Sällström wants to open account

Striker Linda Sällström joked that she hopes a misplaced comment to one of her Finland colleagues has not hindered her chances of hitting the back of the net as she sets out to register her first goal at UEFA WOMEN'S EURO2009™ against Ukraine on Saturday.

No offence
Sällström's was one of the names the host nation's fans most expected to see on a tournament scoresheet, but the 21-year-old has not come close to opening her account so far, despite her team beating Group A rivals Denmark 1-0 and the Netherlands 2-1. "I played better in the pre-finals friendlies, but for some reason I've not even had any scoring chances," she said, before adding with a smile: "I don't know why – maybe I've offended someone and therefore no one will pass me the ball! On the other hand, I don't care who scores as long as we keep on winning."

Dual role
A more reasonable explanation for the Djurgårdens IF DFF player's barren start might be that she has also been used on the left wing, away from her preferred position as a centre-forward. "Against the Netherlands it was maybe easier to play on the wing as they had their defence lying very deep," she told uefa.com. "That meant it was easier for me to use my speed." A former athlete at national level, Sällström certainly has plenty of pace, having clocked 12.75 seconds for the 100m.

Team belief
Already confirmed as group winners thanks to their opening two victories, the hosts were also the first team to book a place in the quarter-finals, though their strong start has not surprised Sällström. "Before the finals, a lot of people maybe didn't believe in us, but the important thing was that we believed in ourselves," she explained. "Of course, it feels even better after having played so well in these two games. We're aiming for the semi-finals and from there anything can happen."

Possible changes
Given that Finland can now start planning for the quarter-finals, there is scope for coach Michael Käld to rotate his starting lineup, however Sällström warned that making too many changes might not prove wise. "It is hard to say whether there will be changes and, if there are, how many," she said. "One has to keep in mind that too many changes may also have a negative effect. We have played well and we want to continue that. Besides, I don't think anyone is tired so there is no actual need to make that many changes."