Match Centre

Premiership
Saturday 21 January 2023 (kick off: 3.00 PM)

Venue: Windsor Park

Attendance: 2376

Referee: Ross Dunlop

Linfield home-team
3 FT 0
away-team Ballymena United
  •   Eetu Vertainen 16' 36' 46'
football
Eetu Vertainen bagged a hat-trick for Linfield ©Brian Little/INPHO

EETU HAT-TRICK SINKS SKY BLUES

Eetu Vertainen hit a hat-trick as Linfield swept to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Ballymena United at Windsor Park.

The Finnish striker opened the scoring with just over a quarter-of-an-hour on the clock after turning inside the area to fire a right-foot finish into the bottom right corner beyond the reach of keeper Sean O'Neill.

Ballymena might have levelled midway through the first half through Steven McCullough but his 12-yard effort was well kept out by Chris Johns.

However Vertainen doubled Linfield's lead on 36 minutes. He was played through by Andrew Clarke to tap the ball over the line at the back post.

Then, a minute into the second half, he claimed the match ball after this time being teed up by Daniel Finlayson to knock home his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.

The visitors could have pulled one back with later in the game but Sean Graham's strike from outside the area went just wide of the far post.

Linfield: Johns, Roscoe, Newberry, Shields, M. Clarke, McKee, Finlayson, Haygarth, Mulgrew, Vertainen, A. Clarke subs Millar, Hall, Devine, Pepper, Quinn, Palmer, McKay

Ballymena United: O’Neill, Nelson, Wilson, Whiteside, McDaid, Kelly, Waide, McCullough, McGrory, Gibson, Graham subs Williamson, Redman, Kane, Henderson, McVarnock, Tipton, Place

  • FULL TIME
    Linfield   3 - 0 Ballymena United
  • Chris Johns

    Linfield

    90'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Sean Graham

    Larne

    79'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    George Tipton

    Ards

    79'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Matthew Clarke

    Players

    75'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Eetu Vertainen

    Players

    75'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Niall Quinn

    Glenavon

    75'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Ryan McKay

    Linfield

    75'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Max Haygarth

    Players

    65'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Jamie Mulgrew

    Linfield

    65'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Ethan Devine

    Ballymena United

    65'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Conor Pepper

    Cliftonville

    65'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Ryan Waide

    Loughgall

    65'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Andrew McGrory

    Ballymacash Rangers

    65'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Jordan Gibson

    Loughgall

    65'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Kenneth Kane

    Moyola Park

    65'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Robert McVarnock

    Players

    65'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Mikey Place

    Ballymena United

    65'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Chris Shields

    Linfield

    53'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Cameron Palmer

    Glentoran

    53'
  • GOAL

    Eetu Vertainen

    Players

    46'
  • red subsititutions  Substitution

    Joshua Kelly

    Glentoran

    46'
  • green subsititutions  Substitution

    Jack Henderson

    Portadown

    46'
  • GOAL

    Eetu Vertainen

    Players

    36'
  • GOAL

    Eetu Vertainen

    Players

    16'

Linfield

  • Chris Johns
  • Sam Roscoe
  • Michael Newberry
  • Chris Shields red substitution 53'
  • Matthew Clarke red substitution 75'
  • Chris McKee
  • Daniel Finlayson
  • Max Haygarth red substitution 65'
  • Jamie Mulgrew red substitution 65'
  • Eetu Vertainen red substitution 75' 16' 36' 46'
  • Andrew Clarke

Substitutes

  • Kirk Millar
  • Ben Hall
  • Ethan Devine green substitution 65'
  • Conor Pepper green substitution 65'
  • Niall Quinn green substitution 75'
  • Cameron Palmer green substitution 53'
  • Ryan McKay green substitution 75'

Ballymena United

  • Sean O'Neill
  • Kym Nelson
  • Douglas Wilson
  • Scot Whiteside
  • David McDaid
  • Joshua Kelly red substitution 46'
  • Ryan Waide red substitution 65'
  • Steven McCullough
  • Andrew McGrory red substitution 65'
  • Jordan Gibson red substitution 65'
  • Sean Graham red substitution 79'

Substitutes

  • Jordan Williamson
  • Ross Redman
  • Kenneth Kane green substitution 65'
  • Jack Henderson green substitution 46'
  • Robert McVarnock green substitution 65'
  • George Tipton green substitution 79'
  • Mikey Place green substitution 65'
© Brian Little/INPHO

Linfield

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Ballymena United

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