Match № 34

The match № 34 (second group stage), sixth tournament day

FINLAND – SLOVAKIA 0:2 (0:2)

January 9th, 2015, St. Petersburg, Peterburgsky SCC, 500 spectators

Referees: Ivan Abrosinov, Ilya Ivanov, Aleksandr Vistunov

Finland: Mikkelsson, Makinen (Hamalainen, 46), Kalermo (c) (Pitkanen, 46), Halme, Jakonen (Untamala, 75), Haglund (N'Sombo, 75), Laatikainen (Kairinen, 54), Jalli (Vaisanen, 63), Ala-Myllymaki, Lehtonen, Sjostedt (Lingman, 54)

Head coach: Jarkko Wiss

Slovakia: Jkubech, Hornik, Kolesar, Durek, Jirka (Mihalik, 82), Cernak (Janco, 62), Mraz (Vitek, 73), Kopicar (c), Mares, Krc (Beniac, 88), Vajs (Gorelcik, 67)

Head coach: Milan Malatinsky

Goals: Mraz (30, 45)

Yellow cards: Halme (90), Kopicar (90)

Best players: Lauri Ala-Myllymaki, Martin Kolesar

After match comments

Head coach of team Finland Jarkko Wiss:

– The game was as I supposed it would be. We had some difficulties with counter attacks and we failed to score.

– You've mixed a lineup significantly and gave the opportunity to play to the second goalkeeper. What influenced on your decision?

– We are always mixing a lineup. Now is not a season, or ever a preseason. We are here to watch at the players, to create a team to be prepared for October games – the qualification to Euro-2017. Thus, the main goal to prepare the team for that tournament.

– The ceremony of the match started a bit earlier, and the flag of Finland appeared later that the national anthem started to play. Football players are superstitious, don't you think that that was the reason of your failure?

– Yes, boys were a bit late with a flag. However, nothing criminal has happened, don't blame them. There were a different reasons why we've lost.

– In your career you have played at the tournaments of Finland, Norway, England, Scotland. Being a coach, you are trying to teach the best out of all that football styles, or you are instilling the Finnish one?

– Of course I am taking some elements out of all four styles, but still, we are creating our own approach within coach techniques and the game itself.

Head coach of team Slovakia:

– First of all we were glad to play against team of Finland – team of high quality. I can say we were more active in the first half and besides two scored goals, we had at least two moments to increase the score. In the second half we have reduced activity. But we should paytribute to the team of Finland, I will underline one more time the quality of this time. One more important thing for us – we have managed to keep our gates safe.

– Some of your players sang national anthem before the match. Was it your initiative and how do you estimate this patriotic spirit?

– I must correct you – not some of our players, all of them sang the anthem. As for patriotic spirit: we always have national in our dressing room. It is always there. I tell to my players that they should be proud of the chance to defend the colors of our country, to play in the national team of Slovakia. We try to bring it to our players.