well positioned and makes an awesome save from the top corner.

82 minutes: A Haka player handballs 20 meters from goal and Inter get an excellent chance from a free kick.

81 minutes: Strandvall wins a 1 vs. 1 against Paajanen, who gives up way too easily. Strandvall moves in to shoot from 20 meters, but the ball goes wide.

79 minutes: Ramirez loses the ball to Hynynen, but Innanen is offside by the time Hynynen delivers the through ball.

78 minutes: Inter have had some pressure during the last couple of minutes. Furuholm had an excellent chance from five meters, but Korhonen saves. The first time that Korhonen really had to go to greater lengths.

75 minutes: Holopainen takes his time over the free kick that follows and gets a booking.

75 minutes: Mäkitalo is fouled. Furuholm is annoyed by the whistle and takes an incredibly stupid booking as he lets the ref know what he thinks about the decision. The writing was on the wall, not the first time Furuholm whines tonight. Substitution for Haka, Mäkitalo walks out to the whistles of his former supporters. Jani Bäckman replaces him.

74 minutes: Ramirez gets a shot in from 20 meters, no problem for Korhonen.

73 minutes: Mäkitalo plays a good ball to Innanen. Bantamoi comes out and kicks the ball into the main stand, a trademark move. After the consequent free kick, Nyman brings down Mäkitalo but the ref does not see a reason to give a foul.

71 minutes: Hynynen dribbles into the area from the right, but cannot pass the ball to the middle or get a shot in. Instead, Nyman outplays him and Inter get a goal kick.

70 minutes: Inter is piling on some pressure now. Not a surprise, given their attacking power. Grot just got in a decent header and almost connected to a cross, but Haka have survived so far. Holopainen is back for Haka.

68 minutes: Ten-man Haka get a corner, but it goes straight beyond the touchlines.

67 minutes: Furuholm gets a good chance, but it is controversially flagged as an offside. It doesn’t matter though, as Furuholm panicks and shoots it high.

66 minutes: Inter have a really attacking formation now: Lehtonen, Nyman and Aho form the defensive line, Ramirez plays defensive midfielder. Sanevuori, Kennedy and Purje make up the midfield while Grot and Furuholm play up front. Basically they have five attackers when they attack, as Kennedy and Purje have a tendency to join in.

64 minutes: Ramirez is brought down in the area but Munukka does not feel like giving a penalty, which is a somewhat dubious decision. Holopainen is lying on the pitch now, I’m afraid I missed the incident. He has to be carried off the pitch.

63 minutes: Two substitutions for Inter: Verino and Ojala leave the pitch, Purje and Sanevuori come on.

61 minutes: Inter are playing with two strikers after Grot came on and given that both Kennedy and Ojala are attacking wingers, they basically have four players up front when attacking. Haka are playing well though and don’t look like the team they were in the first half.

57 minutes: Substitution for Inter: Pertot out, Grot in.

56 minutes: Kennedy makes it deep into the final third. His cross is deflected out for a corner. Haka clear Ojala’s corner and Innanen manages to take the ball past the halfway line before passing to a team-mate. The receiver was brought down by Ramirez, who picks up a booking for the foul.

56 minutes: Verino is clearly stripped of confidence now. Haka should put even more pressure on him, that might be a key to putting the game beyond all doubt.

55 minutes: Substitution for Haka: Ikävalko leaves the pitch, Antti Hynynen replaces him.

54 minutes: 0-2 MÄKITALO. Yet another mistake from Verino! Ikävalko easily passes the Argentinian down the right flank and plays it to the middle for Mäkitalo, who beautifully punishes his former club with a strike into the top corner.

52 minutes: Haka gain momentum: Mäkitalo provides Innanen with a chance to shoot, but Innanen does not manage to get a shot in. Inter are struggling: as I type, Ramirez passes the ball straight to Strandvall.

50 minutes: 0-1 RISTILÄ. Verino’s mistake lets in Ristilä, who seems to take more touches than he needed to. He dribbles himself into a small angle, but scores anyway. An awful mistake from Verino, Hooiveld would have never made such an error. The same applies to Corpache, who now plays for Haka.

48 minutes: Following Ojala’s freekick from the left, Inter get the ball on the edge of the area. Kennedy’s shot is deflected, and Haka clear.

