Finland 1-3 England: Trent stunner inspire England win
Finland 1-3 England: Trent stunner inspire England win. England bounce back from their 2-1 shock defeat to Greece on Thursday, as they triumphed 3-1 over Finland in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.
The Three Lions arrived at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium desperate to improve on their recent outing, with Manchester City star Jack Grealish opening the scoreline in the first-half.
It was a calm, composed performance from Lee Carsley‘s side who dominated possession and made light work of a win on the road to mark the end of their October international break.
How the game unfolded;
From the start, England were unrecognisable from the team that fell to a 2-1 defeat to Greece just three days earlier. Calm, composed and balanced, the Three Lions dominated possession while continuously driving the ball towards the Finland goal to put pressure on the hosts.
Manchester City’s Jack Grealish was the first to find the back of the net, curling a low ball past Bayer Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky after an excellent pass from Angel Gomes. Grealish made a superb run to ensure he was in the perfect spot to slot the ball into the back of the net, dancing past Finland’s defenders with ease.
England continued to control the game, driving the tempo while Finland seemed to sit back. Lee Carsley’s side demonstrated immense chemistry on the pitch, moving fluidly whilst spraying the ball around to drive attacking play.
Further into the first-half, the Finns began to up the pace, working hard to win the ball in advanced positions and attempt shots on goal. Opportunities came, but none good enough to adjust the scoreline as they headed into the break trailing 1-0 to England.
England seemed to return to their flat, lack of energy football in the second half, failing to create exciting chances and move without the ball. Finland came close to levelling out the scoreline just ahead of the hour mark as Fredrik Jensen fired a strong ball over the net, holding his head in his hands as he watched his effort fly away from the goal.
The visitors did get the chance to double their lead later in the half, however, as Trent Alexander-Arnold sent a stunning free-kick into the back of the net, bending it over the wall and beyond the reach of the keeper.
Arsenal’s Declan Rice solidified England’s victory in the latter stages of the game, tapping in a ball from Ollie Watkins to fire a low ball into the back of the net to make it 3-0.
Finland grasped a last-minute chance to earn something back when Arttu Hoskonen headed an effort into the top corner of the net, ending Dean Henderson’s dreams of achieving a clean sheet on his first England start.
It was positive news for the Finns, but ultimately not enough to stop England as they cruised to victory.
