Euro 2020: Finland vs. Russia match recap
Russia got their Euro 2020 dreams back on track with a 1-0 win over tournament newcomers Finland.
Euro 2020 Group B - Group stage match
Finland vs. Russia: First Half
Finland, after their unexpected victory over Denmark in their first game at Euro 2020, looked to once again be on course for an upset.
They had the ball in the back of the net inside 3 minutes but the goal was disallowed. Joel Pohjanpalo was adjudged to have come from an offside position prior to his pin-point header and so the goal was ruled out after consultation with VAR.
Russia's Artem Dzyuba was similarly judged to have been offside but the decision was less significant as his right-footed strike only hit the post.
Russia came very close towards the end of the half. A great cross from Daler Kuzyaev on the left was intercepted well by a sliding Jere Uronen to prevent Vyacheslav Karasev from poking it home at the far post.
However, Russia would get one last chance in the first half. In stoppage time, Aleksey Miranchuk played a nice one-two with Dzyuba before curling the ball expertly into the top corner with his left foot.
Finland vs. R: Second Half
While Finland continued to threaten on the counter-attack in the second half, Russia still looked the more likely to score. Substitute Rifat Zhemaletdinov narrowly rolled the ball wide after some nice build-up play in the 66th minute.
The game opened up as the minutes expired and Russia once again came close. Dzyuba's square pass led to a great curled effort from Kuzyaev only for Lukas Hradecky to produce a superb diving stop to keep his side in it.
Ultimately, Russia were able to see out the game and claim their first points of Euro 2020. Both teams look to still be in with a good chance at progressing from the group, given they each have 3 points after 2 fixtures.
The teams will look to ensure their safety in their next Euro 2020 games when Russia face Denmark and Finland take on Belgium.