HIFK end 44-year wait to paint Helsinki red

Long-awaited joy was bestowed upon HIFK's faithful fanbase on Friday night as their side claimed bragging rights from the Stadin derby for the first time since 1972.

The thrilling 2-1 win over their rivals, league leaders HJK, was HIFK's first of the modern era since their 2015 return to the top flight of Finnish football.

Victory provided a crucial 3 points for HIFK's survival hopes as they tightened their grip on 10th position and moved 5 points clear of Inter Turku who occupy the relegation playoff spot.

The result compounded HJK's stuttering form which has seen their hopes of a 28th Finnish championship falter in recent weeks.

Last night's result has opened the door for Åland based IFK Mariehamn who can move one point clear at the top on Sunday with a win over cellar-dwellers PK-35 Vantaa. Tampere's FC Ilves are also nipping at HJK's heels and can draw level on points with a win in Lahti with only 3 rounds remaining.

Stadin Kingit lit up Sonera Stadium before kick off (Photo: Tommi Hänninen)

Juho Mäkelä and Pekka Sihvola did the damage for HIFK with two well taken goals before Alfredo Morelos pulled a goal back for HJK late on to make the closing minutes interesting.

Journeyman Mäkelä returned to haunt his former club by opening the scoring with his eighth goal of the season; a deft header soon after the half hour mark.

The striker enjoyed three successful spells at HJK in between stints in Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, and Australia, however fan's affections went out the door when his pen touched paper for HIFK earlier this year.

Mäkelä clearly remembered his hostile reception from Klubipääty back in May in which fans burnt his old jersey. Such treatment dispelled former loyalties, allowing Mäkelä to wheel away in celebration without remorse for his former employers.

Sihvola was on hand to double HIFK's advantage in the second half, running onto Ville Salmikivi's insightful pass to tuck the ball past Thomas Dähne before celebrating with the elated Stadin Kingit behind the goal.

Morelos provided hope for HJK with a late header, however the Colombian's fifteenth goal of the season proved to be little more than consolation as HIFK held on for the win with some inspired last ditch defending in the closing minutes.

The final whistle brought jubilation for the HIFK fans in Pohjoispääty (the north stand), the majority of whom had never witnessed a Stadin derby win in their lifetime. Fans spilled onto the pitch to celebrate the historic win with the players to begin a party of red that would burn long into the night.

Klubi will require a drastic turn in fortune in their final few weeks if they are to claim the Finnish championship. By cruel coincidence all three of their remaining fixtures are against clubs in the top four, providing a challenging October for the reigning champions as the 2016 Veikkausliiga rolls on toward an epic conclusion.

Kosovo celebrate historic first point in Finland

Finland's poor international form continued on Monday evening as they failed to spoil Kosovo's competitive debut with a 1-1 draw at Veritas Stadion in Turku.

Paulus Arajuuri opened the scoring after the quarter hour mark for the hosts as Huuhkajat (the Owls) took their narrow lead into the interval. The plucky Kosovars fought back in the second period to claim a historic point courtesy of Valon Berisha's spot kick.

The dropped points provided an underwhelming start to Finland's World Cup qualifying campaign in a challenging Group I which features more seasoned opponents in Croatia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Iceland.

Kosovo on the other hand will celebrate the tremendous result having only been accepted as FIFA and UEFA's newest member in May 2016. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and had been campaigning to join for several years.

Finland are yet to register a win under Hans Backe since the Swede took the reigns from caretaker manager Markku Kanerva in January, with Kanerva reverting back to the assistant manager position he held under Mixu Paatelainen since 2011 .

Poor form aside Finland were favourites going into the match and had every right to be hopeful of a positive result with a front line led by Teemu Pukki and Joel Pohjanpalo.

Pukki is Europe's in-form striker at the moment having netted 14 goals in 11 appearances for Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF. Pohjanpalo's season is also off to a bright start; the 21 year old recently found the back of the net one minute into his Bundesliga debut for Bayer Leverkusen.

The visitors experienced a nervy lead-up to their first ever World Cup qualifier as manager Albert Bunjaki was left waiting at his Turku hotel for a phone call confirming the late approval of eligibility for no less than six players. The green light finally came from FIFA only a few hours before kick off, allowing Bunjaki to proceed with his intended starting line-up.

