OLS claimed a 3-1 victory over Yykkönen in the group stage of the Yykkönen tournament on Friday evening. The result moves the visitors closer to securing their place in the second half of the competition while Yykkönen must now regroup in the lower half of the table. We had backed the away side to win, and their performance in the second half justified that call. By then the match had already shown its turning point.
J. Korhonen opened the scoring for the hosts in the third minute, giving Yykkönen an early lead. OLS responded through O. Lamsa, who equalised in the 26th minute. A goal and an own goal in the 35th minute swung the balance, and M. Babb sealed the win with a fifth-minute strike after the hour mark. And here's the thing — Yykkönen played the second half a man up after that own goal, but could not find a way back into it.
The match saw five yellow cards for the hosts, including early cautions for O. Schroderus and V. Kangasniemi, with T. Pahkala and K. Rintamaki also booked. Yykkönen made four substitutions, bringing on J. Omotayo, A. Tolra, J. Lotvonen and J. Makelainen, while O. Lamsa was replaced in the 67th minute. No red cards were shown, and the game remained relatively disciplined aside from the yellow cards.
Statistics tell a mixed story. Yykkönen controlled 49 per cent of possession and made 52 attacks, but OLS edged ahead with 63 attacks and 51 per cent possession. The visitors took 16 shots compared to 12 from the hosts, yet only five of those were on target. To be fair, Yykkönen were sharper in front of goal, converting more of their efforts into a single result.
The result leaves Yykkönen in eighth place with 23 points from 23 games, while OLS sit seventh on 35 points. Both sides have played the same number of matches, but the gap in points suggests OLS are on a better run. Yykkönen have not won since their last match, and this defeat adds to their recent struggles.