Finland led 3-0 at halftime in the match against San Marino, with Marius Söderbäck and Matias Siltanen scoring in the first half. San Marino's Nicolò Cemprini opened the match with an own goal, and Mattia Ciacci added another own goal in the second half, according to multiple reports. The victory is of great importance as it keeps Finland in second place in their qualifying group, according to other sources.
Finland's under-21 team, coached by Mika Lehkosuo, has played six matches in its European Championship qualifying group and collected 13 points, multiple reports indicate. The team is second in its group, two points behind group leader Spain. Group winners and the best second-place team advance directly to the 2027 European Championship finals, while other second-place teams face playoffs, according to multiple reports.
All group winners advance directly to next year's under-21 European Championship, and the three best second-place teams also advance directly, with the other six second-place teams playing playoffs, according to other sources. Finland's next European Championship qualifier is on Tuesday, March 31, at home against Cyprus, multiple reports indicate. Meanwhile, Finland's under-18 team staged a late comeback to defeat Estonia 2-1 in a qualifying tournament match.
Estonia led for a long time in the first half, according to multiple reports. Bruno Katz, who plays for Wolfsburg, scored for Finland in the 82nd minute, and Ahti Haikala added another in the final seconds of added time, multiple reports indicate. Finland previously defeated Ukraine 2-1 in the opening match of the qualifying tournament, which is the first stage of the under-19 European Championship for this age group.
m. at Oulunkylä Stadium, according to multiple reports. The top three teams in the group advance to the A-league of the age group, and Finland has secured its place in the A-league, multiple reports indicate.