Nine approvals had been issued by FIFA's player's status committee earlier on Monday morning as the fifteen players successfully switched allegiances to represent Kosovo in time for kick-off. Seven had previously represented Albania with the remaining having featured for Switzerland, Germany, Norway, and Sweden.

While FIFA does not usually allow the changing of national teams it allowed exceptions for Kosovo due to their recently approved formation. The questionably belated nature of the approvals certainly did not assist in their preparation for the fixture.

Despite their underdog status and unsettling administrative delays it was Kosovo who rose to the occasion as they edged the hosts on both possession and chances created throughout the match.

An early Kosovar counterattack provided the first flash of things to come as Leart Paqarada rattled the crossbar with a dipping volley from the edge of the box.

Roman Eremenko should have given Huuhkajat the lead soon after when Amir Rrahmani's defensive blunder placed him one-on-one with Samir Ujkani. The keeper spread his frame to deny the CSKA Moscow midfielder with a block at the worthy expense of a corner.

Eremenko made immediate amends for his casual finish by delivering an inch-perfect cross onto the head of Thomas Lam from the ensuing short corner. Lam glanced the ball on for Arajuuri and the Lech Poznan defender took full advantage to control the ball and fire Finland into the lead.

Arajuuri will join Pukki at Brøndby when his contract expires this coming December. His future teammate soon got in on the opportunities only to see his first and second efforts drift and deflect wide in what was a tough night at the office for the prolific striker.

Kosovo grew in confidence in the second half and looked increasingly threatening as their direct style began to unsettle the Finnish backline.

They were rewarded for their efforts on the hour mark when Milot Rashica stole the ball from Robin Lod in the middle of the park. Jukka Raitala's failure to react and track back allowed Bernard Berisha to race into space; the unmarked midfielder duly received the ball before he was felled in the box by Lam's clumsy challenge.

Valon Berisha made no mistake from the spot as he fired high and to Lukas Hradecky's right to net Kosovo's first ever competitive goal and draw wild celebrations from the travelling fans.

The pride was evident on the Valon Berisha's face; the Red Bull Salzburg midfielder had only successfully switched allegiance from Norway to Kosovo a few hours earlier and he was already in dreamland with a debut goal that will forever be etched in Kosovo's football history.

The pressure didn't let up there as Hradecky was soon drawn into a brilliant diving save to deny Fanol Perdedaj from long range with his fingertips.

While Finland rallied in search of the lead Kosovo professionally defended deep with numbers and continued to threaten on the break until the final whistle.

Full time brought jeers from the discontented home fans while Kosovo will savour their bright start to competitive football long into the night.

1-1 draws were the feature of the night in Group I as Turkey came from behind to draw in Croatia while Ukraine did the same at home against Iceland to leave the entire group finely poised.

The Stadin Derby

Tension hung in the air surrounding Sonera Stadium on Thursday evening as Finland's capital braced itself for an intense ninety city-dividing minutes of football. HJK versus HIFK. Blue versus red. Derby day was upon Helsinki.

The peaceful backstreets of Töölö were transformed into a football festival as hoards of fans descended upon the stadium to witness the next installment of Finland's most highly anticipated football clash.

The history of the Stadin Derby stems back to their first meeting in 1909 in which HIFK prevailed on the day by a 3-1 scoreline. Its title translates to "derby of Helsinki", with stadi being slang for Helsinki derived from the Swedish word stad, meaning city. At the time both clubs were associated with Helsinki's middle class and allegiance was decided by your mother tongue, with HJK and HIFK representing the Finnish and Swedish speaking populations respectively.

Nowadays the significance of language and class has somewhat faded due to social changes and the increasing multiculturalism of Helsinki, yet the rivalry remains strong having been recently renewed by HIFK's 2015 return to the Finnish top flight. Their relegation back in 1972 kept the rivalry bubbling under the surface for over four decades as they toiled in the lower divisions of Finnish football.

During their plight HIFK dropped as low as Nelonen in the early eighties and again as recently as 2003-05. Nelonen translates to four and operates as Finland's fifth tier of football. Under the guidance of current manager Jani Honkavaara they earned back-to-back promotions from Kakkonen (meaning two, third tier) in 2013 and Ykkönen (one, second tier) in 2014 after narrowly topping the table on goal difference.

