Helmarie’s EC opening left a lot to be desired in terms of the result, but the crowd still thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of the competition. The audience number of 16,819 was a record in the history of the women’s European Championship, excluding the matches of the hostesses.
Hinn Hirvonen,
Jaakko Palvaila
Helmarit top Elli Pikkujämsän Mum Little Jeanita there was one smile on Friday night in Milton Keynes, even though the Helmarei’s opening match ended with a loss to Spain.
Äiti-Pikkujämsä’s arm is decorated with a tattoo taken a few months ago, featuring her daughter in a Helmareit jersey. A place opened up for the daughter at the opening of Helmareit on Friday evening Natalia Kuikan through illness.
Elli Pikkujämsä was featured in the Helmareite match in many ways, including the penalty kick caused in the final moments of the match.
– Elli was probably a little nervous, but mother was even more nervous. Of course, this is a big deal. (Natalia) Of course, it’s a sad situation for Kuika, but luckily he got into the game from the bench, Jeanita Pikkujämsä told Urheilu her thoughts after the match.
– I was so nervous that I didn’t really… The first half was spent in that tension.
Pikkujämsä was satisfied with the performance of his daughter and the entire Finnish team.
– I think Elli succeeded today. The whole team succeeded and especially Tinja-Riikka Korpela was really good at the goal.
Pikkujämsä will be able to follow Helmareite’s performances even in the next preliminary group matches. If a place opens up in the next games, it is possible that the trip to England will be even longer.
– You never know what will happen here. It is believed that Finland will continue.
Maarit & Tom Sällström: “It’s really wonderful to be here”
Having scored a goal for Finland in the very first minute by Linda Sällström parents The Moors and Tom Sällström were also satisfied with the competitive atmosphere after the match.
– I really love being here and watching these women play. Really great feeling, Maarit Sällström described after the match.
The Sällströms also have the opportunity to extend their trip to England if the tournament continues beyond the initial group stage.
– This will surely bring more spark and enthusiasm. It’s good to rise as an underdog, Maarit Sällström thinks.
– Against Denmark, they will be hard at work, Tom Sällström accompanied.
Natalia Kuikka: “It’s great that so many people have come to cheer”
– We didn’t start to hesitate and it showed at the beginning, we scored the goal. We can be proud of the result, even though it was 4–1, but we played our own game, Kuikka told Urheilu after the match.
Kuikka did not want to evaluate the weaknesses of the Helmareites’ box defense after the match. However, according to Kuika, there was a positive feeling from the opening match, also considering the continuation of the tournament.
– The first game, of course, and it was really great that a lot of Finns came to watch the game. It gave us a lot of boost. It’s great that so many people have come to cheer.
The match against Spain was watched by 16,819 spectators at MK Stadium in Milton Keynes. This is the record audience in the history of the women’s European Championships, excluding the matches of the hostesses.
The giant crowd was visible to the players even after the match: The players of the Helmares got to share their numbers and take group selfies with the fans, right on the job.
All matches of the European Football Championship can be seen live on . You can find everything about the competition on the EC competition page here. Finland will face Denmark on Tuesday at 19:00. The broadcast on TV2 and Areena starts at 18:15. On the Puhe side, the broadcast starts at 6:30 p.m.