In this series, Finnish football journalist Juhavaltteri Salminen recalls occasions on which Nordic teams proved to be a match – and sometimes more than that – for some of the most famous clubs in Europe. Inter had lost to IFK Göteborg in 1987, there was more Nordic humiliation in store for the Nerazzurri…
 

UEFA Cup 1987/88: Inter 0-1 TPS

The suits at TPS had no idea what they were up against. Literally. The club had just been drawn to play Internazionale in the second round of the UEFA Cup. It was so difficult to take in that it actually took a while for the club hierarchy to realize Internazionale were actually Inter Milan.

TPS (Turun Palloseura, or ‘Turku Ball Club’) were one of Finland’s premier clubs, eight-time champions and perennial contenders. They were probably the best Finnish side that never won the title in the 1980’s. From 1980 to 1987, TPS finished in the top four every single year, but the trophy had evaded them since 1975. They had actually won the preliminary stage of the league three times in the 80’s, but then suffered defeat in the championship round or play-offs that followed.

Continentally, Finnish football had hardly covered itself in glory. There had been some bright spots, such as HJK’s win over Liverpool in 1982 or Kuusysi’s run to the quarter-final of the European Cup in 1986, but normally, navigating through the first round was the best you could hope for.

In the fall of 1987, TPS had done just that in the UEFA Cup, having overturned a 0–1 first leg deficit and beaten Admira Wacker 2–0 away from home. By Finnish standards, defeating the Austrians was already a respectable achievement. Many thought it was TPS’s greatest result to date in the club’s admittedly short European history. Kit manager Risto Lindman said he had never seen TPS dominate a European fixture as comprehensively as they did in the first leg, despite the defeat.

And that was probably as good as it was going to get. It is an understatement to say their odds were stacked when they were drawn to face the Milanese giants. Coached by Giovanni Trapattoni, Inter were a formidable opponent for anybody. In their ranks were world class stars such as Walter Zenga, Daniel Passarella, Alessandro Altobelli and the recently acquired Enzo Scifo. The Finnish amateurs would have no chance whatsoever.

But TPS would not just roll over. Meticulous planning ensued. The Finnish league season was over, so TPS only had Inter to focus on. Their head coach had no intention to leave any rock unturned.

Tommy Lindholm had played for TPS himself and even had a spell with Besiktas in the early 1970s. The two-time champion and top scorer of the Finnish league had started his coaching career in the late 70s. From the very early days Lindholm, whose first language is Swedish, had adopted an international approach.

Swedish football and Sven-Göran Eriksson's IFK Göteborg were a particular interest to Lindholm. He adopted many modern Swedish ideas, most notably the zonal marking system that had propelled IFK Göteborg to UEFA Cup titles in 1982 and 1987. Lindholm had befriended Sven-Göran Eriksson, the innovator and mastermind behind IFK’s first triumph. He also knew Gunder Bengtsson, Eriksson’s former assistant who had led the Swedes to the 1987 title with largely the same ideals.

As TPS prepared for the Inter tie, Lindholm was regularly in touch with both. Eriksson had first-hand experience of Inter, having spent the last three years managing AS Roma and Fiorentina. He spilled the beans. Then Lindholm and his assistant Heikki Suhonen would plan their tactics together with Bengtsson.

“Tommy opened a hotline to Italy. He spoke with Eriksson pretty much every day. Honestly, I do not know how Svennis could stand it”, said Suhonen, all-time top scorer of the Finnish league, in his 2019 autobiography.

The plan was clear. Inter would let TPS play out from the back, so the defenders were told to be patient with the ball. In their own half, TPS would put aggressive press on the Inter players.

“Inter presumed we would know nothing about them, but I knew almost everything”, Lindholm told Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat in 2014.

Italians were probably not as well informed about the Finnish, but at least they had done their homework. When TPS arrived in Milan two days before the game on October 19th, 1987, the baggage handlers at the airport knew exactly who they were dealing with. They had helpfully written their predictions on little sheets of paper and attached them to the players’ bags. Inter 7, TPS 0 was one of the more modest prophecies.

Two days later, TPS finally took to the San Siro pitch, captained by local boy Tomi Jalo. His brother JP was in the stands commentating on the radio. The match was not televised in Finland, so JP’s enthusiastic commentary is, for many, inseparable from the game itself and a part of TPS supporters’ collective memory. And it took just 11 minutes for a classic to start forming.

“This would actually be a good time for TPS to strike a blow”, said JP ominously when a TPS attack took shape down the left-hand side.

The ball was played infield to Mika Aaltonen. Despite being a good 25 meters away, he shaped up for a shot. His touch was immaculate. The leaping Zenga had no chance of preventing an absolute wonder goal.
 

Inter Milan 0-1 TPS, San Siro, UEFA Cup 1987-88. Mika Aaltonen's goal earned him a transfer to Inter shortly afterwards #FCTPS pic.twitter.com/3yGIGQobJb

— Escape To Suomi (@EscapeToSuomi) March 1, 2017

“This is unbelievable! Turun Palloseura are up 1–0 and the Italians are on their knees! Mamma mia, pronto pronto”, yelled JP in the commentary box, the combination of his excitement and the poor connection rendering some of his words incomprehensible.

