IT’S FAIR TO say that Finland’s build-up hasn’t exactly been ideal: a poor European Championships showing, a sacked manager, player losses.
Ireland’s play-off rivals come to Tallaght Stadium for tomorrow’s World Cup qualification showdown with U17 manager Marko Saloranta in temporary charge, a winless Euros tournament ultimately costing Anna Signeul.
Previously head coach at domestic side FC Honka, Saloranta has been employed by the Football Association of Finland as U16 and U17 manager for almost 12 years.
This summer in England, Finland lost their three group games, conceded eight goals and scored just one — a first-minute effort from star player Linda Sällström in their opener against Spain, as good as it got.
After disappointment and upheaval like that — including other player and staff departures amidst unrest before Signeul exited — there’s always question marks: a hangover or a bounce-back effect?
But a further blow was dealt on Monday, their midfield decimated with Adelina Engman and Emmi Alanen ruled out through injury. They’re both experienced starters for the Finns, with Anni Miettunen another new player drafted in.
It was Engman who scored the equaliser when Ireland travelled to Helsinki last October, but a Megan Connolly free-kick and Denise O’Sullivan winner ultimately sealed a monumental 2-1 win over Group A’s second seeds.
Finland were higher-ranked at the time, but now sit three places below Ireland on Fifa’s list after Vera Pauw’s side equalled their record high of 26th this summer.
That famous away win well and truly sparked Ireland’s World Cup dream to life, and now a win tomorrow would Finnish the job and secure a play-off position.
“It’s not an easy job to do,” Pauw stressed last week. “Many are thinking ahead of it. But Finland was the better team away, we stole the points over there. This is their last chance. They will not underestimate us.
They just played the Euros. That can be a pro or a negative. But they have three major games in their legs at this moment, with a rest period in between. So we need to see where we stand. The thing is we need to be ready as always, and then we need to see if it’s enough, and if the luck is a bit on our side.
“We really feel it’s a final. I want to repeat – and I am not downplaying – I don’t see us as favourites. I see that this is a big, big game and it will be very difficult to get a result. The situation is completely different to the first game. I hope you remember that we scored early and I hope you remember how we have played under pressure later in the game. It is a really hard game but we will be ready and we will do everything we can to get a result.”
Sällström is undoubtedly their star. Finland’s all-time top scorer, she has 118 caps to her name and over 50 goals under her belt. The 34-year-old three-time cruciate victim plays her club football with Vittsjö GIK, having spent most of her club career in Finland and Sweden apart from a stint in France with Paris FC.
Tinja-Riikka Korpela is another key player, the long-serving captain and Tottenham goalkeeper also vastly experienced. Like Sällström, Korpela has spent a good chunk of her club career in the Nordic region, the 36-year-old going on to represent Everton and Bayern Munich in recent seasons.
Louise Quinn, speaking at Monday’s media day at the Castleknock Hotel, urged caution.
The stalwart defender referenced the talent and experience at Finland’s disposal, and stressed to take a closer look at their Euros tilt, where they also faced Germany and Denmark at their first major tournament since 2009.
Finland has been strong this whole campaign and would we have expected more from them in that Euros group? To get a result in that group would have been a big achievement.
“There were management issues not known beforehand. To me, it would have been a really good tournament, had they got a point or three. They’re a very, very good team. A lot of their players have gone to very good clubs in the WSL and they spent the summer together as a team.
“We’ve got to be realistic. They’re a very good team that were in the Euros. We know what we faced in Helsinki and were on top of our game which we’ll need to be again. We’ve to approach the game like any other and be realistic about their quality and what we need to do. We just need to be 100%.”
Kick-off at Tallaght Stadium tomorrow is 7pm, the sold-out fixture live on RTÉ 2.
