MyPa squeeze past TMVK

By Mikael Erävuori

Myllykosken Pallo-47 advanced to the UEFA Cup second qualifying round by beating TVMK Tallinn in Anjalankoski, their 2-1 aggregate success coming after visiting striker Tarmo Neemelo received a straight red card just before half-time.

Bright TMVK
The away side from Estonia took the initiative early on while MyPa struggled to find their rhythm in the early exchanges. TVMK created several chances from counterattacks, but some poor finishing meant Janne Korhonen had little to do in the MyPa goal.

Neemelo madness
On 41 minutes Neemelo lost his cool, kicking MyPa defender Toni Huttunen after the whistle had blown for a relatively innocuous challenge. Referee Mark Whitby had no hesitation in showing the tall striker a straight red card.

MyPa initiative
MyPa took control in the second half against the ten men of TMVK. On 57 minutes Tero Taipale intercepted a loose ball, exchanged passes with Adriano and advanced into the TVMK penalty area. Visiting captain Andrei Borisov made a desperate tackle, but only succeeded in steering the ball into his own net.

Tense finale
After the breakthrough MyPa had several chances to secure their win but could convert any of them. TVMK rarely threatened Korhonen's goal, but MyPa had to be on their toes until the final whistle to earn a place in tomorrow's draw.

'Not happy'
MyPa head coach Ilkka Mäkelä said: "The result was OK, but I'm not happy with the players. We didn't move enough and the passing was poor. A clean sheet in a European game is always a good thing and we could have scored another goal. This wasn't the kind of play we've shown lately, but luckily it was enough. Of course playing almost an hour against ten men made it easier for us."