As the clock ticked and TPS’ resilience grew, so did the commentator’s enthusiasm. To the point where it garnered attention from the locals sitting nearby.

“Right now, I am the most looked at person in the stadium. If, for some reason, the commentary suddenly cuts off, you can reach me from the nearest hospital”, he exclaimed at one point during the night.

On the pitch, TPS held on. Sometimes with a fair bit of luck, especially in the second half when TPS goalkeeper Dan-Ola Eckerman collided with one of his own defenders and Massimo Ciocci had the open goal at his mercy.

“Ciocci has a chance, the TPS goal is empty! Giocci with the ball…AND IT HITS THE BACK POST! All the gods are on Turun Palloseura’s side”, JP preached.

But it was not just luck. The tactic clearly worked and frustrated Inter. The hosts recorded just eight shots on target during the game. For a world class side against an amateur team, that is hardly impressive after chasing the game for 80 minutes.

"For me, that game is the greatest display ever by a Finnish coach. Everything went exactly as Tommy had thought all along. The plan worked to perfection", recalls Suhonen in his autobiography.

“After the game, (goalkeeper) Eckerman told me he had never seen as expensive a ball boy as he did in Milan”, TPS’ then-chairman Pekka Ruola told Ilta-Sanomat in 2017. “Inter were shooting wide and high, and Altobelli would scurry to get the ball back!”

“This is a joyous day! Turun Palloseura have beaten Internazionale! This is utterly unbelievable, this is more than anybody dared to hope for, JP could finally rejoice upon the final whistle. Soon afterwards, his brother Tomi was leading his side on a lap of honour. The Italian crowd had ear-shatteringly booed Inter off the pitch and then started applauding the Finns. TPS were taking in a surreal scene.

But they did not celebrate. Firstly, they could hardly believe it themselves. Secondly, the job was not finished. TPS were now convinced they could actually advance.

The stadium in Turku was absolutely packed two weeks later. Temporary stands allowed for some 12,000 spectators, but heaven knows how many actually showed up. The official figure is 15,000, a club record. And for a long time, there seemed to be a distinct possibility of qualification. It was still goalless at half-time, but it all changed in a controversial manner four minutes after the restart.
 

TPS v FC Internazionale, 4.11.1987, UEFA Cup 2nd round 2nd leg, 13,365 spectators at Kupittaa stadium. With provisional stands, today outlawed, the capacity was raised from the normal 8,000. The best view was from the trees. @FCTPS @Inter @Inter_en #TPS #Inter pic.twitter.com/B1z6bL78IZ

— Juha Tamminen (@TamminenJuha) January 3, 2019
 

An Inter player had apparently been fouled. Just like everybody else on the pitch, Altobelli was expecting a free kick. He basically scooped the ball with his hands. But the free kick was never given – and neither were TPS given one for a pretty blatant handball. While everyone else had stopped playing, Enzo Scifo unleashed a curved shot from some 25 meters. It went in. Some 20 minutes later, Altobelli added another and the dream was over.

Even then, it was probably the best European tie a Finnish side had put together against absolute top opposition to date. While OPS and HJK had previously shaken Liverpool, both had been thoroughly outplayed in the second legs. TPS had pushed Inter all the way for the entire 180 minutes.

Mika Aaltonen, goalscorer at San Siro, made history in more ways than one. He soon became the first Finn in the Serie A as Inter signed the man who had shocked them with a magnificent strike. He never made a competitive appearance for Inter, though, instead playing on loan at AC Bellinzona and Bologna and eventually moving to Hertha BSC.

TPS, on the other hand, were not propelled to greater heights by the “Miracle in Milan”. They finished fifth in the league in 1988 and lost a title-deciding match in the final round of 1989. Times then got darker and the club actually went bankrupt in the early 1990’s. TPS were quick to recover from that, but that first title since 1975 is still but a distant dream.

Sources: Ilta-Sanomat, MTV3, Kultaiset vuodet – Turun Palloseura 1922–1997, Matias Strozyk: Super-Hessu Maalikuningas, Auran Aallot

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Nordic Glory 2: Sven Goran Eriksson's IFK Göteborg shock "arrogant" German giants
Nordic Glory 3: All-conquering Liverpool suffer embarrassing defeat in freezing Helsinki
Nordic Glory 4: Swedish elation and Scottish disappointment in an unlikely European final
Nordic Glory 5: 'Miracle in Milan' as amateur Finnish side TPS shock Inter at the San Siro
Nordic Glory 6: One last hurrah for European greats IFK Göteborg at Manchester United's expense
Nordic Glory 7: Rosenborg humiliate AC Milan as Norwegian football emerges from darkness
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Nordic Glory 9: Chelsea come undone on a "farcical" polar night in Norway as Ruud Gullit fumes