Nations League: England eventually overcome Finland
Finland 1 - 3 England
England bounced back from their embarrassing UEFA Nations League defeat to Greece at Wembley but were still far from convincing as they eventually overcame Finland in Helsinki.
Interim manager Lee Carsley made six changes following the loss to Greece, including swapping goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for Dean Henderson. However, England struggled to shine until late in the game when the world’s 64th-ranked side, without a point, began to tire.
Jack Grealish, recalled to the starting line-up, eased England’s nerves with a composed finish after Angel Gomes’ superb pass in the 18th minute. Finland had chances to increase the pressure on Carsley’s men, but it was Trent Alexander-Arnold's stunning late free-kick that ultimately secured the win.
Declan Rice added a close-range goal with six minutes remaining, giving the scoreline a more comfortable look for England and Carsley.
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Finland’s striker Fredrik Jensen was their main culprit, squandering good opportunities in the first half and then somehow putting an effort over the bar from six yards after the break.
Alexander-Arnold, playing at left-back in another unconventional decision by Carsley, delivered one of the game’s rare moments of real quality, curling a magnificent 25-yard free-kick beyond Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky after 74 minutes.
By that stage, Finland were exhausted, allowing Rice to slot home for an easy finish just three minutes from time.
The Finns, however, gave their passionate 32,000-strong crowd something to cheer about when Arttu Hoskonen scored a late consolation, capitalising on England’s failure to clear a corner.
My reaction
When you face a setback like the 2-1 loss to Greece, the priority is to bounce back, and the best way to do that is by winning. Lee Carsley did just that by picking a team designed to get the result. It’s probably easier to achieve against a Finland side that worked hard and stayed compact, but they lack much-attacking threat.
England had their moments against Finland, with some good individual performances, but what we need to focus on moving forward is how the team functions as a unit.
While England look strong going forward, defensively, the team still has room for improvement. That said, there are high expectations because of the incredible talent within the squad.
