Lahti and VPS share spoils after Inter Turku retain first place in Veikkausliiga

[p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/lahti-pn1BFqRM/vps-8GveH5dA/?mid=0x6ghh9m"]Lahti 1-1 VPS[/a][/b][/p][p]Monday night's offering to complete the weekend schedule saw [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/lahti/pn1BFqRM/"]Lahti[/a] looking to get back to winning ways after defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/hjk/nmjJVR7B/"]HJK[/a] last time out, but that would be no easy task against a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/vps/8GveH5dA/"]VPS[/a] side who had been climbing the table after a slow start, taking seven points from their previous three fixtures.[/p][p]So it proved late in the first half, when [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/smyth-luka/0bB4HLvo/"]Luka Smyth[/a] won possession midway inside the Lahti half and made headway into the penalty area before steering his second of the season into the bottom corner. [/b][/p][embed guid="d3bee7a1-c2d4-434b-8a96-0f1fb892a0de" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2056403182847221947" social-type="twitter" /][p]But the home side weren't behind for long, as two minutes into added time at the end of the half, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/heikkinen-daniel/UF09KDN1/"]Daniel Heikkinen[/a] tried his luck from the edge of the area. [b]The shot was blocked but ricocheted kindly to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/montiel-tofol/req85PFo/"]Cristobal Montiel[/a], who drilled in his maiden Veikkausliiga goal.[/b][/p][p]The Vaasa side had the perfect opportunity to retake the lead within minutes of the second half getting underway after a foul by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yapi-romaric/4x25i61p/"]Romaric Yapi[/a] inside the area, but Smyth's eye for goal deserted him as he failed to convert the penalty.[/p][p]That was one of a handful of chances that came Smyth's way in the second 45 minutes, but Lahti continally frustrated the Australian and held on to draw 1-1. They stay eighth in the table on eight points, with VPS two points and two places clear.[/p][embed guid="fd2466d8-f28a-46f5-8993-ff1aea2fea66" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2056405512141328694" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/inter-turku-QwkNUoNH/sjk-hj3ima3I/?mid=2svTyXO6"]SJK 1-3 Inter Turku[/a][/b][/p][p]Still clear at the top of the table are [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter-turku/QwkNUoNH/"]Inter Turku[/a], who made it back-to-back wins away at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sjk/hj3ima3I/"]SJK[/a]. [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/conteh-alie/xryT2cjo/"]Alie Conteh[/a][/b] and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yli-kokko-johannes/MsnclSag/"]Johannes Yli-Kokko[/a][/b] had the visitors two up inside nine minutes, before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rangel/QZp7b8xE/"]Rangel[/a] missed the chance to cut the deficit when he failed to convert a penalty soon after. [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jephta-clinton/0zukbWcT/"]Clinton Jephta[/a][/b] added a third just before the hour mark, and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mastokangas-elias/4GUynsrc/"]Elias Mastokangas[/a][/b] grabbed a consolation in the 90th minute for SJK, who still have one win all season.[/p][embed guid="eb55b61c-7f14-4ff2-83fd-70a1b928bc64" url="https://x.com/RuutuUrheilu/status/2055691931628294444" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/hjk-nmjJVR7B/ilves-pYGmWmwa/?mid=Y1nCuFPs"]HJK 2-2 Ilves[/a][/b][/p][p]Ilves also have just one victory from seven games as they twice surrendered the lead away at HJK, who climb to fourth despite one win in their last five. [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lyons-foster-brooklyn/WIK2ZDF6/"]Brooklyn Lyons-Foster[/a][/b] scored just before the break to cancel out [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stjopin-maksim/nHR8A61A/"]Maksim Stjopin[/a][/b]'s opener, and after [b]Stjopin [/b]scored his second in the 59th minute, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/borchers-mads/OfE2qhds/"]Mads Borchers[/a][/b] replied seven minutes from time. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bogicevic-mihailo/086kTlSS/"]Mihailo Bogicevic[/a] was shown a second yellow card late on, but the Lynx could not find a winner in added time.[/p][embed guid="4d6dba60-e762-4b32-978d-10ec68c170d0" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57bMgiM8V90" social-type="youtube" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/gnistan-Aa28K98n/jaro-faEPan8O/?mid=A7syzBgJ"]Gnistan 5-0 Jaro[/a][/b][/p][p]After three straight losses to start the season, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gnistan/Aa28K98n/"]Gnistan[/a] have gone four unbeaten and really hit their stride by putting five past bottom-of-the-table [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/jaro/faEPan8O/"]Jaro[/a]. [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/akinyemi-adeleke/d2oRQFu0/"]Adeleke Akinyemi[/a][/b] broke the deadlock just before the break, but a [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ogungbaro-michael/Cbkzsna1/"]Michael Ogungbaro[/a][/b] own goal opened the floodgates early in the second half - [b]Akinyemi [/b]added his second, before [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gnanou-pakwo-abdoul-rachide/lGVpoHcU/"]Rachide Gnanou[/a][/b] and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/latonen-joakim/nBIXhefH/"]Joakim Latonen[/a][/b] completed the rout.[/p][embed guid="c2c01ffa-9d74-4b65-a206-17a919ac468a" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2055703072614027445" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/kups-nLBbqJDS/mariehamn-C8bOhcyj/?mid=6FpKwgff"]Mariehamn 1-1 KuPS[/a][/b][/p][p]Alongside Jaro, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mariehamn/C8bOhcyj/"]Mariehamn[/a] are the only side still without a Veikkausliiga win this season, but a point at home to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/kups/nLBbqJDS/"]KuPS[/a] takes them unbeaten in two, while the champions remain third despite no wins in four. [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/luyeye-lutumba-joslyn/OjwoyjpA/"]Joslyn Luyeye-Lutumba[/a][/b] put the Kuopio side ahead in the 35th minute, seconds after coming on, but the hosts hit back just seven minutes later through [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/huttunen-anttoni/bBTfoAD1/"]Anttoni Huttunen[/a][/b].[/p][embed guid="33961305-3f70-4939-898a-4ae30d39d7a2" url="https://x.com/KuPS1923/status/2055688365563871703" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ac-oulu-Y35Jer59/tps-dM4FE3tT/?mid=j3KNcEoQ"]AC Oulu 1-0 TPS[/a][/b][/p][p]In second place, two points behind Inter Turku are [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ac-oulu/Y35Jer59/"]AC Oulu[/a], who got back to winning ways by inflicting a first defeat of the season on newly-promoted [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tps/dM4FE3tT/"]TPS[/a]. The only goal arrived with the hour mark approaching courtesy of [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/karjalainen-rasmus/0vdJdbrC/"]Rasmus Karjalainen[/a][/b], and though the hosts had [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kaukua-tuomas/b1SlPC51/"]Tuomas Kaukua[/a] sent off in added time after two bookings in three minutes, the Turku side were unable to find a late leveller.[/p][embed guid="dce61895-7047-43d5-ae08-bd58b9fa89ca" url="https://x.com/Veikkausliiga/status/2055704691225346111" social-type="twitter" /][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/finland/veikkausliiga/"]See the latest Veikkausliiga standings on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]