HJK Helsinki secured a place in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League after a 1-1 draw away to Danish side Silkeborg on Thursday evening.
The game was played over two legs, with HJK advancing thanks to their 1-0 win in the first leg in Helsinki last week.
In the return leg on Thursday, a sensational long-distance goal by Ghanaian striker Malik Abubakari gave HJK a 1-0 lead just before half time, stretching their lead in the tie to two goals. Although Silkeborg equalised in the second half, the Finnish champions resisted some intense late pressure from the home side to advance to the next stage.
Reaching the group stage of Europe's second biggest club competition is a rare feat for a Finnish football club, and has only previously been achieved once before — by HJK in 2014-2015.
This raises the prospect of big-name teams such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Roma or Lazio potentially playing in Helsinki this autumn.
HJK's head coach Toni Koskela — a self-confessed fan of Manchester United — told Yle which team he would most like to get in Friday's draw.
"I've been a big Man U fan for a long time. Of course, it would be great if we got United in the draw. At the same time, of course, it's sad for the fan. Manchester United is a club you would hope to see play in the Champions League," Koskela said.
Aside from the prestige of playing in the group stage, HJK can also look forward to a participation payment of over 3.5 million euros. In addition, a win in the group would land HJK over 600,000 euros and a draw about 210,000 euros.
The draw took place on Friday afternoon, and HJK were placed in Group C with Roma of Italy, Ludogorets of Bulgaria and Real Betis of Spain.
