Veikkausliiga week 27 - HJK extend lead

They don't wait long after international breaks in Finland - Thursday's games kicked off less than 48 hours after the Georgia v Finland match on Tuesday. A full round on Thursday/Friday will also be followed by a full round on Monday... The debate about fixture congestion and league structure will rage on.

HJK 6-1 IFK Mariehamn

After scoring five goals in their previous league match at Jaro, HJK stepped it up with six against Mariehamn (they've now scored 21 goals against them in 5 league and cup matches this year). A masterful performance from Mikael Forssell capped off a day that saw HJK extend their lead at the top to three points, with a game in hand.

HJK's ginger Don Draper in form

It was Erfan Zeneli who opened the scoring (13'), curling into the far corner from the edge of the area. A cute backheel from Forssell then set up Sorsa (27'), before Miklu was brought down in the box and Zeneli took the penalty (32') and the half time score was 3-0. The second half was five minutes old when Forssell was given an open goal to aim at, before he headed in his second (68'). He was replaced to a standing ovation by the debutant Eero Markkanen, before Mariehamn got a consolation through Bernardo Ribiero, although Ibrahim's shot had crossed the line already (80'). Demba Savage finished off the rout on 84mins and it ended 6-1 - but it could have been ten...

Highlights of HJK 6-1 IFK Mariehamn

HJK are top of the table, with 54 points from 26 games - three clear of Honka with a game in hand (to be played against TPS in two weeks). IFK Mariehamn are fifth, with 36 points from 27 games.

Honka 0-0 RoPS

Honka lost ground on the leaders with a 0-0 draw at home to RoPS, in front of a crowd of 2032 who paid what they wanted - we await figures of how much... Both teams had chances (including Honka having a couple ruled out for offside), but RoPS are now unbeaten in six away league games, having lost eight in a row before. Honka have had two goalless draws in a row, and seem to be running out of steam...

Highlights of Honka 0-0 RoPS

Honka are second in the table, with 51 points from 27 matches. RoPS are ninth, with 33 points from 27 games.

Inter 1-3 Lahti

Lahti had billed the return of Ariel 'Tuco' Ngueukam as something akin to Mannerheim, the famous General - his second debut had been delayed due to visa issues (this was his first start). He opened the scoring at Inter with 24 minutes gone, celebrating with a salute... Guy Gnabouyou equalised just after, then Vini Dantas restored Lahti's lead before the break, set up by another backheel. Pyry Kärkkäinen's second half goal sealed the win (68').

Highlights of Inter 1-3 Lahti

Inter are eleventh, with 30 points from 27 games, ten clear of JJK. Lahti are now sixth, 36 points from 27 games, behind Mariehamn on goals scored.

JJK 1-3 VPS

JJK are quickly running out of matches, and a home defeat to bronze-medal chasing VPS doesn't help. A goal at the end of the first half from Tomi Ameobi gave VPS the lead, and he'll struggle to score an easier goal, and I don't think he knew much about it. The second VPS goal meanwhile was a different beast, Steven Morrissey picking up the ball in his half, fighting off several defenders and scoring (63') - a great goal, his first since returning to Finland. JJK's Hilska scored after 79mins, but Morrissey scored again in the 86th minute to ensure another JJK loss.

VPS get ahead (photo via Jaana Kautto)

Highlights of the game can be seen here, via the KSML website.

JJK remain bottom of the table, with 20 points from 27 matches, ten points behind Inter and safety. VPS are fourth, on 40 points from 27 games, behind MYPA on goal difference.

KuPS 1-1 TPS

TPS needed an injury time equaliser to leave Kuopio with anything. Miikka Ilo scored for KuPS after 15 minutes, but TPS sub Mikko Hyyrynen scored in the 92nd minute to seal a point for TPS, who still have hopes for third place.

KuPS are tenth, with 32 points from 27 games. TPS are 8th, with 33 points from 26 matches.

MYPA 1-0 Jaro

MYPA coach Toni Korkeakunnas spent the international break sorting out becoming Lahti's next coach (for next season), but carried on the quest for Europe with a routine win over Jaro. Olajide Williams scored the only goal after just five minutes, from six yards out.

