Gnistan 1-1 KuPS
KuPS stumbled over the regular season finish line with two defeats that left them a point clear of an Inter Turku side who will now have the opportunity to go top with a win over HJK on Wednesday 9th as KuPS could only take a point against Gnistan.
The away side were set for all three after they took the lead late in the first half - Petteri Pennanen cleverly chested the ball towards Piotr Parzyszek, who turned neatly and picked out the bottom corner.
But just three minutes after the break, the home side levelled when Joakim Latonen spotted the run of Bogdan Milovanov off the right wing, and despite the narrow angle, he managed to slip the ball past the goalkeeper and draw Gnistan level.
Neither side could find a winner, leaving the Kuopio side at risk of losing first place. Gnistan are fourth but just seven points off the top and unbeaten in five.
VPS 1-0 AC Oulu
Also in the championship group, VPS moved within a point of Gnistan thanks to a narrow home win over AC Oulu, from whom the Vaasa side take fifth place. The only goal arrived just eight minutes in when the Oulu back line failed to deal with a low cross from the left and Kevin Kouassivi-Benissan was in the right place to roll home the loose ball.
The visitors had chances to restore parity, none better than a penalty for handball on the stroke of half-time, but Rasmus Karjalainen had his spot-kick well saved by Mamadou Jalloh. It's the third VPS match in a row with only one goal, two of which have been wins, while Oulu have won one of their last five.
Lahti 2-1 Mariehamn
In the relegation group, Mariehamn's unforeseen three-game winning run was ended by a Lahti side who are now on such a run. Aaron Lindholm put the home side ahead, and though Adam Stroud levelled midway through the second half, Mariehamn were unable to kick on for another win, and Justus Ojanen's deflected strike three minutes from time won it for Lahti. Already safe, Lahti have strengthened their grip on seventh place, while Mariehamn remain one point behind Jaro at the bottom.
Ilves 2-0 Jaro
That gap remains one point because Jaro fell to their sixth defeat in a row on the road at Ilves, who have assured their survival with their first win in four, as they went 13 points clear of today's opponents. The Tampere side had to be patient, but Teemu Hytonen broke the deadlock in the 74th minute, before Elias Tamminen made sure of the points 10 minutes later.
TPS 0-0 SJK
SJK are now the only side Jaro and Mariehamn can catch, though they improved their hopes slightly by taking a point in a goalless draw at TPS. It was a second draw in a row for SJK, putting them five points clear of Jaro, though no wins in five is a concern. TPS have drawn three in a row and sit safely in eighth place.
