“It’s been enough to play here”

The Finnish women’s national football team is participating in the European Championships. The competition will take place in England from 6 to 31. July. All Helmari matches are seen on ‘s channels.

The journey of the Finnish women’s national football team towards the European Championships in England is approaching. On Monday, the team gathered in Helsinki and started a camp preparing for the European Championships.

– These competitions have been waiting for so long, with a really good feeling here, the national team’s all-time goal scorer Linda Sällström glowed.

Sällström repeated his feelings on Monday at the women’s national team’s Meet & Greet event. Despite the rainy weather, more than a hundred young, enthusiastic fans had gathered at Tali Sports Park.

– It’s really wonderful that so many have come to greet us. It is a pity that it is a bit difficult to share autographs with the rain when the pen does not grab the paper, Sällström laughed.

The best goal scorer in the Finnish European Championship qualifiers with his ten goals spent a well-deserved day of rest, as did others who worked hard in Sunday’s full round in Damallsvenskan. On Sunday, Sällström cooled in Vittsjö’s attack for a full 90 minutes as the team bowed Heidi Kollasen, Elli Pikkujämsän and yet recovering from injury Amanda Rantasen Örebro 1-2.

Sällström was in charge of Vittsjö’s only one, and was very close to hitting two goals. However, Örebro’s defense cleaned up the finish line of the Finnish striker’s company during the opening period.

The hit was the third of the season for Sällström, who suffered a back injury in the spring. The previous hit occurred at the end of May in the Brommapojkarna network.

– Of course it felt good to score a goal, but it didn’t heat up a lot afterwards when the game didn’t win, Sällström lamented.

Vittsjö is sixth in the series after fifteen matches. The best goal scorer of the team is Jutta Rantalawho has now played for his club team on the field.

In April, Sällström played just 65 minutes against Rosengård and then rested the strain on the legs for days on end. Many Finnish supporters have already worried about whether Finland’s most important scorer will recover in the Games.

Now Sällström assured that the old injury is good in history and the feel of the game.

– It’s all over the back, the thigh is very good for playing and training. Yesterday was the nineties in the back and a week back there were three games a week, yes there have been enough to play here, Sällström assured.

Another Finn who excelled in Sunday’s round of Damallsvenskan Olga Ahtinen in turn, hit Umeå’s network when the Linköping he represented crushed Samuel Fagerholmin to pilot Umeå as high as 7–0.

Ahtinen took the lead, 1 – 0, after a penalty 26 minutes into the match. New Zealand’s keeper Erin Nayler. Ahtinen’s hit was the third of the season – and the third overall in Linköping’s shirt.

Ahtinen, who is playing for the third time in Linköping, is now in the second consecutive match.

– I may not be the one who scores the most goals, but I have to thank that the team has done well and the teammates have played well, so it is also possible to succeed in scoring. On the other hand, the most important thing for me is that the team succeeds, but it’s nice to score goals sometimes, modest Ahtinen painted.

The team will now be the head coach for the second time Andree Jeglertz, which is also remembered as the head coach of the Finnish women ‘s national team. Jeglertz piloted the Helmars from 2010 to 2016.

– Of course he wished good luck. He has helped prepare for these competitions and given a lot of responsibility, which has made it easier to have successes since the beginning of the season, Ahtinen praises.

24-year-old Ahtinen will make his debut for the national team in 2017. The European Championships are the first in his career.

– Really exciting, will definitely be cool! It’s cool that the team is together and we get to start preparing together. Everyone has worked hard at home, Ahtinen said.

Finland’s block in the European Championships is very much the competition: Germany, which is a long-standing winner on the world list, Spain, which is only a few notches lower, is full of Barcelona stars and, among other things, Pernille Harderin starred by Denmark.

– I have been watching the world stars play, but Sweden has had such a fast pace that the biggest focus has been on it. I hope that we will start working with our opponents already. The pace of the game is tough and we need to be well prepared. We need to focus on recovery and be physically and tactically prepared.

Before the European Championships in Turku, Helmarit will meet in Japan on June 27 and in the away field in the Netherlands on July 2. The European Championships will start in England on July 6th. In their block, Helmarit will face Spain (July 8), Denmark (July 12) and Germany (July 16) Finland in Milton Keynes.

The Japanese and Dutch matches preparing for the European Championships in Helmare will also be seen on ‘s channels.