The Finnish women’s national football team has not been able to celebrate with victories recently. However, the players are confident that the team will be at their best in the European Championships starting next week.
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The Finnish women’s national football team lost its EC general match to the Netherlands 0–2, but the team’s captain, goalkeeper Tinja-Riikka Korpela and the attacker Linda Sällström saw a lot of good in the match. If Japan, ranked 13th in the world, defeated Finland 5-1 in the international match played on Monday, the game of the Helmareites was much better this time.
– We had much more patience when we had the ball and we played smarter when we had the ball. We had much longer attacks than against Japan, Sällström spoiled the team’s performances.
In Sällström’s opinion, the team succeeded in what it set out to do. When the players had a seam to go forward, it was done with restraint. Even after reaching Holland’s half of the field, the attackers tried to emphasize composure.
– Let’s keep the ball and find the right moment to try to score. I think we did well in that. Likewise in the press game. We followed the things we had talked about, Sällström said.
No big problems in terms of gameplay
Finland’s balance of recent games has been weak, as it has only won the last nine matches against the throwing bag of the World Cup qualifying group, Georgia. At the moment, Sällström and Korpela prefer to look at game-related matters and their development rather than results.
Finland has been camping in Holland since Tuesday and practiced, among other things, box defense, which was the team’s weakest link in the Japan match. In Saturday’s match, Finland’s defense was able to block the opponent much better already on the wings, and there were no dangerous crosses until the goal.
The Japan match was the first game for the Finnish players since the World Cup qualifiers in April, so the players felt that their collective game was a bit rusty. Of course, another defeat in a row was not to mind, but in Korpela’s opinion, the Dutch match already looked like a normal game for the team.
Korpela also reminded that the opponent was the reigning European champion team and a scorer Vivianne Miedema is, in his opinion, the best striker in the world at the moment.
– When he gets to places, he rarely makes mistakes. It was up to the little one. I think that was a really good performance from us. The Netherlands didn’t really get into the goal posts besides those two. We fought straight and even got to the finish line well. A really positive performance, and it’s good to continue with the real games, Korpela said.
Sällström was satisfied with the fact that Finland’s attacking game lacked the last touch of finishing.
– Ready to finish. Then we saved the goals for the games. Here’s a whole week to practice it. The positive thing is that this is only missing one small detail. There are no major gameplay issues that should be improved here, Sällström said.
According to Korpela, the finishing camp of the Finnish team has been good and the team’s play has improved both on and off the field. He is confident that Finland’s defense will work in the European Championships starting next week.
– Defense has always been our cornerstone. It’s balanced, well-organized, and it starts from the forwards. The whole team is ready to work for the team. That’s how it has to work next week and in the coming weeks, Korpela said.
A few percent more
Korpela believes that the team is ready for the European Championship, and it is ready to show all of Europe its skills. Korpela realizes that he has enough to do with the Finnish goal, because the opponents are extremely tough countries, Spain, Germany and Denmark.
Germany is currently fifth in the world rankings, Spain is seventh and Denmark, the silver medalist of the previous European Championships, is 15th. Finland is ranked 29th in the world.
– I want to be the player who can save the team and I will do everything to ensure that we get good results and points against tough countries, Korpela assured.
In Sällström’s opinion, the Dutch game was a good EC general, and Finland just needs to sharpen up a little more in the upcoming matches.
– A few percent more of this game is needed. Our goal is to advance from the group stage, and I think that’s a very realistic goal. Of course, it won’t be easy, because we are not early favorites in this group. But everything is possible, Sällström assured.
– One game at a time, keep the score to zero and then put a couple of cages behind the opponent’s back, and that’s it.
The EC competitions played in England start on July 6. Finland’s first match is against Spain on July 8.