Trabzonspor came to Finland and turned this Conference League knockout into a one-sided affair, running out 4-2 winners in a match that got away from KuPS almost from the first whistle. Onuachu opened the scoring inside three minutes with help from Salah, and Trabzonspor just kept the pressure on. Salah added a second before halftime, then Franculino made it three straight after the restart. KuPS pulled two back through Pennanen in the 54th minute and a Parzyszek penalty five minutes later to make it interesting, but Franculino's second in the 90th minute put it beyond doubt. Engvall grabbed a late consolation deep into stoppage time, but the damage was already done.

Our model leaned toward Trabzonspor at 41% and got the winner right, but missed badly on the scoreline. We'd predicted a tight 0-1, expecting KuPS to struggle in attack and Trabzonspor to keep things locked down defensively with elimination stakes on the line. Before kickoff, the form suggested a low-scoring affair — KuPS had been misfiring at home, while Trabzonspor looked solid at the back — but the match unfolded completely differently. Trabzonspor's attacking intensity from the opening minutes overwhelmed that defensive structure we'd been banking on, and instead of a cagey one-goal game, we got a six-goal thriller that swung heavily toward the visitors. It's a good reminder that even when you nail the direction, knockout football can still surprise you on the detail.