Finland in the path of Netherlands juggernaut
Saturday, July 30, 2011
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Finland will look to do what no other side in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group E has managed and deny the Netherlands an away win – and maybe even score a goal in the process.
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Finland will look to do what no other side in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group E has managed and deny the Netherlands an away win – and maybe even score a goal.
• The runaway section leaders have won all three of their Group E away games, scoring ten goals in the process and conceding none.
• Bert van Marwijk's side beat Finland 2-1 at home in their second Group E fixture, with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – who had scored a hat-trick in their previous game, a 5-0 win against San Marino – hitting two more in the first 16 minutes on 7 September before Mikael Forsell struck back for Finland, then coached by Stuart Baxter.
• Finland's record in 13 matches against the Netherlands reads W1 D2 L10 (W1 D1 L4 at home).
• They last met in qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, when the Netherlands triumphed 3-1 in Amsterdam on 13 October 2004 and 4-0 in Helsinki on 8 June the following year. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Dirk Kuyt, Phillip Cocu and Robin van Persie grabbed the goals in the Finnish capital.
• Ten of their 13 meetings have been competitive fixtures, with the two sides also drawn together in qualifying for the 1976 and 1992 UEFA European Championships and the 1990 World Cup.
• Their most recent encounter in UEFA European Championship qualifying came in Helsinki on 5 June 1991 and ended in a 1-1 draw as Erik Holmgren cancelled out Frank de Boer's opener for the visitors.
• Prior to that outing, the Netherlands won the home fixture 2-0 at Rotterdam's De Kuip stadium thanks to efforts from Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit.
• Johan Cruyff struck twice and Johan Neeskens once during a 3-1 victory for the Oranje in their 1976 UEFA European Championship qualifier in Helsinki on 25 September 1974. Willy van der Kuijlen then hit a hat-trick in the return fixture in Nijmegen as the hosts ran out 4-1 winners. Finland had opened the scoring in both matches.
• Finland's only win against the Netherlands was a 4-1 victory in a friendly in Helsinki on 11 June 1950.
• The first match between the sides was the bronze medal game at the 1912 Olympics; Jan Vos plundered five goals in a 9-0 success for the Netherlands in Solna on 4 July.
