It was
quarter-final day this Monday, and as usual, it was a complete nightmare to try
and keep up with what was happening. Excuse any assumptions made.
The lowest
ranked team left were FC Jazz, currently of the Kakkonen Länsilohko (west),
hosted RoPS, conquerors of HJK in the previous round. The rule that lower
division teams get home advantage kicked in again, and 812 people turned out
for the tie.
Any notions
of romance lasted eleven minutes, when Emenike scored the opening goal. He then
doubled the lead on 38 minutes. RoPS waited until the 2nd minute of injury time
for Aleksandr Kokko to make it 0-3. FC Jazz come back down to earth with a
bump, with president Tomi Leivo-Jokimäki joking that he'd have to cancel his
flights for the 2015 Europa League final…
Emenike does a Lee Sharpe (photo via Kari Mankonen)
RoPS
progress to the semi-final, where they will host IFK Mariehamn in a repeat of
the Veikkausliiga season opener (won 1-3 by Mariehamn).
Honka 1-2 IFK Mariehamn
2012 cup
winners Honka crashed out in a close game, witnessed by (just) 526 people. IFK
Mariehamn rested star man Petteri Forsell, and after a goalless first half,
things woke up.
Diego Assis
opened the scoring after 51 minutes from the edge of the area (deflected), but that was equalised within six minutes
as Honka's Kastriot Kastrati scored his fourth goal in three games after an impressive one-two. Jamaican
striker Dever Orgill capitalised on his recent good form by heading in the winner, 11
minutes from the end.
There were
six yellow cards in the match, but the Islanders won't mind. They've earned
themselves another 1234km trip (one way) to Rovaniemi.
Highlights of Honka 1-2 IFK Mariehamn
VPS 0-2 JJK
Perhaps the
most surprising result of the round was in Vaasa - VPS had made a good start to
the season, sitting fourth in the Veikkausliiga and only three points off the
top. JJK meanwhile are sat at the bottom, two points from six games, and only
scoring in two of those.
Another
goalless first half, but the visitors scored twice (on 75 and 84 minutes).
Babatunde Wusu got the first from a huge punt upfield, and Patrick Poutiainen
secured the win with a late counter-attack.
Perhaps the cup is offering some relief
for JJK. Either way,
they have three months now to concentrate on the league, and in the semi-final
they will host KuPS.
Highlights of VPS 0-2 JJK
The only
other non-Veikkausliiga side also perished in the last eight, recently
relegated Haka pushed 2012 runners-up KuPS to extra time though. The highest
attendance of the round (1354) in Valkeakoski saw 120 minutes between two of
last year's bottom three.
KuPS started
with the recently re-signed Chris James, but there were no goals in the first
half. According to Haka's official Twitter feed, Dudu had been caught offside
eight times in the first half, but it was he who scored the opener on 64
minutes. But Haka scored in the dying seconds, Venance Zeze with the goal.
Juha Pirinen hurdles Etchu Tabe (photo via Tomi Vuokola)
So to
extra-time, but it was KuPS in-form striker Ilja Venäläinen who won it from the
penalty spot with ten minutes of the second period remaining, after Dawda Bah
was fouled. KuPS travel to JJK in the semi-final.
So the semi-final draw:
RoPS v IFK Mariehamn
JJK v KuPS
Matches take place August 17th 2013
