Group B
Finland 1-2 Russia
Lam 31’
Miranchuck 42’
Guilherme 91’
Steve Wild
Gazprom Arena, St. Petersburg, Russia
Thursday 18th June
When it was announced that these two David and Goliath nations were to lock horns in Russia’s second city, it was greeted with much eagerness and anticipation from Finland’s Suomen Valtioneuvosto. The Suomis were hoping to finally get one over on their mid-20th-century foe and at long last register a win. Results against the Kremlin have eluded the sauna-loving nation in the recent past with all four previous encounters going in favour of Putin's red and white army. What is more, The Finns have only managed to register a dismal, solitary goal, coming from legendary midfielder Kim Suominen back in November 1995. That being said, Markku Kanerva’s men head into the second matchup taking heaps of confidence from the first game, having only been denied a rightful point after displaying gladiatorial defending in the second half, by a moment of sheer purity from Danish striker Yussuf Poulsen in the 87th minute.
A torrent of charged Finnish supporters were packed inside the relatively newly-erected Krestovsky Stadium, known as Gazprom Area for sponsorship reasons, with the prime minister herself being spotted on the terraces behind the goal. It is also worth saying that the Finnish leader made an unexpected appearance on the country's infamous radio station, Northern Disco-Lights FM, two days prior to the match. Sanna Marin addressed her nation by stating that if a victory over their winter war enemies transpires, she will fly up to Lapland the following week to commence the much eagerly-anticipated 2021 calendar photoshoot with Father Christmas to raise money for Finnish youth football. Father Christmas, no doubt, will have been watching on nervously.
For Russia it was just another day at the office going into the second group match fixture. No injuries were obtained in the bruising encounter with the Belgians however that statement only sheds a spec of insight into how the 90 minutes of skirmishes panned out. Having said that, all roads pointed back to St. Petersburg once again with Cherchesov’s men hoping to make home-turf advantage count by seeking to emulate what was a respectable account of themselves in their motherland a week prior.
Tensions are always high in Russia between the hierarchy and the general public and it is fair to say the boycotting of this match was testament to that. Noticeable empty seats were evident throughout the stadium for the entirety of the sporting contest. Ultras exhibited their displeasure with recent high-profile wrongdoings, such as the Olympic Doping Scandal and most recently The Norilsk Oil Spill were 20,000 tons of fuel flooded into the local river, by displaying somewhat conspicuous banners, profane chanting and continuous use of flares from start to finish.
It is also worth saying that the president of The Russian Football Union Vitaly Mutko, appeared on national television the day ahead of the match expressing solidarity for the up-and-coming event as it coincided with International Picnic Day. But for all that, this stunt clearly fell on deaf ears as a plate of piping hot Solyanka, a local soup delicacy, was cannoned in the direction of Mutko as he made his way through the stadium carpark. No arrests were reported but legend has it that pieces of the Mutko’s skin can be retrieved from the scene of the crime if anyone is looking to preserve a souvenir from this landmark day.
As kick-off approached, with the players jog trotting to their positions, it was clear the authorities were taking no chances after the ugly act that occurred prior to the commencement of the match. A hostile atmosphere circulated on all sides of the stadium and it did not take long for the first incident of the match to take place with the ambience of the two passionate sets of fans at fever pitch level from the get-go.
After only four minutes, a sumptuous lofted pass from Rangers’ Glen Kamara found its way onto the chest of striker Pohjanpalo who, in turn, dummied Spartak’s flat-footed Dzhikiya and hit a peach of a shot, only for it to hurtle past the left up-right. Roars of displeasure bellowed from the field and the Finnish bench as play was pulled back for a free kick, 23 yards from goal. A typically reckless, Vinny Jones-esque type challenge, from Belyaev left the man in charge with no option but to show The Russian centre-half the first yellow card of the game. Fisticuffs instantly followed amongst both sets of players, prompting play to be halted as it was evident The Suomi’s felt it should have been more than a yellow card. Not being fazed by the delay, veteran Tim Sparv placed the ball down giving the full impression that the 33-year-old was about to try and grab, only his third international goal of his career. A quick thinking, off-the-training-ground manoeuvre unfolded as Sparv sparks into life and races past the right side of the wall. Cherchesov’s men could only stand and watch as a gentle pass from Pukki is guided back into the path of Sparv, who pinged an inviting ball across into the 6-yard box but for nothing to come of it.