Their long-awaited return to Veikkausliiga sparked an atmospheric explosion as the Stadin Derby reignited for the first time in 43 years. On the 23rd of April in 2015 both sets of teams and fans became fiercely reacquainted in a shared home stadium which had yet to witness the likes of such an atmosphere having only opened in 2000.

During HIFK's absence HJK had won the league 17 times, yet this counted for little on the day as they fought out a tightly contested 1-1 draw. This scoreline was the result of all three of their Veikkausliiga meetings in 2015, leaving neither side with bragging rights going into this season.

HJK fans pass HIFK fans en route to the stadium. Image by Niko Karumaa (link)

In the build up to kick off it was HJK's army that were first to march into the stadium for what was technically their home game. Quiet streets were quickly flooded with blue smoke and chants which echoed off the surrounding apartment blocks. The chanting intensified as they passed by a side street filled with HIFK's fans, Stadin Kingit (the kings of Helsinki), who were kept at a distance by a strategically placed police blockade.

A small handful of adventurous HIFK fans had crept their way around the block to greet their rivals, however their ill-advised ambush was dispelled as quickly as it formed with only a few punches and half-empty beer cans thrown before the alert riot police quickly forced their retreat with their handy batons and pepper spray.

Once the blue army were ushered into Klubipääty (The Club stand) the blockade parted to allow Stadin Kingit to charge into their northern stand to continue the confrontation in the more civilised form of chanting and tifos. The opposing blue and red ends of Sonera Stadium combined to create a highly impressive atmosphere, with the sell-out crowd of 10,500 creating volumes far greater than a stadium of its size would traditionally be capable of producing.

Klubipääty show their colours before kick off. Image by Niko Karumaa (link)

Stadin Kingit unfurled their tifo as they lit up Pohjoispääty (north stand). Image by Kalevi Hämäläinen (link)

Once the smoke subsided the match got underway. The fans were duly rewarded for the intense atmosphere they had created with a high tempo match featuring a flurry of early goals.

The hosts were ahead in just the second minute when Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos beat his marker to Taye Taiwo's cross to head in the opening goal and send the HJK fans into delirium.

Their lead was short lived as HIFK hit back in the fifth minute with the equalising goal. Joni Korhonen's long throw was helped on by Jukka Sinisalo's flicked header for Juho Mäkelä. The former HJK striker failed to connect with his finish, inadvertently knocking the ball on for captain Esa Terävä to tuck the ball past Thomas Dähne and level the scores.

Klubi soon restored their lead in the eleventh minute when Atom curved an inch perfect ball over HIFK's backline for Odu. The AC Milan loanee controlled the ball gracefully on his chest before bursting across the box to leave two defenders and goalkeeper Carljohan Eriksson floundering in his wake. With the open goal at his mercy the Nigerian winger placed home the simplest of finishes for what would prove to be the decisive goal.

A HJK fan expresses his opinion of Mäkelä's
choice of rival employer by burning his old jersey.
Image by Niko Karumaa (link)

Morelos came close to doubling his tally and his side's advantage around the hour mark yet could only direct his header into the side netting.

At the other end Mäkelä should have equalised when a left wing delivery put the goal on a plate for him, yet his horrendous day in front of goal continued as he knocked his finish over the crossbar and into the HIFK supporters before collapsing to the ground in disbelief of his misfortune. Perhaps it was best for him that he didn't see HJK fans burning his old jersey in Klubipääty moments later.

HIFK pressed forward in search of an equaliser while the hosts sat deeper to protect their lead and hit their opponents on the counter. The strategy almost backfired in the closing minute as Tuomas Aho came painfully close to levelling the scores with final touch of the game, yet the defender sent his header wide under pressure in the air from Dähne.

The final whistle then sounded, calling a thrilling derby to a close and ensuring that Helsinki remains blue as HJK kept themselves clear at the top of the Veikkausliiga table. HIFK now languish in the relegation scrap in eleventh, level on points with FC Lahti and PK-35 Vantaa who sit in tenth and at the foot of the table in twelfth respectively.

Klubipääty spills over the barrier in the full time celebrations.
Image by Niko Karumaa (link)

The exceptional atmosphere surrounding the encounter provides the perfect advertisement for the modern Finnish game. While the inevitable hostilities of the derby may prove intimidating for both youngsters and the conservative, the adrenaline of the occasion speaks to any passionate football fan holding a genuine appreciation of the game and understanding of true fandom.

