Finland 3 Germany 3 (2-2): A bitter-sweet draw against the Euro 2008 finalists

Klose hat-trick ensures German away magic continues

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By William Moore
     
      Finland and Germany clashed in the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night in a stirring match that saw the hosts lead three times through Jonatan Johansson, Mika Väyrynen, and Daniel Sjölund only for Germany to claw their way back on level terms, with the last goal coming in the 83rd minute from the much-maligned Miroslav Klose, who bagged a hat-trick to save coach Joachim Löw's blushes and the visitors' remarkable unbeaten away record in World Cup qualifiers.
     
If the 3-3 scoreline represents two points lost by the Finns, it was also two points taken off the team currently 3rd in the FIFA world rankings, and as a spectacle this first competitive showing under new head coach Stuart Baxter was a giant stride forward from the dour, gritty 0-0 draws Finnish fans have grown accustomed to.
     
First, the good news: Finland stuck it to Germany, and then some. The visitors were exposed at the back on several occasions in the first half, and were made to work hard for the result.
      Secondly, to score three clean goals from open play against the beaten finalists of the last European Championships is a thing of joy, but for a side in blue-and-white to capitalise on three out of perhaps only five or six clear-cut chances is more: a quantum leap forward in the finishing department.
      And the goals were well-worked, although Johansson’s opener in the 32nd minute owed as much to hapless defending by Heiko Westermann as it did to a classy build-up or astute running off the ball.
      Thirdly, the home side were never overawed, even when they were badly overstretched in the final half-hour, and in the first half they went forward with some real purpose and gumption.
     
To their credit, they were stirred rather than shaken by the rapid-fire German response to their first two goals. When Klose made it 1-1 after getting around captain Sami Hyypiä, it only took five minutes for Daniel Sjölund, just brought on to replace a limping Mikael Forssell, to set up Väyrynen to volley home through Robert Enke’s outstretched hands.
      And when Klose scored from close range only seconds later, after his header was parried by Jussi Jääskeläinen, the Finnish response straight after the restart was to press on in search of a third.
      Sjölund’s goal was if anything the best of the bunch, although once again some slack German marking allowed him to help himself to a free header from a corner.
      For once, Finland had a bit of luck in front of their own goal. Substitute Mario Gomez really should have buried a chance from all of half a metre on 78 minutes, but he fluffed it and allowed Petri Pasanen to clear off the line. In past years, this one would have inevitably gone in.
      And did I mention that that Finland scored THREE goals? That’s one more than we enjoyed in the last FIVE Euro 2008 qualifiers.
     
Above all, it was a real rip-snorter of a game.
      The best ninety minutes' worth I’ve seen in the Olympic Stadium, and with a great capacity crowd worthy of the entertainment on show.
      All these things bode well for the future - the arrival of Russia and Wales is now something to look forward to, rather than a source of dread. On this showing, neither of them will have an easy time of it.
     
Now the not-so-good stuff: I don't whether it was tired legs, a few inexperienced faces, or the lack of someone in midfield (perhaps a Jari Litmanen from ten years ago) who could hold the ball up and allow the backs time to draw breath, but after the third Finnish goal the Germans were given all too much space to build wave after wave of attacks.
      There is only so much pressure a defence can soak up, and just as happened some years ago in an away fixture against Holland that saw Finland lose 3-1 after taking an early lead, it was almost inevitable that the dam would burst sooner rather than later.
     
Secondly, two of the German goals had the dread word “Hungary”* writ large on them, as the ball pinged around in the goalmouth without a foot to whack it to safety.
      Klose’s third strike was almost low farce, and not in keeping at all with the spirit of the match, even if it was probably just reward for all the earlier pressure.
      Klose's hat-trick was of course a sharp slap in the face to the German media who had written him off and were singing the praises of his strike partner Lukas Podolski. Podolski was largely invisible on Wednesday night. So it goes.
     
If Stuart Baxter rues anything from Wednesday’s result it will probably be that the team could not quite hang on for a famous victory.
      This is true, but the other side of the coin is that the German national team is not some elderly middleweight with a glass jaw who can be put on the deck with a couple of good jabs - they are a class act, and they kept on coming even when an embarrassing defeat looked in prospect.
      That's what makes them what they are, and it is why they are ranked 40 or so places higher than Finland.
     
A final word about the crowd. At long last, the Finns have found their singing voice.
      At least this is true for the hardcore supporters’ club contingent, who have now moved to a position on the North Bank.
      There were a healthy number of them and from where I was sitting they seemed in good voice, and they kept the spirits high the whole time, even after Klose’s final adjustment of the scoreline.
      Furthermore, they (and others) stoutly refused to be suckered in to any Mexico waves.
      Such things are fine for matches where the lack of excitement on the pitch necessitates making your own entertainment - but this was not one of those games by a long chalk.
     
The Finnish FA will be rubbing their hands - an opener like this will put thousands on the gate for the arrival of lowly Azerbaijan in October, especially as the Finns have a score to settle with the Azeris, who dished them 1-0 in Baku in the Euro 2008 campaign.
      Another six-goal thriller would be nice.
      Only next time, don't be so generous to the visitors, alright?
     
     
Finland: Jussi Jääskeläinen; Veli Lampi, Petri Pasanen, Sami Hyypiä (captain), Toni Kallio (62. booked); Roman Eremenko, Markus Heikkinen; Jonatan Johansson, Mika Väyrynen (75. Njazi Kuqi), Joonas Kolkka; Mikael Forssell (41. Daniel Sjölund). Coach: Stuart Baxter.
     
Germany: Robert Enke; Clemens Fritz (82. Andreas Hinkel), Serdar Tasci, Heiko Westermann, Philipp Lahm; Simon Rolfes (82. Patrick Helmes); Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Hitzlsperger (69. Mario Gomez), Piotr Trochowski; Miroslav Klose (captain), Lukas Podolski. Coach: Joachim Löw.
     
Goals: Jonatan Johansson 32, Mika Väyrynen 43, Daniel Sjölund 53 - Miroslav Klose 38, 45, 83.
     
Attendance: 37,150 (capacity)
     
Referee: Viktor Kassai, Hungary.
     
     
* Note: Nothing to do with the Hungarian referee, but a reference to a famous injury-time goal of mind-numbing horribleness (it was actually an own goal) scored against Finland in a qualifier with Hungary that ended in a 1-1 draw and dashed hopes of a play-off place for the 1998 World Cup finals. It is often cited as one of the most gut-wrenching moments in Finnish sporting history.
     

More on this subject:
 German coach keen not to understimate Finnish opposition

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland meet Germany on Wednesday in first "official" international under Stuart Baxter (9.9.2008)

Links:
  FIFA: World Cup Qualifying Group 4

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