The crucial futsal World Cup qualifying match between Finland and Holland was followed moment by moment in this article.
This is sport. The sight in the stands of Vantaa’s arena on Wednesday night was inspiring and drew silence.
Justus Kunnas patiently signed autographs for the eager juniors after the match ended while the tears flowed.
In the background, the Dutch team celebrated wildly. A little earlier, Kunnas had been the only loser in the penalty shootout.
– Indescribable. Can’t help this feeling… Damn bad. Very bad. I feel like I’ve let the whole country down. That’s the feeling here, Kunnas answered after handing out autographs to everyone willing.
– I have never had a match like this in my career, where you are on such a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s close, then it runs away, then we catch it. Then it went to these commas (penalties). That’s what happened, how it happened, Kunnas could say, until his voice broke.
An incomprehensible thriller
Already in 2020, Finland had experienced a bitter and tearful disappointment in the World Cup play-off, when Serbia had won the World Cup play-off by a goal difference.
Now Holland took a wild thriller in the penalty shootout. Both matches, on Saturday in Holland and now in Vantaa, had ended in a draw in regular time.
Finland’s first World Cup place in history remained a dream.
Myyrmäki arena was sold out, 2,000 spectators and a new audience record for Finnish futsal.
The record audience was offered an incomprehensible thriller, the likes of which has never been seen before. At least not the hero of Finland, captain Jukka Kytölä remember that, even though he has played professionally in Italy several times.
– I can’t think of anything similar.
Now in Vantaa, Finland clearly played its best game of the World Cup qualifiers in the right place.
Finland’s press was effective, and Holland couldn’t stay on the ball.
But the Netherlands jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring in practically both and only quality chances of the match in the first half hour.
On time 16.15 Jordany Martinus vaccinated when Finland failed in its own end in its opening game.
In time 26:55, Martinus scored his second goal of the evening amid fierce Finnish pressure, when Kunnas wasted his own man on the wing.
Then it started happening.
In time 27:09, Finland received a free kick, which the hard-kicking Kunnas loaded with great force into the net.
In a time of 33:42, Finland’s pressure was rewarded Lassi Lintula with the equalizer and exactly one minute later Iiro Vanha loaded the ball into the net again from the sideline kick, suddenly Finland led 3–2.
Ayoub Bukhari however, equalized a measly six seconds before the end of the regular game time. In that situation, Jukka Kytölä tried to defend him.
– It does eat a man when the equalizer comes six seconds before the end. I could have acted somehow differently, to have taken care of the understrength until the end, but the pressure always comes in every game and now there was such a dramatic arc, Kytölä spilled.
The dramatic arc certainly did not let up in the follow-up match, which lasted 2×5 minutes.
Holland’s foul account was full, and Finland twice got to try to take the lead from 10 meters after Dutch fouls. Tero Intala failed in the first and Kunnas in the second. In addition, Kunnas had also failed in actual game time.
In the second period of the follow-on match Ismail Ouaddouh struck like lightning from a clear sky and put Holland in the lead.
However, there was still one ahead.
Finland didn’t seem to be able to get anything done with the flying goalkeeper at first, until in their last attack Finland was able to play the ball to Iiro Vanha at the back post. This put the ball in the net with 1.20 seconds left on the clock.
In the penalty kicks, all five Dutchmen succeeded, and Justus Kunnas, who had previously missed two 10-meter shots, ended up as Finland’s unlucky warrior.
So bitter
You can say that Finland should have decided the game in regular time, that’s how superior Finland was at its best.
– It’s hard to say anything when a really good game was played. Chances were created, and the opponent was not allowed into positions in the same way as in Holland. Today we got it under control and were the more dominant party, Kunnas reflected.
– We would have deserved a place in the competition in terms of play, but the goals are decisive, and that is a fact, Kytölä summed up.
Kytölä and Kampus Dynamo’s club season is over, but Kunnas Akaa-Futsal will face Someron Voima in the semi-finals of the Futsal League.
Kunnas still didn’t know how he would get himself into the league playoffs.
– I guess there are no alternatives. The semi-finals start on Saturday. I guess it somehow needs to get the main hood assembled on it.
The hustle and bustle of December
The Finnish futsal team’s qualifying campaign was special. You can say that the further qualifying spot alone came as quite a gift.
In the qualifying group, Finland’s four points collected by playing turned into 12 points in the cabinets.
Armenia and Georgia had intimidated players of Brazilian background who did not have the right to play. In the end, Armenia didn’t even show up for the last group match in Vantaa.
In December, before the last matches of the qualifying group, there was another commotion from within the Finnish national team, when Gargelli left the Finnish captain, representing the big club Inter Movistar Jani Korpelan and a conkarima stick Miika Hosion out of the team.
Gargelli stated that they did not commit to the “values and principles” of the team.
Read more: Star players out of the national team – Finnish futsal legend in wonder: “It’s special that guys are thrown under the bus”
Kunnas vehemently denied that Kohut had pressed any more.
– There is a good spirit in the team. Fortunately, everything is behind us. Yes, it was visible in the game. You don’t have to think that there was something about it. We were in perfect condition, Kunnas stated.
Konkari Kytölä, 35, plans to continue his national team career. Next up are the EC qualifiers. Finland has already excelled in those prestigious competitions.
Kytölä also denied that the strange commotion at the turn of the year had any meaning anymore.
– Yes, I see that they have been forgotten and the best players were used. We’ve had a good spring here. In the China tournament, three games were won and now two draws. In all respects, it is a really good drive and the team spirit gained has been brought to the fore again.