Match ends, Finland 3, Liechtenstein 0.
Finland qualify for Euro 2020 and first major tournament
- From the section European Football
"I'm speechless. This is sick. We made it!"
Finland's men have qualified for a major tournament for the first time in their history and striker Teemu Pukki could barely believe it.
Actually, the whole of Finland could barely believe it.
Friday's 3-0 victory over Liechtenstein means the Eagle-owls will be at Euro 2020 next summer, after securing second spot in qualifying Group J, behind winners Italy
Jasse Tuominen's first-half strike and a Pukki double - one from the penalty spot - ended a run of 32 failed qualifying campaigns for either the World Cup or European Championship, and sparked jubilant scenes.
"There's a party for sure," Pukki told BBC World Service after the game.
"We had some moments of joy, we were celebrating what we had achieved.
"The coach is wet, that is something we do. He deserved it. Many of us have been with him since the under-21s and he knows how to make us play our best football."
Topias Kauhala, a journalist for Finnish sports magazine ELMO, said: "After all these years and what Finland has been through as a national team, people have tears in their eyes, grown men.
"It's something you haven't seen in Finnish football before, crying with these emotional moments. It's a once in a lifetime moment.
"This is mainly a sporting achievement but we're a small nation so we're quite happy when we get noticed around the world."
Hundreds rushed on to the Sonera Stadium pitch at full-time and manager Markku Kanerva, a former teacher, conducted his post-match interview with fireworks going off in the distance.
Crowds gathered at a huge screen in the capital while a viewing party was hosted in the city by Premier League side Norwich City, whose striker Pukki has become the talisman of Finland's qualifying campaign with nine goals in nine matches.
His exploits for club and country have given birth to the #PukkiParty trend on social media and the Canaries are hosting an official Pukki Party in a Helsinki night club on Friday. They even opened a pop-up Norwich City store in the city to capitalise on the interest in their star striker.
Finland's Prime Minister Antti Rinne, who earlier this year gifted a Pukki shirt to French president Emmanuel Macron, tweeted: "An incredible performance, Congratulations and thank you! Oh Finland is, oh Finland is, oh Finland is finally in the men's soccer championship!"
Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky suggested 15 November - the day his country confirmed qualification for Euro 2020 - will go down in history.
"This could be a date for a national holiday in my opinion," he said. "We made our dreams come true, plenty of people share that thought with us."
Line-ups
Finland
- 1Hrádecky
- 22Raitala
- 4Toivio
- 2Arajuuri
- 16Pirinen
- 8Lod
- 14SparvSubstituted forKaukoat 71'minutes
- 6Kamara
- 13SoiriSubstituted forSkrabbat 78'minutes
- 10PukkiSubstituted forKarjalainenat 84'minutes
- 7Tuominen
Substitutes
- 3O'Shaughnessy
- 5Väisänen
- 9Jensen
- 11Schüller
- 12Joronen
- 15Väisänen
- 17Skrabb
- 18Lam
- 19Kauko
- 20Karjalainen
- 21Taylor
- 23Jaakkola
Liechtenstein
- 1Büchel
- 2Brändle
- 6Malin
- 22Rechsteiner
- 3Goppel
- 13Büchel
- 14MeierSubstituted forSeleat 90+1'minutes
- 18Hasler
- 23PolverinoSubstituted forGubserat 73'minutes
- 11Salanovic
- 9FrickSubstituted forKardesogluat 84'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Wolfinger
- 7Kardesoglu
- 8Sele
- 12Ospelt
- 15Yildiz
- 16Wolfinger
- 17Gubser
- 19Ospelt
- 20Wolfinger
- 21Lo Russo
- Referee:
- Benoît Bastien
Match Stats
Home TeamFinlandAway TeamLiechtenstein
- Possession
- Home70%
- Away30%
- Shots
- Home22
- Away2
- Shots on Target
- Home6
- Away1
- Corners
- Home7
- Away2
- Fouls
- Home11
- Away4
Live Text
Full Time
Second Half ends, Finland 3, Liechtenstein 0.
Attempt missed. Rasmus Karjalainen (Finland) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Robin Lod.
Substitution
Substitution, Liechtenstein. Aron Sele replaces Livio Meier.
Foul by Juha Pirinen (Finland).
Ridvan Kardesoglu (Liechtenstein) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Livio Meier (Liechtenstein) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Dennis Salanovic.
Foul by Joni Kauko (Finland).
Martin Rechsteiner (Liechtenstein) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution
Substitution, Liechtenstein. Ridvan Kardesoglu replaces Yanik Frick.
Substitution
Substitution, Finland. Rasmus Karjalainen replaces Teemu Pukki.
Glen Kamara (Finland) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Livio Meier (Liechtenstein).
Offside, Finland. Teemu Pukki tries a through ball, but Robin Lod is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Joona Toivio (Finland) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Robin Lod with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Finland. Conceded by Martin Büchel.
Corner, Finland. Conceded by Martin Rechsteiner.
Attempt blocked. Jasse Tuominen (Finland) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Teemu Pukki.
Substitution
Substitution, Finland. Simon Skrabb replaces Pyry Soiri.
Corner, Liechtenstein. Conceded by Juha Pirinen.
Goal!
Goal! Finland 3, Liechtenstein 0. Teemu Pukki (Finland) right footed shot from the right side of the six yard box to the top right corner.
Attempt blocked. Teemu Pukki (Finland) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Robin Lod with a through ball.
Substitution
Substitution, Liechtenstein. Robin Gubser replaces Michele Polverino.
Substitution
Substitution, Finland. Joni Kauko replaces Tim Sparv.
Foul by Jukka Raitala (Finland).
Nicolas Hasler (Liechtenstein) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Finland. Teemu Pukki tries a through ball, but Pyry Soiri is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Paulus Arajuuri (Finland) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Robin Lod with a cross.
Corner, Finland. Conceded by Andreas Malin.
Foul by Tim Sparv (Finland).
Nicolas Hasler (Liechtenstein) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Juha Pirinen (Finland).
Livio Meier (Liechtenstein) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal!
Goal! Finland 2, Liechtenstein 0. Teemu Pukki (Finland) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty Finland. Pyry Soiri draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Livio Meier (Liechtenstein) after a foul in the penalty area.
Attempt saved. Jasse Tuominen (Finland) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Jukka Raitala with a cross.
Robin Lod (Finland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Dennis Salanovic (Liechtenstein).
Attempt missed. Robin Lod (Finland) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Pyry Soiri with a cross.