Report: Cork City 2 - 2 FC Haka

In what is rapidly becoming a habit, Cork City treated their supporters to a thoroughly schizophrenic display against Finnish outfit FC Haka at Turner’s Cross. Perhaps City should start future fixtures with a two-goal deficit, as it took Toni Lehtinen’s 53rd minute strike to finally shake the hosts out of their torpor.

To be fair to Alan Matthews’ side, one could point out with considerable justification that both the visiting team’s goals had come against the run of play; but, whilst certainly true, this does not tell the full story. Despite dominating both possession and territory dur-ing the opening period, it was a lethargic display by City. The hosts played some neat football at times at times, but the final ball, insofar as there was any, was lacking in convic-tion.

All that said, the Leesiders opened energetically. FC Haka served warning in the 9th minute, as the excellent Mikko Manninen teed up Toni Lehtinen just outside the area. The striker’s shot drew a reflex save, which Michael Devine was happy to collect the ball at the second attempt

With the visitors seeking to slow the tempo to a pace that would embarrass Greeks at every opportunity, City were finding matters frustrating. On 13 minutes, a ball over the top had the Haka defence in all sorts of trouble, with the hesitant Alexander Dovbnya finally clearing the ball as Denis Behan bore down on the last defender. As robust as the Haka defenders were, Behan looked capable of causing consternation with his physicality, but rarely received the ball in an area to exploit this weakness.

Haka’s aimless diagonal balls forward seemed to pose little danger to the City de-fence, but on 17 minutes, one finally stuck; collecting a pass in from the right, Janne Mah-lakaarto skipped past Danny Murphy with alarming ease before coolly slotting a low shot past Devine. A stunned silence engulfed the Cross.

City’s perseverance with a patient, structured approach did little to rouse the 3,900 strong crowd, and soon manager Matthews was screaming at his team to push up. Half-chances followed, with Behan coming close, and Colin Healy, looking to break into the area at every opportunity having a shot charged down 25 minutes. Liam Kearney was be-ing given some rough treatment by the visitors, but was game enough to run his man whenever in possession. Moments after Darren Murphy saw yellow for a needless foul, Manninen provided a moment of breathtaking poise, keeping a ball he had no right to keep in right on the goal-line, landing two defenders on their backsides in the process; but there was nobody in the area to meet his cross.

On the half hour mark, Mooney decided to take matters in his own hands, jinking into the area from the left hand side and drawing a fine save from Dovbnya. The following clearance fell to Neal Horgan who pumped it back in, but Mooney was stretching as he headed wide. Whether by accident or design, City’s top scorer seemed to popping up eve-rywhere as the half wound down; except the area itself. Whether moving wide on either flank, or foraging deep, the former Longford man seemed to be involved in everything. Be-han however cut a disconsolate figure up front, winning balls, but often finding himself iso-lated.

In a near replica of the goal, Kangaskorpi played Manninen through on 37 minutes, but the Haka wideman’s low shot lacked the pace to trouble Devine. On the stoke of half-time, City were unfortunate not to equalise. Firstly, Liam Kearney came close with a superb curl-ing effort which Dovbnya managed to push past his right-hand post. Then, skipper Murray headed narrowly over from Danny Murphy’s ensuing corner.

Whatever Matthews said at half-time appeared to have invigorated City. In a whirlwind opening spell, Kearny came closest when heading Behan’s cross into the ground. But, in another moment of brilliant opportunism, Mahlakaarto slotted home Folwer’s defence-splitting pass. 2-0, and things were looking grim.

The turning point was a 55th minute clash between Behan and Dovbnya. With the ball already out for a goal-kick, the Haka keeper engaged indulged in some farcical theatrics, drawing derision from the packed Shed End. Visibly rattled by the incessant heckling, his game began to fall apart, with a succession of poor kicks raising intensity in the stands, and this fed into the belief of the home side that now upped their game.

David Mooney’s goal on 65 minutes therefore had a certain sense of inevitability. Play-ing much further up the field now, he found himself perfectly positioned to volley home at the near post from Danny Murphy’s cross. Then just two minutes later Murphy completed his transition from villain to hero, as he whipped in a superb free kick from the right, which Murray guided home past the hapless Dovbnya.

Haka looked to be falling to pieces now, as Dovbnya sent his umpteenth goal kick into touch above the fourth official’s head; indeed, on 75 minutes, he found the referee’s book for time wasting. An exhausted Manninen was hauled off on 80 minutes to a standing ova-tion from the home support. Another poor goal kick failed to even meet the right back, but the Haka keeper just managed to deny Behan.

Healy had a header pushed onto the post and Murray headed agonisingly close from two Danny Murphy corners; indeed, Healy had a good penalty shout after seemingly being chopped down whilst bursting through on goal after 87 minutes. In the third minute of added time, Neal Horgan cracked a superb volley against the crossbar, with Healy’s fol-low-up saved.

Cork City (4-4-2): Michael Devine; Neal Horgan, Dan Murray (c), Pat Sullivan, Danny Murphy; Darren Murphy, Colin Healy, Joe Gamble, Liam Kearney; Denis Behan, David Mooney.
Subs not used: Cillian Lordan, Dave Meyler, Mark McNulty, Alan O’Connor, Timothy Kiely, Darragh Ryan, David Mulcahy.

Booked: Darren Murphy (28); Behan (52)

FC Haka (4-4-1-1): Alexander Dovbnya; Juuso Kangaskorpi (c), Jarkko Okkonen, Kalle Parvianainen, Pietari Holopainen; Mikko Manninen (Jarno Mattila 80), Jani Kaupilla, Cheyne Fowler, Mikko Innanen (Valeri Minkenen 87); Janne Mahlakaarto; Toni Lehtinen.
Subs not used: Tommi Viik, Petri Viljanen, Ville Pajula, Niko Hoikkala, Jari Nikkila.

Booked: Kaupilla (41); Mahlakaarto (58); Dovbnya (75).

Referee: Svein-Erik Edvartsen.

Attendance: 3,791

Extratime Man of the Match: Mikko Manninen (FC Haka).