Flying Finns eye Spanish success

The Finland coach Michael Käld says his players "have set new goals for themselves" as the Scandinavian side look to cap a memorable year by ending it on the top of 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup qualifying Group 3.

Vital double-header
The Finns were the surprise package at UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2005™, qualifying for the semi-finals - where they were overpowered by the eventual winners, Germany - at the expense of hosts England and much-fancied Denmark. Käld's side will also meet the Danes on the road to China, with a double-header next August and September likely to decide which nation advances to the World Cup as pool winners.

Good start
For now, though, Käld is concentrating solely on the final qualifier of the year against Spain on Sunday. "We need a good result when we play Spain to maintain our run and make sure we're still alive for when we play Denmark twice next year," the coach told uefa.com. "It will be a tough game but we've started very well with wins against Belgium and Poland."

Record crowd
The Finns opened their campaign with a 3-0 victory in Strombeek-Bever before defeating the Poles 3-1 in Vaasa, Laura Kalmari scoring in both triumphs. Käld revealed that the feel-good factor created by his side's heroics in England is still being felt: "When we played Poland we had a crowd of nearly 5,000 which is a record for a game shown live on television. Over 3,000 tickets have also been sold for Spain so let's hope we can record a good result."

'Flying too high'
Käld has been pleasantly surprised by the attitude and form of his side. "I was a bit afraid how we would handle the situation after doing so well in England; there's always a risk that the players are flying too high after a tournament like that. However, the whole team has landed and have made a great start with two victories so far."

Double blow
Käld's senior players are all still in the fold, although two of the team who performed so impressively in England are sidelined with long-term injuries. "Goalkeeper Satu Kunnas faces six or seven months out with a knee injury, and left-back Petra Vaelma about the same time with a similar injury," he said. "The rest of the players are OK and have set themselves new goals - they want to reach China as we had such a great time in England."