Finland v Philippines
By Tim Beissmann
Both sides desperately needed a win from this match, but it was Finland who resisted a strong challenge from the Philippines to take the game 6-2 and leap into the top three of group D.
Early goals to Finn strikers Karl-Bengt Henriksson and Carl Enkenberg gave them a nice buffer, rebounding well from defence where Philippine Jay R De Jesus was causing headaches but denied a goal.
A hat-trick to Henriksson and another to Karl Erik Kenttamaa had the Finns in total control at the half-time break, and the Philippine players wondering where their first goal would come from.
That question was answered soon after half time when Kevin Logioy sent a piercing strike through two defenders to get his country on the scoreboard.
Jani Luhtanen decided to increase the pressure on the Philippines, and the game's intensity and physicality went up a notch, with the smaller-bodied Asian side in no way intimidated by the taller Finns.
Aberg came increasingly under pressure as the Philippines started a revival, and when De Jesus scored in the sixth minute an upset seemed possible, with the strong Philippine contingent in the crowd urging their boys on.
Feeling the need to respond, the Finns rose to the challenge and Enkenberg bagged the sealer in the final minute.
The match was much tighter than the 6-2 scorecard suggested, and the feeling among the crowd was that if the game was three or four minutes longer, the result may have been reversed.
The Philippine side will be desperately searching for their first win in their final group match against Nigeria, while it is do or die for Finland who must beat table leaders Italy to advance in pursuit of the Homeless World Cup.
Early goals to Finn strikers Karl-Bengt Henriksson and Carl Enkenberg gave them a nice buffer, rebounding well from defence where Philippine Jay R De Jesus was causing headaches but denied a goal.
A hat-trick to Henriksson and another to Karl Erik Kenttamaa had the Finns in total control at the half-time break, and the Philippine players wondering where their first goal would come from.
That question was answered soon after half time when Kevin Logioy sent a piercing strike through two defenders to get his country on the scoreboard.
Jani Luhtanen decided to increase the pressure on the Philippines, and the game's intensity and physicality went up a notch, with the smaller-bodied Asian side in no way intimidated by the taller Finns.
Aberg came increasingly under pressure as the Philippines started a revival, and when De Jesus scored in the sixth minute an upset seemed possible, with the strong Philippine contingent in the crowd urging their boys on.
Feeling the need to respond, the Finns rose to the challenge and Enkenberg bagged the sealer in the final minute.
The match was much tighter than the 6-2 scorecard suggested, and the feeling among the crowd was that if the game was three or four minutes longer, the result may have been reversed.
The Philippine side will be desperately searching for their first win in their final group match against Nigeria, while it is do or die for Finland who must beat table leaders Italy to advance in pursuit of the Homeless World Cup.
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