“As long as the national team needs”

Finland will meet Sweden in the final match of the World Cup qualifiers in Tampere on Tuesday, September 6 at 7 p.m. Live broadcast on channels.

On Tuesday, in front of a record audience, the Finnish women’s national football team will try a trick in which it has succeeded only once before: in 1976. At that time, Sweden lost 2–1 Soile Malmin and Eva Jaren with goals.

Since then, Sweden has won 26 times and five times it has ended in a draw.

In Tampere, Finland gets to try a rare trick in front of a record audience. Never before has more than 6,000 spectators witnessed Helmareite’s most prestigious match, but on Monday, 6,500 tickets had already been sold.

– We have received such great support from the public already at the European Championships and after the disappointment in Ireland, congratulatory messages that we want to give our best and show what we are capable of, captain Tinja-Riikka Korpela assured.

There is no sporting contribution on Tuesday night in Tampere: Sweden has already secured its group victory and a place in the World Championships to be played in New Zealand and Australia next summer. Helmareit’s loss to Ireland on Thursday meant that Finland will not be able to compete in the World Cup further qualifiers.

However, Tampere has been a good place to play for the Finnish men’s national team. The team played in Ratina for more than two years without conceding a goal.

– Ratina has been a great place for the Finnish national team. I guess we haven’t been able to play here once in my time, but I have good memories here with Honga. I hope Ratina is also good for Helmari!

Both teams go into the match with disappointments. The results of the helmets this year have been minor victories, as the team has managed to win only one of the eleven matches they have played. Sweden, on the other hand, lost to England 0–4 in the EC semi-final, and the team assured at Monday’s press conference that they are looking to return to the path of good results.

According to the captain, meeting the beloved western neighbor always brings its additional contribution to the game.

– Sweden always ignites, you don’t need much additional motivation, even if there is no stake in the game.

In the European Championship qualifiers, Helmarit did not lose a single match, and the points were decided only once against Portugal. Finland scored 24 goals in the qualifiers and conceded only two hits.

However, in the Games itself, Finland was drawn into the toughest possible group and the ride was cold. Helmarit lost all three of their matches, managed to score once and allowed eight hits. After the Games, the head coach Anna Signeul was allowed to leave, partly also because of his management style, which attracted criticism.

In the World Cup qualifiers, Finland has won three out of seven matches, and lost just as many times. It has managed to score fourteen goals, and it has scored seven times.

However, the players assure that the poor results have not affected the spirit of the team.

– However, the atmosphere has been really good all along. We get along well with each other and spend our free time. There is a good buzz in training. We are a really united team, Eveliina Summanen assured.

According to Summanen, the team saw at the European Championships what kind of level is at the top of the world.

– We certainly have work to do, but I feel that during the time that I have been with the national team, there has been development in the team. Other countries have moved on, but we have also developed game-wise. The results haven’t been what we wanted, but we can still turn it around.

After Signeul, he took over the responsibility of the temporary head coach Marko Salorantawho is familiar to the players not only from the youth national teams but also from the same position before Anna Signeul.

The team gathered in Dublin on Monday, and after just a couple of practices, an important World Cup qualifying match was ahead. According to Saloranta, there were many things in the match that he hoped to see.

– We were brave when playing on the ball. We had a lot of changes, there was maybe a little too much thinking and the tempo was a little slow with a lot. There was a lot of good in the first period, with this ball control, we should have been able to get to more top positions. In the defensive game, we were also aggressive in the box and we mostly defended the special situations well. But there is a lot to improve, Saloranta reflected.

Saloranta admitted that there is physical and mental fatigue in the team after a hard and busy year.

– Maybe it was a bit of a surprise, although it’s completely understandable. It can still be seen that the year has been really tough.

Saloranta was hired as the head coach of Helmarei with a contract lasting the rest of the year. He hasn’t thought about his future yet.

– There’s no point in stressing about things you can’t control. I’m trying to do my job well, and time will tell. I try to make decisions that are the best in the eyes of the people making the decisions. Everything is put on hold until the turn of the year, and life goes on in some work assignment.

At least before the match against Sweden, none of the players of the national team have said that they will end their careers in front of a record audience. Anna Auvinen and Essi Sainion the end of the national team’s career was announced before the World Cup qualifying team was announced and the champion defender Tuija Hyyrynen is still thinking about the continuation of his entire playing career. Hyyrynen, who is currently without a club team, is not with the team.

Finland had the second oldest team in the European Championship after Sweden. There have also been changes in the western neighbor after the Games, and for example the long-term number one goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl39, has left national team games behind for the time being.

Captain Tinja-Riikka Korpela36, assures that his career will continue.

– As long as the national team needs me, I am available. It would be hard to imagine that I would refuse an invitation to the national team. The national team is so important to me and the people are so important to me.

On Monday, Korpela did not know that there would be a touching farewell in Ratina.

– To be honest, I don’t know. At least I haven’t heard anything. Of course, it’s up to each player.

Head coach Saloranta included five debutants in the World Cup qualifying team: I am and Emmi Siren, Joanna Tynnilän, Emma Peuhkurinen and lastly Anni Miettunen. No debutants were seen on the field in Ireland, and Saloranta did not promise a direct spot on Tuesday either.

– We intend to hit a lineup that will win the match, Saloranta commented.

He also revealed that the team can do more experiments in November, when doubles matches are planned for the calendar.

– Changing many players at once is challenging. But it is possible that there will be new players in the lineup as early as tomorrow.