More past events
From Finland United
2010
- Sunday 07 March at 14:30: BXL Euroleague game vs. France - (British School) 0-2
- Sunday 04 March at 19:30: BXL Euroleague game vs. Poland - (Kraainem) 0-2
Sunday 28th February: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd close to dethroning La Mannchaft 3-3
Stormy Brussels weather gave no mercy to our enthusiastic squad who had come to the Cinquantenaire parc on sunday morning. Match preparations included farewell and housewarming parties the evening before and a planned starting linup where no-one over 40 would be allowed. This unfortunately was not realistic and we had to include a couple of the more experienced players at the start.
First blood was quick to be drawn when Ilkka managed to get the ball in the German goal from a perfectly executed corner by Ari at the very beginning of the game. Lots of good action and pressure on German defense got FU players several scoring oppportunities but no further goals. Some of this has to be blamed on natural forces and puddles of water that stopped the ball unexpectedly and made it it impossible to play in our usual controlled way.
Towards the end of the half the other linesman was obviously sleeping and a ball played clearly out of bounds got chipped to the back post and suddenly Germany headed the equalizer.
Second half was similar in play but some sloppy defending and a bit of bad luck saw Germany go by distance shots first 2-1 and then 3-1 in front. Getting towards the end of the game a bold change to 3-5-2 and finally 3-4-3 formation got us even. First Ilkka got his second of the day after a corner pinball and shortly before the end our hero Hero came up from his goal and headed the ball in from our last corner perfectly delivered by Ari, who was playing his last game for FU.
So FU waltz away with 1 point from a match that should really have brought us 3. On the positive side one must say that we never gave up and kept trying until the very end. Just like the unfortunate USA ice-hockey team in the final seconds of regular time.
Wednesday 24 February: BXL Euroleague Cyprus vs. Finland Utd 1-3 (1-1)
Sunday 21 February: BXL Euroleague Finland Utd vs UK 3-2 (1-1)
Sunday 14 February: BXL Euroleague Finland Utd vs Austrian Dream Team 3-3 (2-1)
Sunday 24 January: Friendly game Finland Utd vs. the Austrian Dream Team 2-1
Sunday 13 December: Friendly game Finland Utd vs. the Austrian Dream Team 4-2
2009
Wednesday 2 December: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd vs. Sweden 1-3 (0-3)
- Matsiraportti: Finland Unitedin sinivalkoinen armeija asteli Woluwen mutaiselle nurmelle voitonnälkäisenä ja lähes parhaalla mahdollisella kokoonpanollaan, suhteellisen varmana toisesta peräkkäisestä murskavoitosta Euroliigassa. Suomea pidettiinkin ennakkospekulaatioissa selvänä suosikkina: Ruotsin alkukausi oli sujunut ailahtelevasti siinä missä Finland Utd keikkui sarjan kärkipäässä. Matsin ensimmäiset minuutit kuitenkin kuluivat suomalaisilta pohkeita lämmitellessä alkuverryttelyjen jäätyä vähemmälle, samalla kun Ruotsi pääsi heti alusta vyöryttämään salakavalia salamahyökkäyksiään Suomen maalille. Länsinaapureiden taktiikka, jossa palloa pelattiin kansankodin järjestelmällisellä tarkkuudella Suomen kookkaan mutta vielä tässä vaiheessa kylmänkankean puolustuslinjan taakse, oli myrkkyä Unitedille. Maalivahti Hero joutuikin pian kaivamaan UEFA:n lahjoittaman Adidas TerraPassin vartioimastaan verkosta ruotsalaishyökkääjän purjehdittua pelottavan vaivattomasti Suomen puolustuksen läpi. Suomelle tyypillinen kahden kosketuksen lyhytsyöttöpeli kärsi paitsi muhkuraisesta kentästä myös Ruotsin tehokkaasta prässäyksestä, joka näytti tulleen suomalaisille jossain määrin yllätyksenä. Kentän laidalla kiiri kysymys: oliko Suomi lähtenyt matsiin ns. takki auki? Epäonnen ja -onnistumisten seurauksena Finland Utd joutuikin kantamaan pallon keskiympyrään vielä kahdesti ensimmäisen jakson aikana, joten tauolle taktiikkaa lähdettiin hiomaan vaikeasta muttei vielä toivottomasta 0-3 -tappioasemasta. Paussin jälkeen kentälle marssikin sisuuntunut ja lähestyvän itsenäisyyspäivän innoittama joukkue, joka lähti tosissaan kuromaan turhan suureksi venähtänyttä eroa umpeen. Yrityksen puutteesta ei Finland Utd:a voinutkaan syyttää ja lopulta suomalaiset survoivat sisään ns. tahtomaalin, jonka Mikko S. toimitti tolpan kautta Ruotsin reppuun. Tämä käänne sai turvallisen tuntuiseen johtoasemaansa tuudittautuneet ruotsalaiset hieman hermoilemaan ja maalipaikkoja alkoi avautua. Isänmaallinen hurmos ei kuitenkaan lopulta kantanut yhtä maalia pidemmälle, joten sinivalkoiset soturit joutuivat nöyrtymään kieltämättä hyvin pelanneiden ruotsalaisten edessä. Varoituksia matsissa jaettiin yksi kumpaankin leiriin hyisen arki-illan viilentäessä suuremmat tunteenpurkaukset. Tämän katkeran mutta sinänsä ansaitun tappion jälkeen rivejä lähdetään nyt kokoamaan vuoden viimeiseen liigamatsiin Espanjaa vastaan. Voitto tuosta pelistä ja vuodenvaihteen peruskuntokaudelle voidaan lähteä hyvillä mielin. English summary: an unlucky defeat despite brave efforts.
