Veikkausliiga top three all win as KuPS stay five points clear of Inter Turku

[p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ac-oulu-Y35Jer59/inter-turku-QwkNUoNH/?mid=v1CaC7Up"]AC Oulu 2-3 Inter Turku[/a][/b][/p][p]Of the top three, it was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter-turku/QwkNUoNH/"]Inter Turku[/a] who had the toughest assignment on paper, as they travelled to fifth-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-oulu/Y35Jer59/"]AC Oulu[/a], who came into this off the back of defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hjk/nmjJVR7B/"]HJK[/a], though without having to deal with European exploits in midweek.[/p][p]In soggy conditions, the home side's extra rest was paying dividends early on as they generated plenty of chances, and the wet pitch played a part in them taking the lead in the 30th minute, when [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/amankwah-yeboah/fg3slfum/"]Yeboah Amankwah[/a]'s backpass got caught in a puddle, allowing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/karjalainen-rasmus/0vdJdbrC/"]Rasmus Karjalainen[/a] to run through and score at the second attempt[/b], after his initial effort was saved.[/p][p]It was 2-0 to the home side just six minutes later, as somehow FC Inter didn't learn their lesson - [b]this time it was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kangasniemi-valtteri/fPDXRwdi/"]Ilmari Kangasniemi[/a]'s pass back that got held up in the standing water, and Karjalainen nicked in again to round the goalkeeper[/b] and score his 10th of the season.[/p][p]Conditions in the second half didn't improve, but the visitors certainly did - eight minutes after the restart, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/laine-lauri/jsZr40DD/"]Lauri Laine[/a] went on a clever run to the byline and his cross was headed in by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/conteh-alie/xryT2cjo/"]Alie Conteh[/a].[/b][/p][embed guid="965c1ae6-acff-4522-957b-58ba6cb31a98" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af0UHFUoVjk" social-type="youtube" /][p]Conteh had been brought on as a half-time substitute, and that decision continued to pay dividends just past the hour mark, when [b]he headed in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tauriainen-julius/Kj7an4gJ/"]Julius Tauriainen[/a]'s free-kick from the right wing to level the scores.[/b][/p][p]Oulu looked the more likely to retake the lead late on, but the afternoon belonged to [b]Conteh, who was in the right place to play a header square across goal for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ahiabu-prosper/hx368WkM/"]Prosper Ahiabu[/a], whose then headed the ball into the top corner[/b] to win it for the Turku side.[/p][p]The win, coupled with results elsewhere, seals a championship group place for FC Inter, while Oulu remain a point inside the top half with two rounds of the regular season to play.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/kups-nLBbqJDS/lahti-pn1BFqRM/?mid=KGVSHT6N"]Lahti 1-2 KuPS[/a][/b][/p][p]KuPS also came from behind to win away from home, as all three goals at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lahti/pn1BFqRM/"]Lahti[/a] came in the first 17 minutes. [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koskinen-otso/fFj7xDNl/"]Otso Koskinen[/a]'s first-time finish[/b] put Lahti ahead, before an [b]18-yard hit from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jyry-tommi/6BJCj58h/"]Tommi Jyry[/a][/b] and [b]a neat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/luyeye-lutumba-joslyn/OjwoyjpA/"]Joslyn Luyeye[/a]-Lutumba finish - both set up by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/armah-bob-nii/4nbMBYMa/"]Bob Armah[/a][/b] - saw the champions turn it around. KuPS return to winning ways to stay five points clear, while Lahti remain three points off the top half after a first loss in three.[/p][embed guid="5195de30-1ebd-4fec-a84b-80f79ce33c45" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2089004732358578579" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hjk-nmjJVR7B/jaro-faEPan8O/?mid=SMhfYli4"]HJK 3-0 Jaro[/a][/b][/p][p]There was a more comfortable afternoon for HJK, who remain third and four points behind FC Inter thanks to a second league win in a row. There were early goals in this one, too, as [b]headers from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cicale-alfie/YiyYYEqR/"]Alfie Cicale[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/borchers-mads/OfE2qhds/"]Mads Borchers[/a] had the hosts 2-0 up inside nine minutes[/b], and having set up the second goal, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martin-kirilov/6TiOX77Q/"]Martin Kirilov[/a] weaved his way through the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jaro/faEPan8O/"]Jaro[/a] defence and slotted home the third[/b] midway through the second half. It's three losses in a row for Jaro, who sit 11th, three points shy of SJK in 10th.[/p][embed guid="67deab29-6fa5-41df-8dd5-475ff9c46d35" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2088985771944325567" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/finland/veikkausliiga/"]Follow the Veikkausliiga on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]