Whether your blood runs blue or red, or you're a neutral spectator searching Veikkausliiga for a strong pulse, the Stadin Derby is a must. The reverse fixture is scheduled for August 10th. Be there.

5-star second half returns Klubi to summit

HJK returned to winning ways at Sonera Stadium on Wednesday evening, producing a rampant second half performance to down FC Ilves by a 5-1 scoreline and return to the peak of the Veikkausliiga table.

Ilves gave the home fans a nervous opening half with a well organised performance. The Tampere-based club capped off their disciplined opening half with the opening goal of the match courtesy of Tuure Siira's calm finish.

Club legend Mikael Forssell got the ball rolling for HJK in the second half. The 35-year old marked his first start of the campaign with a quickfire brace shortly after the restart to turn the match on its head.

Mikael Forssell celebrates the equaliser. Image by Mika Vauhkonen (gallery link)

The hosts then ran away with the match with goals to Odu, debutant Sebastian Dahlström, and captain Ville Jalasto turning a tense battle into a comfortable victory.

Klubi went into the clash without a win in their previous two matches, which included a scoreless draw in Åland against IFK Mariehamn followed by a shock 1-0 loss to mid-table PS Kemi.

The latter result was fought out on an atrocious pitch in Oulu; PS Kemi's temporary base while their stadium renovations conclude over the coming month over 100km north in Kemi in south-western Lapland by the Swedish border. A goal in the opening minute condemned the visitors to their first loss of the season, allowing IFK Mariehamn to knock HJK from their perch with a 1-0 win against today's opponents Ilves.

Ilves were however not to be underestimated having defeated both KuPS and SJK in the earlier fixtures of a slender opening schedule which had seen them play just three matches in comparison to HJK's six.

Summer vibes were in the air going into the match as clear skies and 19 degree Celsius temperatures drew 6,081 supporters to Töölö's Sonera Stadium.

Klubi had shuffled their deck for today's starting line-up, with Forssell featuring in the first eleven for the first time this season along with 19-year old Dahlström who made an impressive debut.

They were again slow out of the blocks, as they have been in recent weeks, as an organised Ilves kept the hosts at a distance while threatening from set pieces in the opening exchanges.

Tuure Siire celebrates his opening goal.
Image by Mika Vauhkonen (image gallery)

The visitors grabbed a hard earned lead to take into the interval when Ghanaian midfielder Reuben Ayarna threaded an inch perfect pass from the left flank to the edge of the 18-yard box for Siira to slot home to opening goal on the half hour mark.

An inspirational half-time team was needed and HJK manager Mika Lekhasuo delivered as his side returned rejuvenated for the second half with new-found ruthlessness in front of goal as they netted five goals in a period of twenty second-half minutes.

They were level soon after the restart when Odu capped off an amazing solo run with a brilliant cross for Forssell who nodded home the equaliser with the simplest of headers for his first goal of the season.

Forssell was handed the chance for his second from the penalty spot before the hour mark after Felipe Aspegren felled Dahlström in the box to cap off a period of sloppy defensive work from Ilves. The Finnish international made no mistake, sending the keeper one way with a stuttered run-up before tucking the ball into the open half of the goal.

It was to be Forssell's last involvement as he left the field to a standing ovation for substitute Nikolai Alho to enter the fray for the final half hour.

Ilves looked deflated and HJK took full advantage as they proceeded to quickly run away with the match.

After the visitor's coughed up possession to Medo in their own half, HJK quickly countered through Alfredo Morelos and Atom. The Japanese midfielder's final pass took a fortunate deflection off Heikki Aho to send Odu through one-on-one with the keeper. The chance was so clear that Morelos could have nicked the goal himself, however he unselfishly left the ball for Odu to tuck the ball inside the near post.

Minutes later Klubi had their fourth. Atom broke down the left and crossed for Morelos who was again unselfish, casually teeing up Dahlström on the edge of the box. The teenager capped off his debut with a side footed finish to draw wild celebrations from the crowd who could barely believe the turnaround they were witnessing.

HJK were not done there. Moments after bringing on substitute Richard Gadze for his debut they wrapped up an impressive win with a short corner routine. Alho played a sharp one-two with Odu before whipping a curved ball into the 6-yard box for Jalasto who tucked the ball past a hapless Mika Halander in the Ilves goal to seal an impressive victory.

