Date: 11th August 2005
Venue: Anjalankosken Jalkapallostadion, 6.30pm kick-off

Score:
MyPa-47 0
Dundee United 0

Attendance: 1,820

United survived two first-half scares, with a Tero Taipale header hitting the bar before defender Tuomo Kononen's snap-shot from 30 yards beat United keeper Derek Stillie only to clip the bar on its way past for a goal-kick.

However, in a competent display, United showed enough to suggest they can finish the job in the second leg at Tannadice in a fortnight's time.

Adapting better to the treacherous conditions caused by incessant rain, it was the home side who threatened first with midfielder Tero Karhu's 30-yard shot forcing Stillie into a fine save.

And then from a corner moments later playmaker Taipale hit the bar with a header as the Scots tried to compose themselves.

The Tannadice men first showed promise in the 10th minute when a fine run from Mark Kerr ended with the midfielder flashing his 25-yard drive past the far post.

Seconds later Barry Robson did have the ball in the net but Lee Miller had been ruled offside in the build up.

United looked to have grown in confidence and Barry Robson fired just past the post from distance before Jim McIntyre forced a save from MyPa keeper Janne Korhonen with an angled shot from close range.

But in the 20th minute the home side hit woodwork again when defender Kononen hit a 30-yard thunderbolt which beat Stillie but clipped the bar before going over.

The sodden conditions seemed to pose some problems for United in terms of their passing game but their threat in the air was always apparent and shown when McIntyre's knock down from a Mark Wilson cross in the 32nd minute only evaded Miller by inches inside the six-yard box.

McIntyre then set up Kerr at the edge of the MyPa penalty box but the former Falkirk player slipped just as he shaped to shoot and a good chance was lost.

In the 47th minute, Miller neatly set McIntyre up with a back-heel 25 yards from goal only to see the former Kilmarnock player drive his left-footed shot past the post.

However, moments later a dangerous Kononen cross into the box from the left was met by striker Nikklas Tarvajarvi who only managed to clear the danger for the visitors by miskicking away.

Then, as United struggled to get out of their own box, Taipale drove a 30-yard effort past the post after Stillie had fisted clear a Kononen corner.

The home side were on top now and in the 56th minute Adriano's free-kick from 30 yards had Stillie backtracking to tip the ball over the bar for yet another corner from which the visitors escaped unscathed.

United's small but merry band of supporters tried to encourage their favourites to mount some attacks of their own but the visitors were finding it difficult to penetrate the Finns' rearguard.

Captain Grant Brebner did send Miller clear in the 66th minute with an incisive first-time pass but the former Falkirk player used an arm to control the ball and was rightly penalised.

McIntyre then linked well with Crawford but the Scotland international's right-footed shot from the edge of the box was well saved by Korhonen.

United were given another warning moments later when Karhu flashed a Kimmo Taukiainen corner from the right just past the post.

As the game entered its final stages, the tension increased and there was the feeling that the Scots were happy enough to see out the game without losing a goal.

Indeed, the Scots looked comfortable defensively as they wound the clock down for what was a more than decent result in their first European adventure in eight years.

MyPa: Korhonen, Kononen, Huttunen, Lindstrom, Miranda, Taipale, Haapala, Tauriainen (Muinonen 75), Karhu, Tarvajarvi (Kaijasilta 80), Adriano.
Subs Not Used: Kiljunen, Puhakainen, Kansikas, Manso, Kangaskolkka.

Booked: Miranda, Tauriainen.

Dundee Utd: Stillie, Wilson, McCracken, Archibald, Duff, Crawford, Kerr, Brebner, McIntyre, Robson, Miller.
Subs Not Used: Samson, McInnes, Dodds, Kenneth, Samuel, Robertson, Cameron.

Booked: Robson.

Ref: Dragomir Tanovic (Serbia & Montenegro)