Seen by many as favourites to win the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, Spain have had to face the loss of two key players before a ball was kicked. They overcame that setback and going a goal down against Finland this afternoon to record a 4-1 victory and take an early lead in Group B.
It was a nervy start from Spain and in less than a minute, Finland took everyone by surprise by taking the lead. A great through ball found its way to Linda Sällström who directed her effort int0 the back of the net, much to the joy of the Finnish bench who ran down the line to celebrate with the goalscorer.
Finland took confidence from their goal and looked dangerous. A great ball from Spurs’ Eveliina Summanen led to a shot from Adelina Engman that went narrowly wide.
Ten minutes later, Spain thought they had the equaliser but the officials spotted the ball going out of play and awarded a corner. Jorge Vilda’s side didn’t have to wait long for their leveller though as Irene Paredes headed home from a corner.
Spain dominated possession and when Finland did gain control of the ball, they created some good build-up play but were only able to shoot straight at Sandra Paños.
Just before half-time, the possession paid off for Spain when Aitana Bonmatí put them in the lead. That second goal had the desired effect as Vilda’s side felt more composed in the final minutes of the first half.
Summanen had another shot early in the second half but again, it was easy to for Paños to gather in the Spanish goal. At the other end, Manchester United’s Ona Batlle found herself one-on-one with Tinja-Riikka Korpela but she wasn’t able to beat the Spurs keeper who got a touch to ensure the ball went well wide with no Spanish player rushing in.
The next 15 minutes saw Korpela become busy, making a couple of excellent saves to deny Spain but it wasn’t to last. As the final 10 minutes approached, Spain won a free-kick on the right wing which taken by Mapi León and headed home by Lucía García to make it 3-1. That goal effectively ended the game as a competition with both sides taking the opportunity to bring on a lot of fresh legs. The match wasn’t over however as the final kick of the game saw Mariona Caldentey fire home from the penalty spot after Marta Cardona was fouled in the box.
The game was one which Spain grew into, dominating possession and beyond the first minute, nullifying the threat from Finland. The scoreline will give them confidence as they move forward in the ‘Group of Death’. It could have been a lot worse for Finland but for the shot-stopping exploits of Korpela that Barclays Women’s Super League fans are so familiar with. They will need to find a way to be more clinical in front of goal if they are to get anything from the tough games ahead.