46 minutes: Ojala attempts a cross, but it’s gone behind for a goal kick. Some Haka fans have found their way to the bar in the main stand, and are chanting Mika Mäkitalo’s name in a rather drunken manner. They are well organised though, they actually have a capo who shouts “Mika Mäkitalo”, a yell to which the others respond accordingly.

45 minutes: Ojala and Kennedy have switched sides again. Kennedy is taking care of the left flank, while Ojala plays right winger.

45 minutes: 15 minutes is gone, and the play re-commences. No substitutions made.

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45 minutes: Half-time. Inter were way better except for the last 5-10 minutes. Haka need to find some composure when they have the ball.

44  minutes: Ramirez strikes a low shot from 25 meters. A bit wide of the left post.

43 minutes: Innanen causes some trouble for Inter as he dribbles into the area from the left. He is brought down, but the referee does not see a reason to give a penalty.

42 minutes: Inter tries to reach Furuholm with a long ball. It is a success, except Furuholm handballs.

41 minutes: Haka show signs of improving now. Next time they might wanna start playing sooner than five minutes before half-time.

39 minutes: Corpache’s free kick reaches Innanen near the edge of the area. As he dribbles, Kennedy brings him down but the foul is not given. Haka do get a free kick some seconds later from out wide, but Bantamoi easily catches the ball.

38 minutes: Verino slides in on Mäkitalo, who is left rolling on the ground. Free kick to Haka near the halfway line.

36 minutes: Inter wingers Kennedy and Ojala change sides every now and then, and it seems to work. Right-footed Ojala is a real threat on the left, as he can cut in using his right foot.

35 minutes: Furuholm finds some space in Haka’s area, but he shoots from too small an angle to cause any real threat.

34 minutes: Haka keep up the pressure and get another corner, this time from the right. Innanen gets the ball outside but near the edge of the area. His shot is deflected though.

33 minutes: Haka finally create some pressure. A through ball almost reaches Ristilä. Lehttonen has to intercept, and Haka get a corner, which results in…nothing.

32 minutes: Verino jumps on Ikävalko’s back, but the ref does nothing.

29 minutes: Aristides Pertot finds Lehtonen in the area, but the assistant rightly flags an offside.

28 minutes: Haka almost build their first decent attack in some 15 minutes, but Ikävalko ends up “crossing” the ball beyond the touchline.

27 minutes: Ojala crosses from the right, but his team-mates fail to connect.

26 minutes: A good ball from Innanen reaches Ikävalko near the edge of the area, but Ikävalko loses out to Ramirez.

26 minutes: Inter produce yet another attack, but the shot from Ramirez causes no real threat.

23 minutes: Inter get another corner and the ball lands in Nyman’s feet, but Nyman fails to hit the ball. Furuholm gets the ball to his feet six meters from goal, but his shot goes high. Should have scored.

22 minutes: Haka are still struggling and are constantly on the receiving end of proceedings.

20 minutes: A Haka player clears the ball to Ojala, whose cross ends up on top of the goal.

20 minutes: Kauppila deflects out Kennedy’s effort, and Inter get a corner.

19 minutes: Inter fans get the crowd going as the home team builds an attack after another. Still no real shots though.

18 minutes: Inter build another decent attack and Haka find it difficult to clear. From the resulting throw-in, Furuholm passes the ball out and is angered with not getting a corner.

17 minutes: Ramirez plays a long ball towards Furuholm, who almost connects. He has to let the ball bounce though, and Korhonen eventually gets to it.

16 minutes: Kauppila intercepts an Inter pass and Haka counter. Ristilä is stopped 35 meters from goal and Haka get a free kick, which is easily intercepted by Nyman.

13 minutes: A decent cross this time, but Bantamoi comes out to pick the ball.

12 minutes: Innanen is about to get through from the right. Verino brings him down and is deservedly booked. A Haka free kick from the right.

12 minutes: Ojala finds Ramirez in the middle of the pitch, but Ramirez blasts the ball into the parking area.

9 minutes: Haka get a free kick from out wide, but Lehtonen easily intercepts Strandvall’s effort.

9 minutes: Inter build an attack through the middle, but Mika Ojala fails to hit the target from the edge of the area.

7 minutes: Paajanen passes to Ojala, who dribbles his way into the penalty area. His through ball does not reach Furuholm though, and Korhonen saves.

5 minutes: Inter have had the better of the game in the early minutes. As I type, Aho is trying to reach Furuholmwith a long ball but the ball ends up in Korhonen’s hands.

