Sparv settles final Finland friendly

Finland 1-0 Belarus
Finland defeated fellow UEFA European Under-21 Championship finalists Belarus in Valkeakoski in a friendly ahead of the tournament which starts on 15 June.

Sparv winner
Tim Sparv, the Finland captain, scored the only goal from a retaken penalty in the 15th minute. The hosts had started the game strongly and when Oleg Veretilo brought down Perparim Hetemaj in the area, Sparv dispatched the penalty. However, he was instructed to take it again but calmly found the same corner to give his side the lead.

Confidence booster
Belarus made eight substitutions at half-time and dominated the early stages after the break. Sergei Kislyak and Andrei Chukhlei went close for the visitors before Finland responded, fashioning chances to extend their advantage through Pyry Kärkkäinen and Teemu Pukki. "We could have killed the game off earlier," said Sparv. "However, winning was most important and it gave our confidence a further boost."

'Underdogs'
Finland coach Markku Kanerva said his side had done well defensively, adding that "we created a lot of scoring chances, but we have to be sharper in front of goal". Meanwhile, centre-back Jonas Portin was looking forward to the opening game of this summer's finals against England: "We are the underdogs in that game, but on the other hand it will be a perfect opportunity for us to strike. The Belarus game proved that we are able to play strongly as a team."