Inter Turku clinch Finnish league title on dramatic final day
There were twists, turns and thunderbolt goals on the last day of the Finnish football season as Inter ended an 18-year wait for a league title.
Inter Turku secured the Finnish league title in a dramatic final day of matches, as relayed by wire material. The Turku team entered the final day trailing HJK by goal difference, with both sides tied on points. Inter Turku had to win their match away against KuPs in Kuopio, while HJK needed a mistake from their opponents in their home game against AC Oulu.
Despite Inter's slim chances, the odds were not in their favor. HJK had won the title 33 times and were unbeaten in the final series of games, while Inter had only one title to their name, dating back to 2008. In Kuopio, Inter took the lead early on through a goal from Alie Conteh, putting them in a position to claim their first title in 18 years.
HJK managed to score two goals in the first half, and a goal from Jasse Tuominen in the second half gave Inter a 2-0 advantage. However, HJK fought back with two goals in quick succession, forcing Inter to equalize through a header from Alie Conteh. In Helsinki, HJK's goalkeeper Miguel Santos was injured and replaced by 16-year-old Tobias Backman.
HJK scored twice in the second half, with Matias Ojala scoring a late goal for Oulu. With the match still ongoing in Kuopio, HJK managed to hold out for the title, leaving Inter's players and staff to celebrate their second Veikkausliiga title in front of their fans.
Written by urgent.news from Yle News Finland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