Wednesday 25 November: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd vs. Netherlands 8-0 (3-0)
- Match report: FU once again showed some class beating the Dutch team on Wednesday night decisively with a score of 8-0. The manager's orders were to try to score a couple of goals early on in the game and the keep control. Unfortunately scoring in the first 10 minutes was as bad as it was against Estonia last time. Opportunities were not lacked but it seems some players tried to target the goalposts (with high percentage), top corners and such instead of the back of the net. Once Ari finally managed to score the first it was like floodgates had opened. In the following 10 minutes FU went up 3-0 and keeper Hero had not had much to do by that point. By the end of the first half the Dutch side managed to get some organisation to their game but rarely produced anything even close to a goal. If a few balls slipped past our defense, led by Kajus and Lauri, Hero easily cleared the attempts. So 3-0 at half time. - - - Second half was more or less a repeat of first half with some fairly good scoring chances missed, but at the same time some fairly brilliant plays with Anssi scoring for the first time for FU, a beatiful shot from outside the box to the back corner. At best FU managed to move the ball up into the NL box with a few perfectly executed passes and runs into empty spaces, with decisive finishes even if a few occasions were lost. Just what had been missing in some of the earlier games. It also shows that the new players who joined at the beginning of the season have integrated into the FU set of mind and style of play, which has led us climbing up to 3rd in league table again. FU is looking very, very strong at the moment. Sweden next.
Sunday 15 November: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd vs. Estonia. Result: 3-1
Thursday 5 November: Friendly game Finland Utd vs. Denmark. Result: 1-4
Sunday 25 October: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd vs. Slovenia. Result: 3-2
Monday 19 October: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd vs. CSSR 76 Brusel (Czech/Slovak Republic). Result: 2-2 (0-0)
Sunday 11 October: Friendly game Finland Utd vs. UK. Result: 5-3
Monday 28 September: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd vs. Portugal. Result: 4-1 (2-0)
Wednesday 23 September: BXL Euroleague game Finland Utd vs. Romania. Result: 0-1 (0-0)
Sunday 13 September: Finland United vs. FC Oulun Ruisku (friendly match)
- Match report: Finland United welcomed FC Oulun Ruisku, a team consisting of medical professionals from Oulu and other parts of Finland, for a friendly game in Stade du Cinquantenaire. FC Ruisku started the game looking sharp as their surgeons knives, their finishing however being less than clinical. At the end of the day Finland United made FC Ruisku taste their own medicine and the final score was 2-0 for the mighty EuroHuuhkajat. All injuries were rapidly treated by the five orthopaedists on the pitch. Huom. viereinen ennakkouutisointi Suomenmaa-lehdessä 11.9. Check out the pictures here: 13/09/2009 Finland United vs. FC Oulun Ruisku
Sunday 6 September: Finland United vs. Sweden 3-6 (2-0) (friendly match)
- Match Report: After intensive individual training during the summer months and a thorough strategic meeting earlier in the week, Finland United kicked off their 2009-2010 season with a friendly match against Sweden in Stade du Cinquantenaire. On the evidence of the first half, it was going to be an easy job for the Finns. EuroHuuhkajat were 2-0 up by half time and looking capable of holding off the challenge posed by the boys in yellow. However, the Swedes began the second half as if they meant business and finally surged back from two goals down to score six times. The final score 3-6 was then settled by a late Finnish goal. While Finland scored the more beautiful goals, it was Sweden that scored more often and deservedly won the Nordic derby. The game had attracted an enthusiastic young audience, one Swedish supporter also attempting pitch invasion.