A record audience of more than 7,000 spectators saw a one-sided show in which Helmarit dominated the match to their heart’s content.
The good ones players can easily move to the next level of difficulty. Helmarie’s young promise Anni Hartikainen20, felt right at home after making the national team’s starting line-up for the first time.
In the national league, it has been seen many times how the winger of Kuopio Palloseura cuts into the middle from the left wing and shoots the ball towards the goal. Hartikainen was close to repeating the trick in the third game of the Nations League after making it to the starting line-up for the first time in the national team.
A little before the hour mark, Hartikainen cut from the left side to the center, spun the ball forward with the sole of his foot while taking possession and slammed the ball into the top bar. The first goal of a short National Team career was close.
“It took a bit of digging that I didn’t get to ventilate yet. Usually those right-footed shots sink, but not today,” Hartikainen said after the match.
Anni Hartikainen got to the opening in her second national match and was close to the goal.
Hartikainen came on as a substitute at the hour mark, and after that Helmarit scored two more goals and won the match against Croatia 3–0.
Finland the women’s national football team has had a crushing start to the Nations League with three consecutive victories. In September, Finland beat Slovakia 4–0 at home, then Romania 1–0 away, and on Friday they defeated Croatia in Töölö at the Bolt Arena.
Palloliitto made the match celebrating the 50-year history of the women’s national team a special event, which attracted an audience of more than 7,000. It is Helmarie’s new audience record outside of the prestigious competitions.
“This was amazing, when there was a record audience and you could hear the audience’s encouragement the whole time,” Hartikainen said.
“I wasn’t nervous, but of course the ball was burning a bit, and I noticed tension in my own game. I had a lot of friends here to watch, and my father and grandfather traveled from Kuopio to watch the game.”
Finland head coach Marko Saloranta has gradually introduced new faces to the starting line-up in the Nations League, every previous head coach Anna Signeulin was always predictable to a point. Hartikainen’s starting position was the result of a top season he played for the National League champion team KuPS.
“After every season someone has always come to tell me that this was your breakthrough season. I have not agreed. I’ve always said that there wasn’t and I still have something to give,” Hartikainen said.
“After this season, I can say that this was a breakthrough season. I feel that now the Finnish series is over.”
Now Hartikainen wants to test his skills in another series abroad.
“I have quite a few options, but luckily I have time to make a decision all autumn. It’s nice that there is interest, but then I have to think carefully about where I’m going and what is the best place for my development.”
Hartikainen was hard to contain on the left wing for the Croatian defenders. All credit to the opponent, but the match was unfortunately a one-sided show. During the entire match, Croatia didn’t get a single chance to score and only got into Finland’s half of the field a few times.
According to Marko Saloranna, the coaching team got what they wanted from Hartikainen.
“We wanted him to dare to pass. He entered boldly. At the end, it would have been nice if he had scored. Quite a lot has been seen in the National League, that he cuts in the middle and shoots the ball into the back corner. A good performance from a young player.”
From the beginning of the match, Croatia parked the “bus” in front of their own goal in a 5–4–1 defensive formation.
Helmets took the lead from his second finish when the star topper Natalia Kuikka centered the ball into the goal, and Linda Sällström headed the ball into the back corner of the goal in the sixth minute.
In the 65th minute, a Croatian player Kristina Nevrkla accidentally guided the cross into the goal with his knee. Substitute in extra time San Francisco hit the final numbers 3–0 after getting through with a vertical pass.
With Friday’s win, Finland took a big step towards winning the group and moving up to the A League of the Nations League, where the best national teams in Europe play. Finland also belongs there, based on the first three matches of the Nations League. Over time, in the first women’s Nations League, it has been seen that Finland is too good for the B-League.
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