3 minutes: Inter build a decent attack from the right flank, but do not manage to get a shot in. Haka clear, and Dragtsma misses his interception when trying to catch the ball in front of the Inter bench. Inter coach Job Dragtsma attempts a sliding tackle, but miserably falls over and sees the ball pass him.

2 minutes: Both sides start nervously, with neither side able to keep the ball on the ground. It might be because of the pitch though. It’s not absolutely soaked, but must have water to make things more difficult.

00:00: Kick-off!

6:28 PM: The rain might have alarmed people, but right now the weather is ideal for football – not much wind, the temperature is alright and it seems like the sun might start shining again.

6:26 PM: The players come out now. The Haka fans have a decent following, I’m used to seeing much smaller Haka supporter groups in Turku. They have been chanting for a good half hour, good stuff.

6:11 PM: Oh, the referees – Antti Munukka will officiate the game, with Mikko Alakare and Sami Nykänen as his assistants.

6:09 PM: The players are warming up on the pitch, and the Haka fans are setting up their banners while chanting. They had reportedly (I missed it) made their prescence known with flares outside the stadium – nice one.

6:00 PM: The starting line-ups have arrived, see the appropriate heading above.

4:00 PM: Heavy rain and thunder just swept over the town to make sure the attendance figure will not give reasons to cheer. More importantly, it could affect the quality of the game. The rain only lasted for half an hour, but it was very heavy, so the pitch won’t be dry in 2,5 hours. Whether enough water will evaporate to facilitate a short passing game is a question mark. The good side of it is that there is no sign of any more rain.

FORM

Neither of these two teams were expected to be anything more than outside candidates with regards to the title race, but top 2 they are six rounds into the campaign.

Inter have not lost in five games, but they should hold back for a while before they put the champagne in the cold. Of the better teams they have only played TPS. While they did clear that and the other obstacles, they have space for improvement – which is only natural, given that the team has only been together for so little time.

Tonight’s game against Haka will be their biggest challenge so far. The visitors are unbeaten in four games and have cleared TPS and Tampere United, while drawing with Honka. Last Sunday saw Haka beat RoPS 3-1 at home. On their website, Jani Kauppila claims that the team are in high spirits, which in all likelihood is true, given their good run.

LINE-UPS

FC Inter Turku: Patrick Bantamoi; Henri Lehtonen, Claudio Verino, Ari Nyman, Joni Aho; Alberto Ramirez, Severi Paajanen, Aristides Pertot; Kennedy Nwanganga, Mika Ojala, Timo Furuholm

(David Monsalve, Touko Tumanto, Guillano Grot, Ats Purje, Sami Sanevuori, Ville Nikkari, Joni Kauko)

Haka: Janne Korhonen; Pietari Holopainen, Diego Corpache, Jari Nikkilä, Jarno Mattila; Mikko Innanen, Jani Kauppila, Mika Mäkitalo, Sebastian Strandvall; Sami Ristilä, Niko Ikävalko

(Erkka Heinä, Petri Viljanen, Antti Hynynen, Valeri Minkenen, Nicolas Kivistö, Jani Bäckman, Juuso Salonen)

Inter are missing Pablo-Gomez Marttila, while Kalle Parviainen is out for Haka. Starting line-ups to appear here at 6 PM.

SPECIAL STUFF

*Haka’s centre-back Diego Corpache and central midfielder Mika Mäkitalo will play against their former club. When interviewed for Veikkausliiga.com, Corpache said he doesn’t think Inter fans will make a problem out of him playing at Kupittaa but not wearing a shirt with black and blue stripes.

“I got along well with the fans when I played for Inter. I don’t think they have anything against me”, Corpache explains.

Not so fast, Diego. You are talking about the same fans who quickly got into the habit of trying to unsettle no other than Jari Litmanen when he came on last year in Inter’s home fixture against Lahti.

*It is a top clash and as such will promote itself, right Inter? Absolutley no special hype created around this game, even though Inter are topping the league. The club’s efforts to capitalise on their title glory have bordered on the non-existent. I’m afraid a small ad in the local paper won’t be enough to get the crowds moving. This is a game of huge customer potential, given that it is a Saturday evening top clash at Finland’s best stadium, but lousy promotion is the best way to make sure people come up with better ways to spend their weekend. Even if there is a good crowd tonight, I wouldn’t heap praise on Inter’s marketing.