League Play-Off

Arkkukari
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Aleksanteri Hujanen got the match started through his kick off. Mikko Litmanen could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 5th minute of the match, but Veikko Heinikangas made a huge save. After 7 minutes of play, FC Kuffen Oldboys's Aleksanteri Hujanen made it 0-1 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Tapani Koivunen was left in no man's land by his defense there! Raino Ruutu struck a weak shot in the 13th minute. Tapani Koivunen didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for FC Kuffen Oldboys. The supporters of Arkkukari IFK booed when FC Kuffen Oldboys was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 15 match minutes in a wonderful position. Jouko Henriksson didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 16th minute, Konstantin Hakamäki sent off a long shot on goal, but the shot was nowhere near the goal and FC Kuffen Oldboys's Veikko Heinikangas didn't even have to move. Väinö Paavola charged in rather forcefully in the 19th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Väinö Paavola the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. The supporters of Arkkukari IFK booed when FC Kuffen Oldboys was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 19 match minutes in a wonderful position. Väinö Paavola didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 20th minute of the match Rauno Huhtiniemi sent off a long shot with destination to the right of the goalkeeper, but Veikko Heinikangas skillfully saved the ball. Veikko Heinikangas made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Otso Valtonen in the 22nd minute of play. 25 minutes into the match, Arkkukari IFK's goal looked a bit too open when Raino Ruutu came free, but Tapani Koivunen reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 27th minute, FC Kuffen Oldboys's Risto Jokiranta seemed to kick out at an opponent. The referee saw this and, surprisingly, showed Risto Jokiranta the red card, dismissing him from the pitch. The coaching staff of FC Kuffen Oldboys protested bitterly, but the referee would have none of it, and Risto Jokiranta had no choice but to slowly walk off the pitch. After 27 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for FC Kuffen Oldboys! Konstantin Hakamäki walked up to take care of the penalty kick. He was aiming for the top corner, but the ball went just outside the post. Mikko Litmanen's shot when he came free in front of the goal in the 32ndth minute, Veikko Heinikangas skillfully showed off with a save to what seemed to be an obvious goal. 33 minutes into the match, Jukka Siivonen dribbled the ball past the defender and swiftly kicked the ball to the left of Veikko Heinikangas, 1-1. An unexpectedly hard shot by Aleksanteri Hujanen in the 37th minute of play forced Arkkukari IFK's goalkeeper Tapani Koivunen to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Jukka Siivonen recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 38th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. 41 minutes into the match, Raino Ruutu had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Tapani Koivunen. Arkkukari IFK's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Raino Ruutu was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-2. The Arkkukari IFK players were disheartened as they walked off the pitch after the first half. FC Kuffen Oldboys were winning 1-2.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Jukka Siivonen to make the kick off. The throw-in from Ilmo Leonoff in the 54th minute of the game was unfortunally taken care of by FC Kuffen Oldboys's Aleksanteri Hujanen. Aleksanteri Hujanen sent away a hard shot on goal in the 55th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Veikko Heinikangas came out of the goal in the 60th minute to try and stop a shot by Arkkukari IFK's Mikko Litmanen. But to his dismay, Mikko Litmanen quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 2-2. Juha-Pekka Kiviranta recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 63rd minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. In the 65th minute, Jukka Siivonen left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Arkkukari IFK fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 3-2. Raino Ruutu struck a weak shot in the 68th minute. Tapani Koivunen didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for FC Kuffen Oldboys. FC Kuffen Oldboys's attentive Aleksanteri Hujanen managed to snatch the ball when Ilmo Leonoff made a throw-in in the 70th minute of the game. Veikko Heinikangas took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Jukka Siivonen, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Veikko Heinikangas showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Jukka Siivonen in the 76th minute of the match. Raino Ruutu sent away a hard shot on goal in the 80th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. Raino Ruutu sent away a hard shot on goal in the 87th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After some fancy dribbling in the 90th minute, Raino Ruutu managed to get in a good position for a shot. FC Kuffen Oldboys's supporters rose to their feet, but Raino Ruutu was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Tapani Koivunen breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Raino Ruutu struck a weak shot in the 91st minute. Tapani Koivunen didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for FC Kuffen Oldboys. After some fancy dribbling in the 92nd minute, Raino Ruutu managed to get in a good position for a shot. FC Kuffen Oldboys's supporters rose to their feet, but Raino Ruutu was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Tapani Koivunen breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. The Arkkukari IFK fans had already started to leave before the final whistle blew. FC Kuffen Oldboys were clearly better and deserved to take the win.