Finnish Cup hots up

There were mixed fortunes for Finland's top-flight clubs in the second round of the Finish Cup over the weekend.

Glory for Gnistan
All but one of the second-round matches were played on Sunday, with IF Gnistan providing the shock of the round as they overcame Veikkausliiga side FC Hämeenlinna 1-0. Gnistan, currently bottom of the first division north and with only two wins from eleven matches, took the lead through Simo Skogster's 65th-minute goal and held on to their advantage despite Hämeenlinna 's best efforts to find an equaliser.

Ice-cool Lahti
FC Lahti were comfortable 3-0 victors over TP-55 Seinäjoki at the Lahti stadium, as goals from Kalle Eerola and Magnus Samuelsson gave the hosts a two-goal cushion at the interval. Tuomas Haapala completed  the scoring shortly after the hour mark to knock out TP-55, conquerors of FC Jazz in the first round.

Koivisto the hero
HJK Helsinki's Under-20s side continue to impress, beating top-flight rivals Tampere United FC 1-0 at the Olympic stadium. Having seen HJK's seniour team eliminated by Hämeenlinna in the previous round, the youngsters sealed their quarter-final berth thanks to Under-17 international Jani Koivisto's 57th-minute effort.

Haka come from behind
Another match between two Veikkausliiga teams saw FC Haka emerge from their home tie against FC Inter Turku with a hard-fought 2-1 victory. Aristides Pertot silenced the partisan crowd inside the Tehtaankenttä stadium after 18 minutes, but second-half goals from Mikko Innanen and Harri Ylönen completed an impressive comeback for the team from Valkeakoski.

RoPS in charge
AC Vantaa, from the second division south saw their dreams of cup glory come to an end as they lost 2-0 against RoPS Rovaniemi. RoPS, currently second in the first division north standings and pushing for promotion to the Veikkausliiga, endured a frustrating goalless first period but soon took charge of the tie with two goals inside the first six minutes of the second half. Niclas Grönholm opened the scoring two minutes after the break and added his second of the match four minutes later.

No trouble for MyPa
In the day's remaining tie, Myllykosken Pallo-47, second in the Veikkausliiga table before this weekend's action, kept a clean sheet as they advanced at the expense of VG-62 Naantali. Denis Volodin opened the scoring in the 15th minute, before Tuomas Haapala doubled his side's advantage midway through the second half.

Easy for Allianssi
Top-flight club AC Allianssi were the first team to book their place in the quarter-finals, as they battled back from a goal down to beat TP-47 Tornio 3-1 on Friday evening. Jaakko Isteri put the first division north club ahead after 16 minutes, but Pasi Solehmainen levelled the scores a minute later. Jarno Tuunainen gave Allianssi the lead eleven minutes after the interval, before Justus Vajanne made sure of the victory with a well-taken 84th-minute strike.