KalPa secured a 3-1 victory over IFK Helsingfors in a club friendly match on Thursday evening. The result came as a welcome shift for the away side, who had been searching for momentum after consecutive defeats. IFK Helsingfors, meanwhile, ended their pre-season preparations on a losing note.
The visitors had not tasted success since their 3-2 win over Mikkelin Jukurit on August 7th. A narrow loss to Ilves Tampere on August 20th and a 2-3 defeat to Karpat the previous week had left them back-to-back in the losses column. This three-goal performance offered something different.
and here's the thing, IFK Helsingfors had mixed memories of KalPa from earlier in the year. They opened their spring campaign with a 1-0 win on March 23rd, but the following days brought two heavy defeats — 1-4 and 2-3 — to the same opponent. That pattern of alternating fortunes made this friendly feel like a chance to rewrite the narrative.
Before facing KalPa, IFK Helsingfors had shown attacking promise. A 4-2 victory over Pelicans Lahti on August 14th suggested they could find the net consistently, though a 3-5 loss to JYP on August 7th reminded everyone that defence remains a work in progress. The scoreboard told a different story on Thursday.
KalPa's result means they finally have a positive note to carry into whatever comes next. IFK Helsingfors will need to assess whether their recent form against Pelicans was an isolated event or something more sustainable. The friendly concluded with the visitors taking all three points.