Finns get very tough draw for Under-21 European Championships in Sweden

England, Germany, and Spain stand in the way of progressing to knock-out stages

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"Ouch!"
      Markku Kanerva, the coach of Finland's Under-21 football team, could be forgiven for feeling he had just been mugged when the draw was made for next summer's European Championship finals in Sweden.
      The draw held in Gothenburg pitted the Finns against Spain, Germany, and England in Group B, while hosts Sweden will play Belarus, Italy, and Serbia in the other group.
      Two teams from each group will progress to the semi-final stages.
     
Things could hardly have been tougher for the Finnish side, who made their way to the finals by the long route, having to overcome Austria after extra time and a penalty shoot-out to progress.
      Kanerva was philosophical in the wake of the draw, noting drily that it would at least be easy to scout the players they would face, since most or all of them turn out regularly for teams in the higher echelons of the Spanish, German, or English leagues.
      He added that one dream had been fulfilled simply by reaching the finals, and now they had to concentrate on another, that of getting out of the group, though he admitted it would be a very steep hill to climb.
     
Kanerva had hoped in advance that the balls would have cast Finland and Sweden in the same group, but that will now have to wait until the semi-final or final stage, he laughed.
      The German coach Hansi Flick, assistant to the national senior team's coach Joachim Löw, noted that his young players had a challenge ahead in playing against England and Spain, quickly forgetting that there was a fourth team in the group.
      In fairness to Flick, the Finns can hardly be fancied as favourites to progress from a qualifying quartet like this, but therein lies a small window of opportunity for surprise. "It could be that the others will underestimate us", noted Kanerva.
      The Finnish side are the only first-timers in the finals, while Spain and England have each won the trophy twice.
     
The England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce stressed that the European Championships are a big experience for the players, noting that one had to consider just how many times a player could expect to turn out in the finals of a major tournament during his career.
      Pearce was diplomatic about Finland's position in the group of heavyweights, pointing out that the Finns had won their qualifying group, and that takes a good deal more than mere luck.
      "On paper some team may look like an easy opponent, but you have to remember this is football", said Pearce. Serbia had not been fancied in 2007, he added, and they went all the way to the final.
      England went out in the semi-final on penalties to the eventual winners, The Netherlands.
     
The last time that Sweden hosted the finals of a big tournament was in the summer of 1992, when the European Championships were decided at the highest level.
      On that occasion, too, there were eight countries involved, and Denmark came in as a last-minute replacement for Yugoslavia, disqualified from competing because of the war in the Balkans. The Danes went on to defeat the defending European Champions Holland in the semi-finals and the reigning World Champions Germany in the final.
      Now THAT was football.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland Under-21s fight back to grab European Championship finals place after penalty shoot-out (15.10.2008)

Links:
  UEFA Under-21 European Championship
  Under-21 European Championships (Wikipedia)

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