Rexhepi was dismissed late on.
Image by Mika Vauhkonen (image gallery)

The only blemish to the host's second half came with the late dismissal of Lux Rexhepi. The Finnish-born Kosovo international showed too many studs to Lauri Ala-Myllymäki in a reckless and unnecessary tackle to earn himself a marginally early shower.

The late red card did little to dampen the spirits of the home fans as they kept the atmosphere up until the final whistle before celebrating the tremendous result with the players who as usual showed their appreciation to Klubipääty at full-time.

In other results IFK Mariehamn's scoreless draw with PK-35 Vantaa allowed HJK to take top spot on goal difference. Elsewhere the remaining home sides were victorious as KuPS defeated PS Kemi 2-0 while VPS downed HIFK 3-1 in Kuopio and Vaasa respectively.

HJK comeback restores pride over reigning champions

A rousing second half performance saw HJK come from behind to defeat SJK and return to the summit of the Veikkausliiga table on Monday evening at Helsinki's Sonera Stadium .

SJK, the reigning Finnish champions, got under their host's skin in the first half to comfortably take a one goal lead into the interval thanks to Ariel "Tuco" Ngueukam's opener.

The second half looked a completely different match as HJK regained their composure to turn possession into domination and force their opponents onto the back foot. The shift in momentum proved telling as the hosts found two goals in five minutes to turn the match on its head.

Alfredo Morelos, on loan from Independiente Medellin, was in fine form going into the clash having netted three goals in his last two matches. The Colombian striker made it four from three to equalise midway through the second half before Atomu "Atom" Tanaka completed the turnaround with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box to seal the comeback victory and also grab his fourth goal of the season in the process.

HJK thank Klubipääty for their unwavering support after the final whistle.

A miserably dark and cloudy day had made way for a sunny evening in Finland's capital prior to kick off. The crisp 4°C temperatures kept the 5,237 fans in attendance rugged up in the stands for what was set to be an intriguing tussle.

HJK, nicknamed Klubi (the club), carries a continual target of championship glory. It's simply in their DNA having achieved this target 27 times in 108 prior seasons - curiously an exact 1 in 4 success rate which is an exceptional record of continuity for a team carrying over a century of history.

Their 2015 campaign buckled under the weight of expectation as SJK defied the odds to top the league in only their second top flight season, creating a legendary modern fairytale of Finnish football in the process.

Seinäjoen Jalkapallokerho (the football club of Seinäjoki) was formed as recently as 2007. The newborn side played their first game in Kakkonen (translates to second division, the Finnish third tier) in 2008 and soon climbed to spend 2012 in Ykkonen (first division, second tier). Two seasons later they had earned promotion to compete in the 2014 Veikkausliiga in which they came second in their inaugural top flight season as well as lifting the Finnish League Cup.

2015 was to be even grander as they pipped RoPS to the Veikkausliiga title by a single point after defeating HJK by a 3-0 scoreline during the run in to the season's conclusion which confined the Finnish giants to an underwhelming third placed finish just two points adrift of the summit.

This meteoric rise was a truly remarkable achievement for a club in only its eighth season of existence and one they will certainly look to build upon this season.

The hosts were out to set the record straight and to avenge the humiliation of their last league meeting, yet this was no simple task.

The match began with a quick tempo as SJK immediately pressed the hosts in possession to prevent them from settling into their natural possession based game. The visitors defended and attacked with pace to edge their opponents in the first half despite trailing on possession.

Roope Riski, whose 2015 loan move from FK Haugesund to SJK was made permanent this February, cut inside from the right to carve out the first chance of the match only to scuff his shot which safely bobbled into Thomas Dähne's hands.

Tarmo Kink impressed in the first half.

Moments later at the other end AC Milan loanee Odu slipped Nikolai Alho into a goalscoring position in the box. Alho, widely considered as a bright prospect for an overdue Finnish national team call up, has been regaining his form after a lengthy injury layoff. The young prodigy is yet to find his scoring boots this season though as he rocketed his chance just over the crossbar to let the visitors off the hook.

SJK punished the missed opportunity midway through the first half when Estonian international Tarmo Kink, who was a continual thorn in HJK's side throughout the half, smartly played Matti Klinga into the box.

