HJK Helsinki

      Club Brugge 2-1 HJK Helsinki

      Club Brugge secured their place in the Europa League knockout stages as Group B winners after Lior Rafaelov's late goal earned them a 2-1 victory against HJK Helsinki on Thursday night.Felipe Gedoz put Brugge in front from the penalty spot shortly before the half-hour mark at the Jan Breydel Stadium, but Helsinki were on level terms early in the second half when Macoumba Kandji headed home.Second-half substitute Rafaelov earned all three points for the Belgian side two minutes from time when he angled a left-footed shot past Helsinki goalkeeper Antonio Doblas to send his side into the round of 32 as group winners.The last-gasp victory meant Brugge finished first in Group B with 12 points from their six matches, while Torino also qualified in second place after they hammered Copenhagen 5-1.Brugge boss Michel Preud'homme made four changes to the side that beat Warejem in the Belgian Pro-League on Sunday, with Francisco Silva, Victor Vazquez, Jose Izquierdo and Lior Rafaelov making way for Nikola Storm, Gedoz, Fernando Menegazzo and Sander Coopman.Helsinki wrapped up their sixth straight Finnish Veikkausliiga title in October and, with their domestic season over, they had not been in action since their 2-1 Europa League victory against Copenhagen a fortnight ago. Manager Mika Lehkosuo made two changes to that side with Anthony Annan and Rasmus Schuller in for Teemu Tainio and Nikolai Alho.Helsinki had the first decent chance of the match in the ninth minute when Erfan Zeneli found himself unmarked inside the penalty area, but Brugge goalkeeper Matthew Ryan collected his shot comfortably.Brugge responded with efforts from Timmy Simons, Menegazzo and Coopman, with the former seeing his shot blocked and the latter two missing the target from long range.The Belgians took the lead in the 28th minute when Gedoz thumped home from the penalty spot after Helsinki defender Valtteri Moren could only halt Storm's run into the penalty area by tripping the midfielder.Doblas had be alert to tip a stinging Storm effort around the post in the closing stages of the first half but, try as they might, Brugge could not double their advantage before the half-time interval.Brugge were left to rue their wayward finishing when Helsinki levelled six minutes into the second half. Striker Macoumba Kandji powered a header past Ryan from close range after he was picked out by Robin Lod with an inch-perfect right-wing cross.Neither side could exert their dominance in the ensuing minutes after Helsinki's equaliser before Lehkosuo blinked first by sending Roni Porokara on for the ineffective Zeneli shortly after the hour mark.Preud'homme responded by replacing Menegazzo, Coopman and Tom De Sutter with Rafaelov, Vazquez and Obbi Oulare and it was Rafaelov that earned victory for his side at the death when his guided strike from 12 yards out found its way into the net.ends
      • 9Y
      • PA Sport

        HJK Helsinki 2-1 FC Copenhagen

        Macoumba Kandji was the hero for HJK Helsinki with a stoppage-time winner only moments after Per Nilsson thought he had snatched a crucial point for FC Copenhagen.Kandji headed home in the third minute of time added on to give Helsinki a 2-1 win which keeps their hopes alive in Group B of the Europa League, while Copenhagen crash out.Kandji struck just three minutes after Nilsson's equaliser cancelled out Gideon Baah's 28th minute opener. It was a dramatic twist, as a 1-1 draw would have kept Copenhagen in the picture while eliminating Helsinki.Both sides began the night knowing victory was their best hope as they sat third and fourth in the standings, and there was a frantic start with both teams on the attack.Steve De Ridder fired wide from close range for Copenhagen before Mika Vayrynen warmed the palms of visiting goalkeeper Stephan Andersen with a shot from range.Nikolai Alho then blazed over before Teemu Tainio's header just missed the target.Helsinki broke the deadlock in the 28th minute when Baah turned in Vayrynen's cross.Copenhagen tried to respond immediately with Andreas Cornelius seeing his header held by Antonio Doblas before Per Nilsson nodded wide.At the other end, Robin Lod was denied by Andersen before the break.The second half was less than a minute old when Copenhagen won a free-kick from which Mikael Antonsson fired wide.Rurik Gislason and Pierre Bengtsson both spurned chances for the visitors in the following minutes, but Helsinki saw out the period of pressure.A fresh wave of Copenhagen attacks began after the hour mark, with Doblas keeping out headers from Cornelius and Nilsson before De Ridder fired wide.The pressure continued to build in the final 10 minutes.Cornelius saw a shot blocked before hitting the crossbar with a header in the 89th minute.Seconds later, they got their reward as Cornelius turned provider, crossing for Nilsson to head home from close range.But with the hard work seemingly done, there was a cruel twist as Kandji headed in Lod's cross in the dying seconds.ends
        • 9Y
        • PA Sport

