Tuesday night was just as fulfilling as I had hoped it would be. The intrigue of the cup brought out the best from the supporters and the team alike, and the result was a convincing 4-1 (2-0) win over the visitors from Jyväskylä. Lohikosken pallokerho fought hard but did not get any shots on goal besides the penalty that gave them their lone goal. In contrast, TamU-K had a couple shots that hit the woodwork in addition to the four goals.

It could have been much more difficult though. The first 15-20 minutes were very tentative by both teams, and the well-taken 1-0 goal by Jacin Dakkaki seemed to come a bit out of nowhere on the 25th minute. Seven minutes later the score was 2-0, helped on by the emergency keeper that LPK had had to call in for the match in the absence of their regular ones. Antti Eijamo’s took his shot from a great spot at the corner of the box, but his shot was a bit of a missed shot, and barely had enough power to cross the line.

Less than two minutes into the second half the score was 3-0. At this point it looked like LPK stopped believing in their chances. Personally I was convinced that the match was done, and in fact started comparing LPK to bottom half teams in Vitonen in Tampere. This is how they looked like for the next 20-25 minutes until Osku Airesto let a quick LPK forward past him on the right wing, and chased him into the box for a tackle. The referee had no choice but to award a penalty. A good shot into the corner turned the score into 3-1.

At this point LPK started to look like a much better team, and TamU-K was under constant pressure. Suddenly I realized this is how matches that seem like they are done sometimes turn. A quick second goal, more panic, and a clusterfuck may ensue. Luckily it did not get to that. Well not luckily. I think this was again a case of our defense showing why they are the backbone of this team. As I said earlier, despite of all the pressure, Ilkka Innola did not have to make any saves.

The final nail in the coffin was hit by Mohammed El-Harrak. Anssi Saiha played the ball across the field between El-Harrak and LPK’s goal keeper. Moha got to the ball first, and chipped it over the goalie who was frantically running back to his goal. A handsome finish by a handsome player. Game over.

The draw for the round of sixteen takes place on Tuesday next week. Teams will be divided into two baskets based on geography. It seems likely that the dividing line will be between the south and the north, and we are likely to be in the north. Besides TamU-K, the teams that have so far made it to next round are (tier and home city in parentheses, the division to south and north is my best guess):

South:
SAPA/2 (Nelonen, Helsinki)
FC Kiffen 08 (Kolmonen, Helsinki)
LoPS (Vitonen, Loimaa)
KaaPo (Kolmonen, Kaarina)

North:
KajHa (Kolmonen, Kajaani)
SC-KuFU-98 (Kolmonen, Kuopio)
Sisu-Pallo (Nelonen, Seinäjoki)

These are the matches still to be played in the next few days:

South:
HerTo (Kolmonen, Helsinki) – HePu (Vitonen, Helsinki)
IPS (Kolmonen, Imatra) – HaPK (Nelonen, Hamina)
LPS Kuninkaat (Nelonen, Helsinki) – AC Vantaa (Kolmonen, Vantaa)
Pato (Kolmonen, Tervakoski) – EuPa (Kolmonen, Eura)
KOPSE (Kolmonen, Vantaa) – FC Espoo/2 (Kolmonen, Espoo)
NuPS (Kolmonen, Nummela) – Wilpas (Kolmonen, Salo)

North:
KonnU (Kutonen, Konnevesi) – FC Vaajakoski (Kolmonen, Jyväskylä)
FC Kiisto (Kolmonen, Vaasa) – Karhu (Kolmonen, Vaasa)

FC Vaajakoski is not going to lose against KonnU, so it looks like all our possible opponents except for Sisu-Pallo play in the highest tier Kolmonen. This is the stage where the going inevitably gets tough in this competition. For the players and the supporters – for the club – it is an opportunity to show ourselves, and I think everybody is ready to seize that opportunity.