International football is not something a fan might ponder over during a regular domestic season. Some even view it with resentment as international breaks often disrupt the flow of a club football season. However, when an international tournament is around the corner, the situation is a bit different. Tournaments like the World Cup, Euros or Copa America are special, especially for the players of countries that are not powerhouses in world football. A few of these countries manage to unleash players who deliver sublime performances in such competitions. One such player could be Finland’s Teemu Pukki. Pukki was the top scorer for Finland with 10 goals during the Euro 2020 qualifiers, helping the national team emerge victorious in six out of 10 games.
The nation has qualified for a UEFA European Championship for the first time. They directly qualified after securing the second spot in their qualifying group, with one group match remaining. Finland will be appearing in a major tournament for the first time in their history. The nation’s opening three matches will be held in Copenhagen and St Petersburg. Finland will face off against Denmark, Russia and Belgium, which will certainly ensure a lot of excitement. Coach Markku Kanerva spent 12 years with the U-21 national team and as an assistant to the senior side before taking the reins in 2016. He is a five-time Finnish champion with HJK. Finland did not enter in the 1960 and 1964 edition of the Euros. They further failed to qualify from 1968 till 2016, with 1996 marking the edition when they nearly earned a spot among the teams selected for the popular tournament.
Pukki has been long earmarked as a player of great goalscoring talent, which reflected in his performances for Norwich since signing in 2018. The attacker will be eager to make Euro 2020 another ‘Pukki party’ with a wonderful display. Augsburg winger Fredrik Jensen has hit the ground running with the senior national team. He enjoys a happy knack of chipping in with goals and is well capable of being a game-changer. Defender Joona Toivio will head into the tournament as Finland’s third-most capped active player. He trails Pukki (90) and Tim Sparv (80) in this regard. Toivio is powerful in the air, making him a threat from set-pieces, and has brilliant positional intelligence. He is also one of the few players in the Finland squad who has extensive European experience. Toivio has made 26 combined Europa League and Champions League appearances for Molde and Hacken across his career.
Read More
International football is not something a fan might ponder over during a regular domestic season. Some even view it with resentment as international breaks often disrupt the flow of a club football season. However, when an international tournament is around the corner, the situation is a bit different. Tournaments like the World Cup, Euros or Copa America are special, especially for the players of countries that are not powerhouses in world football. A few of these countries manage to unleash players who deliver sublime performances in such competitions. One such player could be Finland’s Teemu Pukki. Pukki was the top scorer for Finland with 10 goals during the Euro 2020 qualifiers, helping the national team emerge victorious in six out of 10 games.
The nation has qualified for a UEFA European Championship for the first time. They directly qualified after securing the second spot in their qualifying group, with one group match remaining. Finland will be appearing in a major tournament for the first time in their history. The nation’s opening three matches will be held in Copenhagen and St Petersburg. Finland will face off against Denmark, Russia and Belgium, which will certainly ensure a lot of excitement. Coach Markku Kanerva spent 12 years with the U-21 national team and as an assistant to the senior side before taking the reins in 2016. He is a five-time Finnish champion with HJK. Finland did not enter in the 1960 and 1964 edition of the Euros. They further failed to qualify from 1968 till 2016, with 1996 marking the edition when they nearly earned a spot among the teams selected for the popular tournament.
Pukki has been long earmarked as a player of great goalscoring talent, which reflected in his performances for Norwich since signing in 2018. The attacker will be eager to make Euro 2020 another ‘Pukki party’ with a wonderful display. Augsburg winger Fredrik Jensen has hit the ground running with the senior national team. He enjoys a happy knack of chipping in with goals and is well capable of being a game-changer. Defender Joona Toivio will head into the tournament as Finland’s third-most capped active player. He trails Pukki (90) and Tim Sparv (80) in this regard. Toivio is powerful in the air, making him a threat from set-pieces, and has brilliant positional intelligence. He is also one of the few players in the Finland squad who has extensive European experience. Toivio has made 26 combined Europa League and Champions League appearances for Molde and Hacken across his career.
