Ishmael Yartey marks Finnish top-flight debut with match winner for KPV

Ghanaian attacker Ishmael Yartey etched an historic debut in the Finnish top-flight League by powering KPV Kokkola to a 2-1 win over KuPS at the Kokkolan Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The 29-year-old was handed a starting role by manager Niko Kalliokoski and he proved his worth with a sensational strike in the 65th minute to win the match for KPV.

Starting the match along with former Right to Dream Academy graduate Isaac Telly Shaze, the former Benfica winger displayed top-class performance as he scored quality on and off the ball deliveries.

However, KPV benefited proficiently from his blistering pace and trickery on the ball.

Before the arrival of Yartey, KPV had managed just 3 wins and 4 draws while losing a staggering 10 games.

However, his acquisition added more bite to their attack as he offered them the zeal and panache to claim their fourth win of the campaign.

The victory has shot them into 10th place and swapped places with Rovaniemi who succumbed to a 2-0 home loss against Inter Turku.

KuPS went into the game on a high confident note as they occupied third place before the match.

Finnish international Enoch Banza squeezed home the opener for KPV 11 minutes after the break but Estonian Ats Purje, 33, pulled parity for the visitors to silence the home fans.

While the visitors were getting hopeful Yartey combined well with Banza to net the winner for the host.

He positioned himself well inside the box to pick a pass from Banza, who turned his marker inside out, before planting the ball firmly beyond the visitors’ keeper with a powerful half-volley.