Draw suffices for København
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Article summary
Myllykosken Pallo-47 2-2 FC København (Agg: 2-4) A draw was enough to earn the Danish champions a mouthwatering meeting with the might of AFC Ajax.
Article body
A 2-2 draw in Finland was enough for Danish champions FC København to set up a UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie against Dutch giants AFC Ajax.
Danish breakthrough
Having lost 2-0 in the opening leg in Copenhagen, Myllykosken Pallo-47 coach Ilkka Mäkelä had hoped for an early opener in the return fixture, but it was the Danish side that seized the initiative with Fredrik Berglund finding the target after 12 minutes. MyPa came back strongly and carved out a couple of good chances before winger Eero Pellonen raced clear to equalise late in the first half.
Consolation prize
The second half started with both sides looking dangerous, but it was København who edged ahead once again on the night through Tobias Linderoth, and while Saku Puhakainen managed to level the scores for the Finnish champions, they could not do enough to cancel out their guests overall lead. "The first goal was decisive," said Mäkelä. "I'm pleased we managed to score twice. We were aiming for the third qualifying round but we have to remember that our opponents are probably the best team in Scandinavia."