Klinga ran onto the well-weighted pass before centring the ball with his first touch, putting the opening goal on a plate for Tuco who tucked the ball into the back of the net with ease the greatest of ease.

Johannes Laaksonen then tested Dähne from the edge of the box, yet the young German keeper was determined to be beaten a second time and produced a confident save to hold the ball.

The visitor's high pressing game forced HJK to adjust their approach. They looked to play direct down the wings to catch SJK on the counter, yet Taye Taiwo's horrendous distribution combined with Odu's dive compounded frustration for the home fans who made their feelings heard.

The doom and gloom of HJK's first half was brightened late on as Taiwo and Odu made amends for prior errors by combining with Atom. The trio stuck together a slick passing move to play the Japanese attacking midfielder into space on the left flank. Atom delivered an inch perfect low cross for Morelos who glanced the ball just wide of the far post to end the half on an encouraging note.

SJK created their best chance to double their lead soon after the restart as Laaksonen flicked an exquisite pass over Lum Rexhepi's head to put Riski one-on-one with Dähne. The four-time Finnish international failed to take advantage, clipping his finish over the bar under the combined pressure of the onrushing keeper and Rexhepi breathing down his neck.

Having had little to genuinely cheer about the home fans erupted when Jarkko Hurme was adjudged to have back-passed to Mikhel Aksalu in the SJK goal. The referee duly awarded an indirect freekick on the edge of the six-yard box.

Mikhel Aksalu denies Taye Taiwo's close range freekick.

The Estonian international goalkeeper, who clearly felt hard done by the call, was quickest to react to charge down Taiwo's ferocious shot after Odu had touched the indirect freekick into the big defender's path.

The ball was eventually headed behind by Klinga to keep the hosts at bay in front of Klubipääty who had drastically raised the volume in Sonera Stadium's southern end to spur their team onward.

The ensuing corner was well worked as Atom, Odu, and Alho combined to slide Odu into the box unmarked. The Nigerian centred to captain Ville Jalasto whose toe-poke was denied by Aksalu's block. After a moment of pinball in the box the ball was briefly cleared before Alho fired over once again.

With pressure mounting SJK were holding on by their fingernails and were finally broken in the 69th minute. Atom's floated corner evaded everyone and was recovered by Medo on the opposite byline.

The Sierra Leonean did exceptionally well to retrieve the ball, turn inside Kink, and pick out Morelos at the far post with a marvellous cross. The Colombian took full advantage, heading home the equaliser before celebrating with the home fans behind the goal.

With momentum having slipped out of his side's hands, SJK manager Simo Valakari brought attacking midfielder Alexei Eremenko Jr off the bench in an attempt to salvage the match.

As a youngster the Finnish international had developed into a prodigy for HJK between 2002 and 2004 before his big move to Lecce in the Italian Serie A. After a decade of trotting across the Ukrainian, Russian, and Scottish leagues, Eremenko Jr had returned to Finland in 2015 to play under his father, Alexei Eremenko Sr, at FF Jaro. The side's eventual relegation paved the way for a move the SJK and now a return to his former hunting grounds.

His return was not a joyous occasion as the match continued to slip away from SJK as moments later Morelos found space for himself in the box with a drop off the shoulder before fizzing a shot just past the far post.

The winning goal came soon afterward as Hurme's poor pass in defence evaded El-Hadji Kane, allowing Atom to steal possession. The crafty midfielder weaved his way toward the edge of the box before burying a delightful strike into the top corner to set the home fans into pandemonium.

Atom and co celebrate his winning goal.

SJK dug deep to respond with Eremenko Jr and Jussi Vasara firing high and wide respectively either side of an attempt from range by Morelos which was well blocked by Aksalu.

As the visitors pressed forward in search of an equaliser they left themselves exposed to counter attacks in the closing minutes.

A quick break down the left from 17-year-old substitute Lassi Lappalainen culminated in a great cutback for Vincent Onovo. The Nigerian was an inch away from doubling Klubi's advantage as his finish rattled the underside of the crossbar before bouncing clear.

The visitors went all out in the closing moments as Aksalu joined his entire squad in HJK's box for the final two corners of the match. The hosts held their ground to clear both corners and take all three points from an entertaining clash.

The win sent HJK back to the top of the table with 10 points from 4 matches while SJK languish down in 7th after a slow start to their title defence has seen them claim a single win from their opening 3 matches.

