Hodgson heading for Finland first

Roy Hodgson could not hide his delight after his Finland side last night kept up their surprise challenge for a place at UEFA EURO 2008™.

Former glory
The Englishman who took Switzerland to the 1994 FIFA World Cup and EURO 96™ is dreaming of doing the same with the Nordic nation, who have never competed at either a World Cup or UEFA European Championship. Finland were made to work hard in their latest qualifier, one of three Group A fixtures being played, but their attacking play meant they were able to secure a 2-1 victory against Kazakhstan.

'Very happy'
Hodgson said: "I'm very happy with the win and the way we played. I don't think we have created this many scoring chances before in my time as head coach." While the goals may not have flowed, the three points have left Finland in the second of the section's two qualifying positions, two points behind Poland who have also played nine of their 14 fixtures. They are two points ahead of Portugal, held 1-1 in Armenia, and three in front of Serbia, who went down 3-2 in Belgium, although both those nations have a game in hand on the top two.

High praise
Kazakhstan coach Arno Pijpers admitted Finland merited the win, which comes ahead of two crucial games for Hodgson's side - away against Serbia and at home to Poland on 8 and 12 September respectively. "It was deserved, but I'm proud of my team," the Dutchman said. "We were able to play good football and create some chances as well." The contest at the Ratina Stadium in Tampere was all about Finland, though, with Hodgson keen to pick out the performances of his two goalscorers, Alexei Eremenko Jr and Teemu Tainio.

Key men
"Eremenko played a good match," he said. "He was constantly a threat to the Kazakhstan defence. I'm extremely pleased with Tainio as well. He worked hard and played well both in the right and in the centre." Finland are more than just a two-man team with experienced rearguard performers like Jussi Jääskeläinen, Sami Hyypiä, Petri Pasanen and Hannu Tihinen key. One man hoping they continue to impress is Jari Litmanen, the talismanic forward who will miss the rest of the qualifying campaign with an ankle injury. If Hodgson can achieve a historic first, the 36-year-old former AFC Ajax, Liverpool FC and FC Barcelona star may yet get the chance to perform on Europe's biggest stage.