Highlights of MYPA 1-0 Jaro

MYPA are third in the table, with 40 points from 27 games. Jaro are down to seventh, with 34 points from 27 matches.

Finland v Spain - the rematch

Back in March, we saw the Miracle of Gijón - David and Goliath, Finland's biggest game in years - and they held World and European champions Spain to a draw. It's a miracle because let's be honest. Spain dominated, had 46 attempts on goal, 72% possession, and 38 corners. Yet it ended 1-1 as Teemu Pukki scored a breakaway goal late on (79mins), equalising Sergio Ramos' goal just after the half time.

When goalscorers collide

The return match takes place this Friday in Helsinki, in front of a sell-out crowd of 37,500. The stakes are high - a Spain win would almost seal automatic qualification, while Finland have little chance of making the play-offs, any result would contribute towards an improved seeding for the Euro 2016 qualifier pots.

Niki Mäenpää gets vital practice (photo via Jussi Eskola)

Finland come into the game on the back of some decent results, a friendly win over Slovenia and 4 points from Belarus in two qualifier in June. They'll be missing Perparim Hetemaj for the tie, after he collected his second booking of the group in Belarus. The Finns are also missing Joel Pohjanpalo and Toni Kolehmainen through injury, while Mikael Forssell doesn't make the squad due to a lack of playing time with HJK.

Will Mattila need a crash helmet on Friday? (photo via Huuhkajat)

The Spain squad is missing some familiar faces. Chelsea's Juan Mata and Fernando Torres miss out, Xabi Alonso is injured, while Sergio Busquets withdrew. But they can still call on the likes of Iniesta, Villa, Pedro and Xavi. When naming his squad, Vicente del Bosque said "We have some replacements who can contribute a lot to the side. There's no drama. These 23 players will give their all to beat Finland... We can't use whether they are playing or not as an excuse. The system of play can vary, but we're not changing the philosophy. The layout, sure, but not the philosophy."

Del Bosque with the crucial bit of paper

The players in Friday night's drama are:

Finland

Niki Mäenpää (VVV Venlo)

Lukas Hradecky (Brøndby)

Henri Sillanpää (VPS)

Markus Halsti (Malmö)

Petri Pasanen (AGF Århus)

Veli Lampi (Arsenal Kyiv)

Joona Toivio (Molde

Jukka Raitala (Heerenveen)

Juhani Ojala (Terek Grozny)

Mikko Sumusalo (HJK)

Niklas Moisander (Ajax)

Kari Arkivuo (Häcken)

Kasper Hämäläinen (Lech Poznan)

Tim Sparv (Greuther Fürth)

Alexander Ring (Kaiserslautern)

Sakari Mattila (HJK)

Roman Eremenko (Rubin Kazan)

Teemu Tainio (HJK)

Rasmus Schüller (HJK)

Teemu Pukki (Celtic)

Riku Riski (Hønefoss)

Erfan Zeneli (HJK)

Spain

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)

Pepe Reina (Napoli)

Victor Valdes (Barcelona)

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid)

Raul Albiol (Napoli)

Jordi Alba (Barcelona)

Nacho Monreal (Arsenal)

Inigo Martinez (Real Sociedad)

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)
Nacho Fernandes (Real Madrid)

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona)

David Silva (Manchester City)

Javi Garcia (Manchester City)

Santi Cazorla (Arsenal)

Jesus Navas (Manchester City)

Isco (Real Madrid)

Koke (Atletico Madrid)

Mario Suarez (Atletico Madrid)

David Villa (Atletico Madrid)

Pedro Rodriguez (Barcelona)

Alvaro Negredo (Manchester City)

Roberto Soldado (Tottenham)

Will we see sad Spaniards again this weekend? A draw was a miracle. What could a win be? If you're not able to watch the game, follow Escape To Suomi on Twitter and Facebook for live updates.

Extended highlights of Spain 1-1 Finland (via Tumpero on YouTube)