|
Linda Sallstrom gave Finland a surprise lead in
the first minute but Spain bounced back with headers from
captain Irene Paredes, midfielder Aitana Bonmati and forward
Lucia Garcia.
Mariona Caldentey rounded off the scoring with a penalty for
Spain, who are playing without their all-time top scorer
Jennifer Hermoso and Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas, who
were both injured before the tournament.
"They scored a goal inside the first minute of the game that
nobody expected, we are not used to it," player of the match
Bonmati told a news conference.
"The good thing today is that we were able to get back in the
game after the week we had been having, which has not been easy
mentally. That's how a great team is made, in such moments.
"Today we showed a little bit of who we are and what we came
here for. This is a turning point and I think it will give us a
lot of confidence."
Underdogs Finland took early control of the Group B encounter
when forward Sallstrom hit a low shot into the bottom left
corner following a superb pass from defender Anna Westerlund.
But Spain, soon overcame the early jitters and found the
equaliser in the 26th minute when the unmarked Paredes scored a
towering header from Caldentey's corner.
Jorge Vilda's team took the lead in the 41st minute after Mapi
Leon swept in a brilliant cross from the left and Bonmati headed
the ball into the top corner.
Garcia then headed in from Leon's free kick in the 75th minute
to make it 3-1 before Caldentey scored with a stoppage-time
penalty.
Caldentey found the top corner from the spot in the 95th minute
after Elli Pikkujamsa brought down Marta Cardona in the box.
The victory put Spain top of Group B, which also includes
Denmark and Germany. Jorge Vilda's side will next face Germany
at Brentford on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Additional reporting
by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk;Editing by Toby Davis)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
