The Finnish women’s national football team will face Ireland in their penultimate match of the World Cup qualifiers. Helmarit needs three points from the match if the team still wants to fight for a place in the World Cup play-off.
1.9. 15:23•Updated 1.9. 15:54
Finland will meet Ireland in the World Cup qualifying away match in Dublin on Thursday at 21:00. Live broadcast of the match on TV2 and Areena from 20:45.
The Finnish women’s national football team goes to the most important match of the World Cup qualifiers so far, accompanied by the winds of change. The head coach Marko Saloranta replaced the one who left after the European Championships Anna Signeulinand the new head coach immediately started reforming the team. Essi Sainio and Anna Auvinen thanked for the national team games and left aside, and the one without a club team Tuija Hyyrynen is still thinking about the continuation of his career.
Up to five debutants are participating in the last World Cup qualifiers: Emmi and Oona Siren, Joanna Tynnilän and Emma Peuhkurinen in addition still Emmi Alanen and by Adelina Engman invited after absences Anni Miettunen.
However, the preparation time is very short, as the team gathered in Dublin on Monday.
– As I recall, 15 players played in their own club on Sunday, that is, on Monday, 10 field players practiced and the others gave feedback. On Tuesday, everyone practiced and on Wednesday there was a short practice. Then we should be ready on Thursday, Saloranta highlighted the tight schedule.
According to the head coach, no huge changes are planned on Thursday.
– In the defensive game, we want to be aggressive and active and take possession of the upper part of the ball. The big main reason why the team made it to the European Championships was related to good defensive play. We are trying to restore it and file it down a bit. We try to attack with better distances and more versatility.
Emmi Alanen, Adelina Engman and Tuija Hyyrynen were part of Anna Signeuli’s preferred starting line-up, so line-up changes will surely be seen already on Thursday. According to Saloranta, it is possible that one of the five first-timers will debut on Thursday.
– The first-timers are not just here on a study trip. Now it’s the World Cup qualifying games and the purpose is to make a result. It’s not cool at all to put someone on the field. It is quite possible that these players can make their debut on Thursday or in the Sweden match.
Ireland in a frenzy
So far, Ireland has only lost once in the World Cup qualifiers to Sweden, who secured their group win and place in the competition – on the away field in Sweden in April, Ireland even drew.
In October, the team claimed a 2-1 victory over Helsinki, and the country is experiencing a real football frenzy: tickets for the 8,000-capacity Tallaght Stadium were sold out in half an hour. The team is currently ranked 26th in the FIFA world rankings, which is the team’s best ranking ever. Finland is 29th.
The previous meeting between the teams ended in a 2–1 victory for Ireland at the Olympic Stadium, but Saloranta believes that a slightly different Ireland will be seen on the field on Thursday.
– The assumption is that Ireland will change their shape a bit and drop another striker lower, because a draw is not necessarily a bad result for them. They are still a point ahead of us then, and in their last game they face Slovakia, while we face Sweden. They have extremely good grappling players who defend well in the box. If we hit balls too far out there, there’s very little chance we’ll get anything done.
You look to the future
Helmarit has lost its five previous matches and the only win of the year came against Georgia in the group. However, according to head coach Saloranta, the team’s eyes are firmly on the future.
– When I started in the position, I called the players through. We have started with a clean slate, the old ones have not been remembered, because there hasn’t even been much time for that. The players have not had a low body, but expectant feelings.
Saloranta has succeeded in defeating Ireland at Tallaght Stadium already once this year. The under-17 girls played the European Championship qualifying tournament at the same stadium, and Finland won 2–1 in a thriller-like match. Both of Finland’s goals came in added time.
– Back then there were only a thousand spectators and a terrible commotion! Now that it’s full, 8,000 spectators… It’s going to be a really great day, this is a really big deal for the locals too.
Despite the lackluster European Championship success, Helmarit has also managed to attract a record audience, as more than 5,890 tickets have already been sold for the match against Sweden in Tampere, which ends the World Cup qualifiers, which is the team’s previous audience record for the prestigious qualifiers.
– I hope that 8,000 spectators will be beaten in Ratina. It is our task to manage such a result that everything is still possible, then it will be easier to market match tickets, Saloranta concludes.