Next up HJK travel to Åland on Sunday in hopes of replicating their opening matchday win over IFK Mariehamn while SJK return home to take on 6th placed Ilves in Seinäjoki.

No pyro, no party

HIFK and their travelling fans literally came blazing into PK-35 Vantaa's stadium on Saturday afternoon for their opening Veikkausliiga fixture.

The visitors came away with a 2-0 victory courtesy of Juho Mäkelä's early opener followed by Jani Bäckman's second half volley which sealed the three points for HIFK.

For their away day in Vantaa, just north of neighbouring Helsinki, the HIFK supporters brought the atmosphere up with them, lighting up Myyrmäen jalkapallostadion with around a dozen flares in the lead up to kick off.

Image by Kalevi Hämäläinen (gallery link)

HIFK's 12th man is supporter group Stadin Kingit, which translates to "the kings of Stadi". Stadi is slang borrowed from the Swedish word stad, meaning city.

Their vocal and visual support gave their side an early lift as they began the match on the front foot.

Mäkelä took all of three minutes to mark his HIFK debut with a goal. The pacey striker found himself in the right place at the right time to poach the opener from a goalmouth scramble.

During the weekend prior former Finnish international Njazi Kuqi looked to be having a dream debut of his own as he bagged two goals. The striker's brace helped PK-35 race to a three goal lead only for RoPS to miraculously turn the match on its head to prevail 4-3. 

Despite Kuqi's impressive start for the club Jekyll quickly turned into Hyde in his second appearance when he was shown a straight red card midway through the second half for what can only be described as a despicable display of aggression.

A heated confrontation resulted in Kuqi grabbing the throat of defender Tomi Vesala and throwing his head into Bäckman to earn an inevitable dismissal. He then capped off his appalling outburst by smashing a window as he stormed toward the dressing room. Ramifications aplenty are expected to come his way in the coming days.

With the dust having barely settled HIFK had their second moments later. A well rehearsed set piece found Bäckman unmarked at the back post and the defender took full advantage to volley home and wrap up the win for his side.

It was a bright start to their 2016 campaign for Jani Honkavaara's men as they look to build upon last year's respectable seventh-placed finish.

Shefki Kuqi on the other hand has undergone a baptism of fire in his first two top flight games. He is most fondly remembered for his lengthy career in the English game and for his ever-present role in the national side.

The high-profile manager and part-owner of PK-35 made a bright start in his first season at the helm to secure 2nd to earn his side's promotion from Ykkönen (Finnish first division) to Veikkausliiga.

Fortunately time is on the young manager's side as he faces the early task of turning fortunes around on the pitch and keeping his fiery younger brother's temper in check when he eventually returns from suspension.

Next up HIFK face Inter Turku at Sonera Stadium while PK-35 travel to Kuopio in middle Finland in search of their first points of the season against KuPS.

Finland defrosts for football's return

Spring was in the air. The icy remnants of winter had melted away in Finland’s southern capital as the inbound warmth stirred football from its slumber for its long awaited return from hibernation.

Veikkausliiga was back.

The first Saturday of April brought with it a gloriously sunny spring afternoon, drawing local and travelling supporters in numbers to Sonera Stadium to witness the opening game of the 2016 season: HJK v IFK Mariehamn.

For those not familiar with Finnish football this was by no means predicted to be an even contest.

Taye Taiwo builds an attack from the back.

HJK – Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (the Football Club of Helsinki) – are the giants of Finnish football with 27 league titles amassed since their founding in 1907. To put their dominance into perspective their nearest record challengers are FC Haka and HPS who each hold 9 titles, yet neither play top flight football these days.

Recent years have proved rather fruitful for HJK, producing 6 back-to-back championships between 2009 and 2014, along with a rare qualification for the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League. 2015’s campaign, however, did not follow the script as they finished third behind RoPS and winners SJK – a stunning achievement for what was only the second top flight season for the Seinäjoki based club.

IFK Mariehamn on the other hand has never won the league. They are currently enjoying the brightest spell of their 97 year history having consistently finished each season in the top half of the table for the last half decade.

IFK M and their small contingent of boisterous fans had made the trek to Helsinki from Åland; the archipelago of 6,700 islands scattered across the Baltic Sea between Turku and Stockholm. Despite being an autonomous region of Finland, Åland is predominantly Swedish speaking – much like portions of western Finland – hence the prefix of IFK, or Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna (Sporting Society Comrades). This is common to a wide number of sporting clubs in Sweden along with a handful of Finnish clubs.

