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KuPS defeated Sūduva 2: 0 in the third qualifying round and will continue to fight for entry to the European League one week later, when they will play Romania’s Cluj CFR in the decisive fourth round match.
Local newspaper Savon Sanomat, Finland’s ninth largest city, Kuopio, yesterday called KuPS’s victory “the club’s greatest achievement in 100 years.”
This statement is reflected in the team’s previous results in European tournaments.
By winning against Sūduva, the Kuopio footballers defeated their second opponent for the first time in a year; A week ago, KuPS eliminated Slovan of Bratislava in the second round of the European League after a series of penalties. Not only that, now KuPS is only one win to go before the Europa League group stage, in which no Finnish team played between the 2014 and 2015 season.
“When KuPS began their appearance in the Champions League selection by dropping the Norwegian Molde 0: 5, nobody spoke about the possible success of the Kuopio team in Europe. But the European League team has changed everything: KuPS shows fantastic form and never ceases to rejoice. Until the group stage, the dream is just a victory … ”wrote hbl.fi.
Iltalehti did not forget the monetary aspect and reminded his readers that KuPS has already raised close to one million euros to enter the decisive stage of the European League selection.
Until the group stage, the dream only needs one victory …
If the Finnish champions managed to win next week also against Cluj CFR, Kuopio’s modest team would get at least another 3 million. injection of gold, the sum of the value of gold in this difficult period.
“Even considering that matches in Europe would likely have to be played without spectators and expensive money would be lost on tickets sold, UEFA’s revenue would be like a breath of fresh air for the Finnish champions,” Iltalehti writes.
The victory of KuPS over the Lithuanian champions was also widely described by the yle.fi portal. His journalist Jussi Vainikka pointed out that the victory could turn out to be one of the most pleasant surprises in the history of Finnish football next week.
“Kuopio’s team is a victory from the European League group stage, a statement few would have thought of before the start of the season. There were even fewer people who believed in that after Molde humiliated the Kuopio club in the Champions League selection by 5: 0 in August, J.Vainikka wrote, adding shortly thereafter. – Players smiled widely after the historic win over Sūduva. “KuPS has never been this far in European tournaments”
A Yle.fi journalist also described the party that took place behind the stadium fence during all matches and “exploded” after them.
Several dozen fans watched the match at Savon Sanomat Stadium through the cracks in the fence, and the KuPS players, after the final referee’s whistle, attracted their most loyal fans and celebrated with them.
“The fact that we can play in the group stage of the European League would not have occurred to me,” captain Petteri Pennanen, the first captain to reach the Finnish media, told the Finnish media. “I didn’t even dream of an opportunity like this.”
KuPS Norway strategist Arne Erlandsen was also proud of his students after the meeting.
Just last year the 60-year-old specialist, who took over the Kuopio club, received much criticism, but this season’s results leave the Finns with nothing but praise for the KuPS strategist.
Twitter photo by Kuopion Palloseura / Arne Erlandsen (left)
“We are very happy with the victory, we deserve it. We controlled the game and after the second goal the situation was practically clear. I am proud of my players, they work hard and play as we ask, ”Norwegian told the club’s website. – We had many opportunities and we monitored the course of the meeting. Sūduva played as we expected.
The second half of the match was more successful for us than the first, and the whole team played successfully. Experienced players like Petteri Pennanen set the tone, and the whole team does the same.
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