Finland defeated Estonia in an almost three-hour thriller at the European Volleyball Championship. With the 3–2 win, Finland still has the chance to advance from Group D, but the challenge is tough.
Finland will meet France today at 16:00 at the European Volleyball Championship. You can watch the match live on Areena and TV2.
Finland took a vital 3–2 victory over Estonia in Group D of the European Volleyball Championship. With the win, Finland still has a chance for a place in the next round. The mental boost brought by the victory is considerable, says ‘s expert Riikka Lehtonen.
– It is a completely different thing to win such a match 3–2 than to lose 2–3. The team gets the experience that they can solve matches in tight spots, the former top player emphasizes.
With two points from the win, Finland moved up to fourth place in the group. Estonia and Spain are one point behind Finland. The four best teams advance to the next round. The women’s national team has never progressed from the first group of the European Championships to the playoffs.
Lehtonen believes that the preservation of further opportunities will make the team even more fired up.
– Finland is now really fighting for the next place. The team will definitely give their all, he emphasizes.
Great team spirit is visible
Against Estonia, Finland was already losing the set 1–2. However, in the fourth set, Finland grabbed the last four points of the set and took the fight to the fifth set. In that too, Finland was better in decision balls and won 15–13. The decisive point was scored by the 18-year-old Iida Pöllänen.
Just a moment before, the head coach Nicholas Buser had given the last instructions to the young man at the end of the time-out.
– Iida had ups and downs in the match. It’s a big deal and a step for him that he got the chance to decide and decided the match. Such things can go a long way, Lehtonen estimates.
The legend of the sport, who has played a long career, gives incense to the Finnish team spirit. According to Lehtonen, a good spirit can be seen in action all the time. In addition, he praises gambling. The fit and young players get responsibility.
– The players have clearly been given space. We want to give young people opportunities, and after successes, players get more responsibility, Lehtonen analyses.
In the opening match against Slovakia, Finland lost the second set, which was already close. In the most important moments against Estonia, Finland held its ground especially with 26 points Suvi Kokkonen under. The general player was clearly the most active attacking player in Finland with 65 attacking shots.
Lehtonen’s heart is particularly warmed by the fact that the successes in the attack against Estonia came from a wider front than before. Central defender Daniela Öhman scored 13 points and was the best of his team. He got a chance against Slovakia and continued his strong performances.
– In order to win these, and somewhat tougher games, Finland must have a central attack. I am happy that the attack is divided, says Lehtonen.
Estonia was able to keep Finland’s number one hacker Maid Korhonen disciplined, but from central defenders Netta Rekola succeeded with 15 points and general player Pöllänen scored 17 points.
The next place is a tough goal
Lehtonen believes that Monday’s match with Spain will be decisive for Finland’s next place. On Sunday, only about 18 hours after the match against Estonia, France, who will play against, is the early favorite. Lehtonen points out that the team is putting a lot of effort into next year’s Paris Olympics.
– France is Napsu better than Estonia. In the attack, they come with an even wider front, Suomen passari Kaisa Alanko on the other hand, evaluates after the match against Estonia.
Lehtonen raises reception as Finland’s biggest game challenge. It also created challenges for Finland against Estonia.
– Finland is struggling with reception. It decides a lot whether the team can get the reception going, Lehtonen states.
Kokkonen and Pöllänen, who attacked furiously in the Estonian match, were in trouble at the reception. Reception is not one of the biggest strengths of either general player on the EC stage.
– There are several situations where they play next to each other and both have a weak reception. Then even the libero doesn’t get to contribute to the game, Lehtonen elaborates.
He reminds that both are young players who will improve in this part of the game with repetitions. In the France and Spain matches, Finland’s reception will be measured again.
– Spain is by no means a bad team. They won two sets from France, Lehtonen reminds.