The afternoon sun pushed the mercury up to a pleasant 8 degrees Celsius before kick-off, prompting 5,251 fans to flock to Sonera Stadium in eager anticipation of the season opening spectacle.

The bulk of fans packed into Itäkatsomo (East Stand), shedding jackets and scarves to reacquaint themselves with a warm sun almost forgotten during the preceding substantially darker and colder winter months.

Klubipääty (the club end) was pumping ahead of kick off with the home fans in full voice while the traveling supporters, perhaps fuelled by pre-drinks from the lengthy ferry journey, also produced impressively vocal support despite their vastly inferior numbers.

Klubipääty was in fine form throughout the 90.

The hosts appeared hungry to immediately put last season’s disappointment behind them as they controlled the tempo from the outset. IFK M sat deep and dug in to keep them at bay in a cagey opening period.

The visitor’s backline was well marshalled throughout the first half, limiting HJK to half chances and intermittent long range efforts while the enigmatic outlet of Nikolai Alho was kept on a leash by Tommy Wirtanen.

As the half wore on the early patience of HJK’s build up play was soon abandoned for a more direct style as central midfield pairing Medo and Vincent Onovo sent continual balls in behind the IFK M defence. The visitor’s organisation combined with overeager runs saw each attack repeatedly killed off by a confidently raised offside flag.

At the other end of the park Aleksei Kangaskolkka cut a lonely figure up front for IFK M. His side’s conservative approach rarely provided the sole striker with adequate support to muster up opportunities as the visitors failed to register a single shot before the sounding of the half time whistle.

The match quickly opened up in the second half as both sides began to carve out chances soon after the restart.

With Alho still regaining his sharpness after long term injury on the right wing, HJK’s left-sided Nigerian international pairing of Taye Taiwo and Nnamdi “Odu” Oduamadi stepped up a gear, combining frequently to torment the opposing backline.

Odu, on debut since joining on loan from AC Milan, repeatedly found space for himself and already proved increasingly threatening with his direct running and dangerous crossing.

The opening goal inevitably came from the left flank midway through the second half when Odu held up the ball to draw in three defenders before laying off for his compatriot Taiwo on the edge of the box.

Atom celebrates his opener. (HJK TV)

The experienced fullback delivered a delightful cross onto the head of Atomu “Atom” Tanaka who took full advantage of his opportunity to break the deadlock via the underside of the crossbar.

The opener set the home fans into frenzy as Atom sprinted into a superman slide before being mobbed by his teammates. The attacker then wrapped up his celebration with a respectful bow – an additional touch of class from the Japanese import in what was a bright start to his second season in the capital.

The fans were on their feet once again minutes later to applaud the return of Mikael Forssell who came off the bench for the final quarter hour to begin his third spell at the capital club.

A 17-year-old Forssell was plucked from HJK’s ranks by Chelsea back in 1998. Fourteen years and five clubs later he marked his first return to the club in style, grabbing fourteen goals to finish as HJK’s top scorer en route to lifting their fifth consecutive title in 2013.

After a single mediocre season in 2. Bundesliga with Vfl Bochum, the seasoned 35-year old returned once again hoping to replicate the form and success of his second coming.

The veteran striker’s introduction proved cunning as he provided the assist for Atom and HJK’s second soon after when IFK M’s captain Jani Lyyski failed to clear his lines.

Mikael Forssell on return.

The scuffed clearance fell kindly for Alho; he slid the ball onto Forssell who timed his run well to beat the offside trap before teeing up Atom who calmly doubled his tally and HJK’s advantage with a side-footed finish inside the far post.

The hosts came within inches of a third goal minutes later when Alho’s long ball put Odu through on goal.

The winger’s lob beat the keeper but not the crossbar before it was eventually cleared. Despite his poor fortune Odu had clearly won the affection of the supporters on an impressive home debut.

HJK comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to secure all three points and a clean sheet from their first of 33 matches. They'll look to carry their second half form into their next match against VPS.

The opening weekend’s other fixture saw title rivals RoPS miraculously come back from three goals down to defeat newly promoted PK-35 Vantaa by a 4-3 scoreline.