Pressure had continued to mount as Finland were firmly in the driving seat, relentlessly trying to find a chink in the armour with wave after wave of attacks. Lod and Schuller were the liveliest of Finland’s front-line, forever collecting the ball, making majestic dribbling runs down the line and wiping balls into the box at will. On the 31st minute their continuous bombardment finally paid off. Finland’s second goal of the tournament came from PEC Zwolle’s defender Lam, sending their loyal supporters into pandemonium. A typically well-executed set-piece found its way onto the head of defender Thomas Lam where he ferociously glanced a textbook header into the bottom left corner of the goal. The Russian players could only look at each in disarray as their zonal marking tactics failed to deal with overwhelming pressure.
As half time fast approached, Russia had still failed to register a shot on target. A frantic clearance was drilled up the pitch into Finland’s final third, attempting to relieve some of the pressure from the irritated Russian defense. Toivio went up with Miranchuk and appeared to clash heads whilst competing for the ball. A moment later, the defender hit the deck all but 10 yards from the box holding the side of his face. At the same time, Finland temporarily stopped, expecting the whistle to be blown. It did not come. Miranchuk quickly scooped up the ball and carried it to the edge of ‘D’ and fired the ball straight into the top corner.
Cue Finland’s fury, as the players descended onto the referee to review the incident with VAR. After a few tense minutes, the goal stood, as it was deemed there was no actual contact with the senior defender. Minutes after the restart the referee blew for half time with both teams standing at a stalemate.
As the second half got underway, the fiery, charged engagement that was witnessed between the two sides in the first half was replaced with a more anchored, chesslike style of play. Russia were the first to mount the first decent attack on 54 minutes with fine link-up play between midfielders Akhmetov and Ozdoev. A lush Cruyff turn by the winger left two opposing players for dead. With the opposition stretched, Akhmetov played a sublime through ball into the path of Dzyuba and fired it towards goal with the first touch. However, Lukas Hraddecky was equal to the occasion as the experienced goalkeeper managed to parry the ball over the bar for a corner kick.
Confidence was steadily building in the team with the Russians starting to play a much higher defensive line. The daring tactics quickly paid off as four minutes later, a combination of 31 consecutive passes, with each player touching the ball at least twice, almost came to an epic conclusion. The chance of the night fell to striker Dzyuba, where he found himself one-on-one with Hraddecky. Only more frustration followed as the Finnish keeper, known as ‘The Wall,’ by his fellow countrymen, managed to get the faintest of touches to caress the ball into the side netting.
As time trickled on, tensions amongst the players started to rise once more. Tired legs and time-wasting antics, for the most part by Finland, only added fuel to the fire which would eventually erupt. And on 81 minutes, that is exactly what happened. A late, high footed tackle on Kamara left the Rangers man out for the count. A yellow card was swiftly shown to Dzhikiya for the rash challenge. The number 18 had to receive medical attention and subsequently be carried off by the physio, with huge doubts as to whether he will be available for the next game.
Before the Kremlin boys could take a breather and acquire their positions a lumpy, old-fashioned ball was played behind Russia’s back-line. An uncharacteristic misjudgment of the flight of the ball by Belyaev, allowed Pukki to run in behind the defender and get a shot away. A shriek of disbelief descended from the outnumbered Suomi fans as the ball ricocheted off the post and bounced helplessly wide. Pukki could only stand there with his head in his hands, as if he knew that he had quite possibly thrown Sanna Marin’s Father Christmas calendar onto the bonfire.
As the minutes ticked away into injury time, Finland were hanging by the skin of their teeth and in the end, it was too much for them to handle. With one more throw of the dice, Russia threw all but two men into the box for a last-ditch corner. The manager, waving his arms in the air, yelled at keeper Guilherme to make his way up the pitch. The corner came in and was cleared, inconveniently, into the path of the attacking team. The ball dropped at Guilherme’s feet and the keeper finished it in the way he only knew how – by slamming it home from four yards out.
Bedlam engulfed the stadium, players bundled on top of their new hero while fans went berserk in the stands. It seemingly took ages for Guilherme to return from the melee, bloodied and bruised but not beaten. The referee took a final look at his watch and blew. This all but sealed Finland’s fate in the competition whilst Russia go marching on into the knockout stage with only a point needed to take top spot.
Man of the match: Guilherme