Finland Breaks the Great Wall of Iceland in Thun

The UEFA Women’s European Championship officially begins in Switzerland! The opening match between Iceland and Finland at the Stockhorn Arena in Thun, Switzerland, promises to be an intense affair. For Iceland, it is their fifth appearance at the Women’s European Championship, with their best ever finish being at the quarterfinals in 2013. For the Boreal Owls, this is their fifth appearance in the competition, with their best ever finish being at the semifinals in 2005.

During the pre-match press conference, Finland defender Natalia Kuikka emphasized how tough this Icelandic team is. “I think that Iceland is such a tough team. They’re a hard-working team and physically tough opponents to play against..”, stated Kuikka. Kuikka also discussed their game plan to stop this dangerous Icelandic attack. “… I think their threat behind their fast players so I think that’s really what we have to be mindful of when we attack so our balance is good but overall they’re good at set pieces so definitely those two things we have to make sure we have to be good at tomorrow.”, uttered Kuikka.

The first half had a few chances for both teams. Back and forth action, but no goals came in from either side. The second half offered more drama and action. Iceland started the second half aggressively, but the momentum changed in the 58th minute. Icelandic midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir was sent off by Hungarian referee Katalin Kulscár after a VAR ruling. Antonsdóttir, who plays her club football at Madrid CFF, was seen stomping on Finland’s Eveliina Summanen’s foot by VAR. It was Antonsdóttir’s second yellow card, and Katalin Kulscár had no choice but to send Antonsdóttir off. Antonsdóttir left the field very frustrated after the call because she knew the momentum had officially headed towards Finland. Finland started to take advantage of the match with their possession and attacks.

After their continuous pressure on the Icelandic defense, the Boreal Owls finally cracked the Stelpurnar okkar. Finnish winger Katariina Kosola was dribbling near the left edge of the Icelandic box and took a cut in the box. Kosola, who plays her club football with Swedish club Malmö FF, gets enough space to blast a perfect shot past Cecilía Rán Rúnarsdóttir for the 1-0 lead. Kosola’s strike was an absolute rocket, and nothing Rúnarsdóttir can do on the strike. It proved to be vital as the goal was the game winner for Finland. Heartbreaking for Iceland as they were left frustrated by not being able to make their mark in the first match. In a tough Group A, Iceland needs to bounce back in a big way. For the Boreal Owls, a perfect start for their Women’s EUROs campaign.

Iceland will look to keep their European Championship adventure alive against the host nation, Switzerland, at Wankdorf Stadium on Sunday, July 6th. Finland will look to continue their great start against Norway at Stade Tourbillon on Sunday, July 6th.