Saint Petersburg (AFP)

Victorious, in a particular context, for its first in a Euro, Finland recalls Iceland in 2016, with a group without star or complex which could qualify for the knockout stages in case of success against Russia, Wednesday in Saint -Petersburg (3:00 p.m.).

Last Saturday, against Denmark in Copenhagen, the Finnish players did not have the head to celebrate their success (1-0), passed in the background behind the cardiac arrest in full match of Christian Eriksen.

"Normally in the locker room there is music, singing, dancing, that kind of thing, but there was nothing," said captain Tim Sparv.

It was necessary to see the images of the celebrations of supporters, gathered in the center of Helsinki, to understand the historical significance of their performance.

Before this Euro, the country of 5.5 million inhabitants had never played in a major tournament.

Here he is now with a victory, and ambitions to qualify.

From the second day of group B, Finland can validate its ticket for the eighth if it beats Russia, and Denmark does not win against Belgium on Thursday.

- Minimalist concept -

Even in the event of Danish victory, with six points, the men of Markku Kanerva are almost certain to advance, by virtue of the system which allows the repechage of the four best thirds.

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A draw could even be enough, depending on the results of the last day, which will see Finland face Belgium on Monday: "It's not the right attitude to play a game to draw a draw. We want to win", a rectified Tuesday midfielder Joni Kauko.

"We do not only go to the Euro to participate, we want to succeed. I'm not afraid of anyone!", Told AFP the Finnish coach before the competition.

His recipe?

An ultra-compact block, united and well organized, which makes Lukas Hradecky's road to goal as slippery for the opponent as that of Rally Finland.

In attack, the "Huuhkajat" ("Eagle Owls") rely on the effectiveness of Teemu Pukki, the fourth top scorer in the playoffs (10 goals), to transform their rare chances.

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The Norwich player, promoted to the Premier League next season, is two goals away from equaling the record of former Ajax star Jari Litmanen (32).

The concept may seem minimalist, but it pays off big: last November, the world champion France went into the background, in a friendly match lost to everyone's surprise (2-0) against the Finns.

On Saturday, Denmark totaled 23 shots, including a penalty, saved by Hradecky, and Finland just one.

- Reading Club -

"There were some exceptional circumstances (against Denmark), Kanerva said. But we managed to win, and I hope that will help us in the future."

The Euro can smile at the daring from the cold: in 2016, Iceland, for its first participation in a major tournament, reached the quarter-finals, after a feat against England in the eighth (2-1).

The similarity also stretches through the original history of some of the executives of these selections.

The Icelanders had a music video keeper (Hannes Halldorsson), the Finns have a captain (Sparv) who runs a book club and posts his thoughts on his blog.

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"Iceland inspired us. This example has shown us that even for the so-called smaller countries, if we do things right and believe in our dreams, they can come true," assured Kanerva.

However, when Iceland was supported by loud fans in France, health restrictions limited the influx of Finnish fans into Russia, despite the proximity between the land of a thousand lakes and Saint Petersburg, whose center is three hours from border road.

But the players are hoping to go far.

“We started the tournament with a dream. But it goes through stages. We have not yet reached our dream, Kanerva recalled. We remain focused on our defensive game, we also have to develop our attack. our goal would be to have more shots than against Denmark. "

© 2021 AFP