Finland emerged from the trauma of Christian Eriksen’s collapse to beat Denmark 1-0 on Saturday and they will be aiming to build on that result against Russia as they aim for a spot in the knockout stages of Euro 2020.
The players returned to the pitch after Eriksen had suffered a heart attack, completing the match in very difficult circumstances, and Finland coach Markku Kanerva said his side would be happy with a draw against Russia in St Petersburg on Wednesday.
“Of course, it would be a very difficult starting point to start to play for a draw. It might easily affect the team and make them passive if you only play for the draw, but we will see how it goes, and if we draw the game we would probably be satisfied,” Kanerva told reporters.
Finland’s defence expects to have to work hard as Russia bid to bounce back from a 3-0 defeat by Belgium.
“Marking their players well when they get the ball into the box is key, and also defending against their free kicks and corner kicks. Their midfield is very dynamic,” Kanerva said.
The Danes dominated possession against Finland both before and after Eriksen’s collapse but that failed to capitalise on their opportunities, and Kanerva urged his players to be more positive against Russia.
“We have to do the basics better in the next match. We have to make sure that the passing, all the basic things are on a high level and that the players are ready to control the ball, even in tight position,” he said.
“It’s a little bit of a mystery to us, how Russia will approach the game. We are sure that they will press very hard from the very beginning, and we have to be skilful enough to play through that.”
The Russians are bottom of Group B after the heavy loss to Belgium and Kanerva is expecting a backlash.
“They have probably calculated that they will take three points form Finland, and the fact that they won’t be satisfied with their first game will probably make them aggressive and concentrated from the very beginning,” he said.
“Hopefully, we can respond to that and score a goal, so that the Russian mental strength will be tested.”
Russia deserved the criticism they got for their lacklustre performance against Belgium in their Euro 2020 opener, manager Stanislav Cherchesov said on Tuesday, but added the squad was preparing well for their next match against Finland.
Russia lost 3-0 to Belgium on Saturday on home turf in St Petersburg, prompting criticism from fans and pundits. The match highlighted the vast skill and talent gap between Belgium, the world’s top-ranked side, and Cherchesov’s team.
Russia’s backline crumbled under pressure from the fearsome Belgian attack, raising questions about the team’s prospects of making it to the knockout stage from Group B, which also includes Finland and Denmark, for the first time since 2008.
“The criticism was deserved,” Cherchesov told reporters a day before Russia face Finland in St Petersburg.
“We have recovered from the first match. Now we have an absolutely different kind of preparation.”
Finland, making their first appearance at the finals of a major tournament, won 1-0 in their first game against Denmark, a match that was overshadowed by the collapse on the pitch of Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen.
“Finland are not an easy opponent and they have already demonstrated this (against Denmark),” Cherchesov said.
The Finns kept six clean sheets in qualifying and Russia defender Georgy Dzhikiya highlighted their organisation as a key strength.
“They are a disciplined team,” Dzhikiya said. “They are organised and play in a compact way.”
Cherchesov said Yuri Zhirkov had injured his thigh in the match against Belgium and it was later confirmed that the defender, who turns 38 in August, would miss the rest of the tournament.
“Given the severity of the injury, the coaching staff has decided to release the player (Zhirkov) from the team,” a statement from the Russian team said on Twitter.
