Veikkausliiga Recap: HJK Squander Early Advantage as Champions KuPS Settled for Draw on Opening Day

The opening skirmish in the Finnish title race was claimed by Ilves, who staged a remarkable comeback from 2-0 down to defeat HJK Helsinki 3-2 in a clash between two primary contenders, while defending champions KuPS were held to a 1-1 stalemate by Inter Turku in the first round of the 2025 Veikkausliiga.

Fans were eager to see Teemu Pukki make his return to the domestic league for the first time since 2011, but it was his strike partner Santeri Hostikka who truly shone in the early stages for HJK.

Hostikka netted the season’s opening goal just four minutes in with a neatly cushioned volley, as the home side struggled to manage a long throw into their area.

Ten minutes later, Hostikka found himself with too much space on the left flank, allowing him to cut inside and fire a shot into the top corner.

Ilves revived their hopes in the 38th minute when Lauri Ala-Myllymaki’s powerful drive from 20 yards struck the post and bounced in.

However, the match shifted dramatically when 16-year-old Otto Tiitinen was introduced for his Veikkausliiga debut with 25 minutes remaining.

Within a minute of his arrival, Tiitinen pulled off a Maradona-esque turn inside the box, and his shot deflected off two HJK defenders before hitting the back of the net, turning Hostikka’s earlier heroics into a moment of misfortune for the visitors.

Less than ten minutes later, Tiitinen crafted another opportunity and this time found the net without needing any deflections, sealing a stunning 3-2 victory on a momentous day for the young talent.

Inter Turku, winners of the Liiga Cup, continued their impressive form this spring with a 1-1 draw at home against reigning champions KuPS.

After a barren first half, KuPS broke the deadlock through Samuli Miettinen, but in the last quarter of an hour, Inter managed to level the score with a goal from Axel Kouame.

This result extended the home side’s unbeaten run to seven matches in competitive fixtures since their Liiga Cup campaign commenced with a loss to HJK.

Meanwhile, the early surprise leaders are Jaro, who marked their return to top-flight football after nearly ten years with a solid 2-0 victory away at Mariehamn.

Jaro quickly adapted to the premier level, scoring in just the sixth minute when Kerfala Cissoko bundled it over the line.

Ten minutes after the break, the Guinean forward struck again, firing in a close-range goal that resulted from an assist by Albin Bjorkskog, doubling their lead.

Leading the scoring charts, however, is Mads Borchers, who netted a second-half hat-trick in VPS’ thrilling 4-3 win against AC Oulu.

Niklas Jokelainen had put Oulu ahead with two goals before the interval, but Borchers responded with a penalty and then assisted Maissa Fall to draw VPS level with 20 minutes remaining.

Borchers then handed VPS the lead, only for Oulu to equalise in the dying moments through new arrival Marokhy Ndione.

Yet Borchers was quick to respond—just a minute later, he found the ball in the right position and managed to force it home, clinching the win for his team in dramatic fashion.

In Valkeakoski, there was no shortage of goals either, as Haka narrowly defeated Gnistan 3-2.

Both sides had missed penalties throughout the game, but crucially for Haka, Simon Lindholm found redemption after failing to convert a first-half penalty and scored to put them 2-1 ahead in the second half.

After Tim Vayrynen missed a last-minute penalty for Gnistan that could have equalised the match at 2-2, Haka swiftly moved up the pitch, with Jean-Pierre Da Sylva making it 3-1 before Gnistan netted a consolation goal late in the game.

In contrast, newly-promoted KTP faced disappointment, losing 1-0 at home as they returned to the top tier, conceding a goal to SJK’s Momodou Bojang in the 73rd minute.