        HJK Helsinki

        SOCCER

          HJK Helsinki 2-1 Torino

          Gideon Baah and Vallteri Moren fired HJK Helsinki to their first victory in Europa League Group B and jeopardised Torino's chances of making the knockout stages in the process.The Finnish club frustrated their enthusiastic opponents from Serie A in the first half and twice broke their defence after the break, with Baah and Moren both beating Daniele Padelli.Fabio Quagliarella halved the deficit in the dying moments but Helsinki had done enough to secure all three points from a 2-1 win.Torino slip to second in the mini-league, a point and a place behind Club Brugge after the Belgian club hammered FC Copenhagen 4-0 in the Danish capital.There would be no goals in a first half that Torino dominated at the Sonera Stadium.Josef Martinez fired an early sighter and Matteo Darmian scooped the ball over the bar in the 24th minute.Helsinki's first effort came on the half-hour as Robin Lod tried his luck from distance.Torino pushed back with Juan Sanchez Mino hitting the post with a right-footed drive and Quagliarella forcing a punch from Antonio Doblas with a headed attempt at a corner.One minute before the break, the Italy striker saw his speculative shot blocked by Demba Savage.Quagliarella came knocking again when play resumed but blasted wide before, at the other end, Lod tested Padelli's reflexes.The Finns threatened again, this time through Macoumba Kandji, whose long-range drive certainly got Padelli working.HJK were rewarded for taking the game to Torino on the hour mark as Baah slotted in the opener from six yards out.It might even have been 2-0 three minutes later as Lod forced a desperate parry from Padelli.Helsinki did double their lead in the 80th minute. Lod's free-kick found Erfan Zeneli and the winger headed the ball into the path of Moren, who did the rest from close range.Torino would get on the scoresheet in the Finnish capital, but their response arrived too late to change the outcome.Quagliarella got the goal his enthusiastic performance deserved when slotting home Omar El Kaddouri's cross in the 89th minute.ends
          • 9Y
          • PA Sport

          HJK Helsinki

          SOCCER

            Torino 2-0 HJK Helsinki

            Torino's defence once again proved unbeatable in the Europa League as the Italian side claimed a 2-0 win over HJK Helsinki that moves them to the top of Group B.Giuseppe Vives hit the bar early on for Torino before Christian Molinaro opened the scoring in the 35th minute and Carvalho Amauri added a second before the hour mark.There was no way back for Helsinki after that as Torino recorded their seventh clean sheet in this season's competition.The triumph has left Toro alone at the top of Group B, two points clear of Club Brugge, who were held to a 1-1 draw at home to FC Copenhagen.Helsinki have yet to win and are at the foot of the standings with one point after three games.Torino dominated possession early on and had the first chance after just two minutes.Nikola Maksimovic spotted Josef Martinez in the area and his powerful effort was saved by Helsinki goalkeeper Antonio Doblas.The home side then came close to taking the lead in the 17th minute when Vives took aim from 30 yards, but although his drive beat Doblas, it struck the bar.With Helsinki struggling in attack, Doblas was called on to make another save midway through the first half as Amauri threatened with a powerful header.Giampiero Ventura's men were finally rewarded for their dominance when Matteo Darmian crossed to Molinaro and he stuck his shot past Doblas from the left side of the area to make it 1-0.The Finns at last tested Torino goalkeeper Daniele Padelli eight minutes into the second half with a long-range shot from Robin Lod, but it was not good enough to beat the home custodian.Then, in the 58th minute, Torino extended their lead when Amauri got past his marker to thump a bullet strike past Doblas from 22 yards and, with their impressive defensive record, the two-goal lead proved more than enough to earn them the points.ends
            • 9Y
            • PA Sport

              HJK Helsinki 0-3 Club Brugge

              Club Brugge eased to a first Europa League victory over Group B opponents HJK Helsinki, with Tom de Sutter and Laurens de Bock on target for the Belgian side.Defender Markus Heikkinen's own-goal put Brugge ahead after 19 minutes before De Sutter's second-time finish and De Kock's free-kick delivered a handsome 3-0 scoreline.While Brugge left Finland with four points from their first two games, the hosts have recorded back-to-back defeats and already look adrift.After a slow start the visiting side began to exert themselves, Fernando Menegazzo testing his range from 30 yards and Mamadou Oulare flashing the ball wide having chased up his own corner.Helsinki goalkeeper Antonio Doblas kept the hosts on terms when Lior Rafaelov got his shot away in the 17th minute but it was a only a temporary measure.Rafaelov was the target moments later as Robin Lod whipped in a corner but while Heikkinen beat him to the ball, he could only steer it into his own net.Slipping behind appeared to rally the Finns, Aristde Bance and Demba Savage both getting into the right position without mustering a shot to match.And it was Heikkinen who had the best chance to atone for his earlier error seconds before half-time, but his header from Savage's corner was too close to Ryan.There was nothing more to separate the teams until 20 minutes from time when Sebastian Sorsa's ill-judged back-pass left Helsinki wide open.Substitute De Sutter needed two bites at the cherry to finish, Doblas having saved his initial effort, effectively making the points safe.Eight minutes later Brugge had their third, Rafaelov winning a free-kick at Anthony Annan's expense and De Bock lashing it into the top corner.ends
              • 10Y
              • PA Sport
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