The people of Espoo couldn’t get the ball towards Toboli’s goal.
Honka dropped out of the Euro fields. Juha Tamminen / AOP
FC Honga’s Euro dreams came crashing down on Thursday in Espoo, when they failed to score against the away team Toboli.
While the second match was completely scoreless, the Kazakh team managed to advance to the next round with a 2-1 aggregate goal with their home win a week ago. Honga scored the only European goal of the summer in Kazakhstan Lucas Kaufmann with a handsome long haul.
At that time, the brass player’s shot was Honga’s only goal of the evening. On Thursday, on their home turf, the people from Espoo couldn’t get a single shot, but ran into Tobol’s defense wall.
Honka created a few chances at home and kept the ball with a higher percentage, but that does not comfort the team in fifth place in the Veikkausliiga.
Go to the yard
Valkeakoski Haka’s euro sky in the Conference League qualifiers also ended on Thursday.
A week ago, Haka overturned a 2-2 draw against the Northern Irish Crusaders on their home field, but on Thursday the hosts won the game 1-0.
The only hit of the match Paul Heatley, when the match had been finished for 74 minutes. The 36-year-old midfielder shot the ball safely past the Haka keeper at the end of his half-time drive Good morning Hakala.
Haka dominated the game in Belfast with 56% and had four shots on goal, but the Crusaders’ goalkeeper Jonny Tuffey kept a clean sheet.
Two included
KuPS and HJK, who advanced to the next round of the Champions League against Molde on Wednesday, continue to play in the Euro courts.
As the winner of the Finnish Cup, KuPS went directly to the second round of the Conference League. The people of Kuopio will face Derry City from Northern Ireland, who knocked out HB Torshavn from the Faroe Islands in the opening round.
Both HJK and KuPS continue the Euro games next week.