TPS celebrated the victory at the expense of HJK.
HJK did not manage to score in Turku. Topi Kanerva / AOP
The wild beginning of the Veikkausliiga season continued on Friday evening. Turun Palloseura, the league winner, already got their third win of the season. This time, HJK lost to TPS with 1–0 goals.
After a scoreless opening period, the Turku crowd erupted into joy in the 51st minute. Fullback Eetu Turkey found with his pass by Theodoros Tsirigotiswho unbelievably easily managed to escape from HJK’s guard and half-pass through. The Greek striker made a small deviation after the box boundary and shot through the post to give TPS a 1–0 lead.
In the 87th minute, we saw more drama. Smoke started rising from the stands of HJK supporters towards the field. The referee ordered both teams to the dressing room, and soon it was announced at the Veritas stadium that the match had been suspended due to the disruptive behavior of the supporters.
The break didn’t last more than a few minutes, and the game continued.
HJK got another 10 minutes to equalize, but even that didn’t save them from defeat. The balance of zero points was HJK’s second of the season, and their play has not dazzled in the early season.
With its victory, TPS rose to 12 points and placed second.
Opening win for Ilves
The Tampere audience finally got a reason to smile. Ilves got their opening win of the season by beating AC Oulu 1–0.
The only goal of the match was seen in the 11th minute. Oliver Pettersson bait and Teemu Hytönen completed his third complete game of the season.
The scalp was hard for Ilves. AC Oulu, who had a great start to the season, was in first place in the league table before Friday’s matches.
KuPS can rise to the top if they beat SJK at home on Friday.
