HJK Edges KuPS in Five-Goal Thriller to Cement Kansallinen Liiga Crown

By October 12, 2025 | Bolt Arena, Helsinki

HELSINKI — As shadows lengthened across Bolt Arena and autumn’s chill swept in, HJK delivered a bold statement befitting a champion. In a pulsating 3-2 victory over their closest rivals KuPS W, the Helsinki giants not only avenged a bitter summer defeat but also sealed their grip on the Kansallinen Liiga summit—a triumph carved from resilience, tactical nous, and timely precision.

At the final whistle, HJK players embraced, aware that three hard-fought points had propelled them ten clear at the top with just two games remaining. For KuPS, who arrived trailing by a precarious margin, dreams of a late-season surge now look distant after a contest that never relented until the last.

Early Fireworks and Lead Changes

From the outset, the match bristled with purpose. HJK, determined to draw a line under August’s 1-0 loss in Kuopio, pressed high and found the breakthrough just past the quarter hour. Midfield orchestrator Emilia Mäkelä, so often the axis around which HJK spins, picked out winger Anni Miettinen with a piercing diagonal. Miettinen’s low cross was deftly turned home by striker Ella Virtanen in the 17th minute—a surge of noise echoing from the home faithful.

KuPS, far from cowed, answered with composure. Their response came swiftly: in the 24th minute, after a spell of measured buildup, forward Sofia Voutilainen pounced on a loose ball in the box, finishing past goalkeeper Laura Nieminen to level affairs. By the half-hour mark, the match had settled into a pattern—HJK dictating tempo, KuPS probing on the break—but neither side could wrest control outright.

It would be KuPS who blinked first. In the dying embers of the half, HJK pressed KuPS into an error, resulting in a dangerous free kick at the edge of the area. Mäkelä, brimming with confidence, curled her shot over the wall and into the top corner, restoring the hosts’ advantage and punctuating an already compelling opening stanza. HJK 2, KuPS 1 at the break.

KuPS Fight Back, But HJK Holds Firm

If HJK’s halftime lead seemed secure, KuPS had other ideas. Emerging from the tunnel with renewed intent, they seized the initiative. In the 53rd minute, winger Linda Sällinen surged down the right, beating her marker before delivering a pinpoint cross met by the head of captain Miia Niemi. Her effort thundered past Nieminen and, once more, parity was restored.

But where KuPS had clawed their way back, HJK showed why they are champions-elect. Refusing to panic, the league leaders gradually reasserted their authority. Their determination paid ultimate dividend in the 67th minute following a slick passing sequence that pulled KuPS apart. Substitute forward Ada Heikkinen, barely five minutes on the pitch, latched onto a through ball and slid her finish beyond KuPS keeper Jenna Laukkanen. The roar that greeted Heikkinen’s goal was one of both release and recognition: HJK had found their cutting edge at just the right moment.

A Final Push — and a Lasting Statement

KuPS threw numbers forward in pursuit of a third equalizer. Their desperation was compounded when, in the 82nd minute, defender Venla Väisänen saw red for a professional foul on Virtanen as the last defender. Down to ten, KuPS gamely pressed until the end—a late scramble saw Nieminen deny Voutilainen from close range—but the hosts would not be denied.

As the full-time whistle sounded, HJK’s 3-2 win was more than a measure of superiority. It was a mirror held up to a season of consistency: now unbeaten in five, with only one league defeat all campaign. In contrast, KuPS’ title challenge, vibrant in midseason, now appears destined for a runners-up finish, having won just two of their last five and suffering a costly second straight away defeat.

Larger Stakes, and the Road Ahead

The result, decisive as it was, signals more than a shift in points. HJK’s superiority—now ten points clear after 23 matches—renders the title all but a formality. For manager Sanni Nieminen’s squad, the focus turns to maintaining form ahead of next season’s European assignments and solidifying a campaign that has bristled with both goals and guile.

For KuPS, the road narrows. While mathematically alive, their title hopes rest on a dramatic collapse from HJK—a scenario the formbook does not foreshadow. Instead, their attention must pivot to securing second place and regrouping for another challenge in 2026.

In a season shaped by ambition and rivalry, HJK’s latest statement—delivered in the capital’s cold—was undeniably clear: the crown is theirs to lose, and after Sunday’s drama, it seems destined to remain in Helsinki.