Veikkausliiga Recap: HJK Falls Short Again With 10 Men as Champions KuPS Claim Their First Victory

Record Finnish champions HJK Helsinki have commenced the 2025 Veikkausliiga season with back-to-back losses, succumbing to a 1-0 defeat against SJK on the road over the weekend, while last year’s champions KuPS secured their first win of the season, edging past AC Oulu 1-0.

After falling 3-2 to Ilves in the opening round, HJK was eager to recover in Seinajoki, but their ambitions took a hit when they were reduced to ten men in the 43rd minute.

Santeri Hostikka had shone with two early goals against Ilves last week, but his performance this time saw him collect two yellow cards—his first booked for a reckless challenge on Valentin Gasc and the second for shoving Gasc down after the latter retaliated.

Despite playing a man down, the visitors continued to pose a threat in the second half, with Teemu Pukki striking the post. However, it was Kasper Paananen who made an impact, netting a strike from the edge of the box that, while not the cleanest, managed to find the bottom corner.

As it stands, SJK occupies second place on the table with two 1-0 victories, while HJK is languishing near the bottom, awaiting the impact of Pukki.

KuPS began their title defence with a draw against Inter Turku but found their stride on matchday two with a 1-0 win at home against AC Oulu.

The visitors put the reigning champions under serious strain early in the game, hitting the crossbar and nearly forcing an own goal.

Midway through the first half, a corner from KuPS was half-cleared before being headed back into the danger zone and eventually converted by Agon Sadiku from close range.

Both teams created numerous chances for the remainder of the match, and despite a second goal for KuPS being ruled out for offside and numerous key saves and clearances, the score remained at 1-0.

Leading the early standings are Ilves, who sit above SJK on goal difference following a 2-1 victory at home against newcomers Jaro.

The Tampere side appeared comfortable early on, racing into a two-goal lead within the first 25 minutes courtesy of strikes from Teemu Hytonen and Matias Rale.

However, Jaro, who marked their top-flight return with a 2-0 victory on the opening day, managed to tighten their defence, creating a tense finish when Kerfala Cissoko scored with nine minutes remaining.

Ultimately, Jaro couldn’t complete the comeback, leaving Ilves perched at the top of the Finnish league table for now.

Inter Turku recorded the most significant win of the season thus far, dispatching Gnistan 3-0 at home.

The match remained finely poised until late on, with Inter ahead thanks to Jussi Niska’s first-half goal. As the match entered the 89th minute, Oliver Pettersson inadvertently netted an own goal, ensuring the hosts took home the points.

Dimitri Legbo added gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time, bringing Turku’s points tally to four, while Gnistan finds themselves at the bottom of the table.

In other fixtures, VPS secured a point with a 95th-minute equaliser from Tyler Reid, resulting in a 2-2 draw away from home against KTP, preventing them from achieving their first win since returning to the Veikkausliiga. Meanwhile, Mariehamn opened their account with a 1-0 victory over Haka, thanks to Emmanuel Patut’s first-half goal.