Roles reversed in Turku encounter
Monday, August 31, 2009
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The UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ quarter-finals begin in Turku with an encounter between hosts Finland and England that brings to mind a historic match in this competition four years ago.
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The UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2009™ quarter-finals begin in Turku with a sell-out encounter between hosts Finland and England that brings to mind a historic match in this competition four years ago.
• Finland secured first place in Group A with one game remaining after beating Denmark 1-0 and the Netherlands 2-1, meaning they could afford a 1-0 loss to Ukraine on Saturday.
• The crowds of 16,324, 16,148 and 15,318 at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki for those games were comfortably the biggest to watch a women's international in Finland.
• England made a stuttering start when, playing most the game with ten players after Casey Stoney's dismissal, they took the lead but lost 2-1 to Italy. It was the other way round when they recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Russia 3-2, all the scoring in the first half with Kelly Smith's winner coming from the centre circle. A 1-1 draw against Sweden took England through from Group C as one of the two best third-placed teams.
• England and Finland last met in two friendlies in Larnaca, Cyprus in February. The first game was a 2-2 draw, Kelly Smith's penalty and Lianne Sanderson's goal putting England ahead before Leena Puranen and Anne Mäkinen levelled later in the first half on what was Laura Österberg-Kalmari's comeback to the team after two years away.
• Two days later England won 4-1. Faye White, Emily Westwood and Smith (penalty) all scored before the break, while Rachel Yankey made it four in the second half before Annica Sjölund's consolation.
• The previous time they met was at UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™, the opening game for hosts England against finals debutants Finland in front of 29,092 people at the City of Manchester Stadium, still a competition record.
• An own goal by Sanna Valkonen and Amanda Barr's header gave England a 2-0 lead at the break. Anna-Kaisa Rantanen and Österberg-Kalmari's 89th-minute strike drew Finland level but it was England who won it thanks to Karen Carney's dramatic late winner. However, it was Finland who emerged from Group A in second place to reach the semi-finals.
• Finland have never beaten England in senior men's or women's internationals. The women's side has lost five times to England with four draws, Finland scoring nine goals and England 17.
• They have met twice in Finland; a 0-0 draw in Tampere on 29 September 1990 in FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying and a 2-1 England win in Kirkkonummi on 25 October 1987 in a 1989 European qualifier. The following September they drew 1-1 in Millwall, London.
• The winners of this game face France or the Netherlands in the semi-finals on Sunday at the Tampere Stadium.