Finland surge secures third place

Finland secured third place in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 4 with a win that means Liechtenstein's campaign ends without a point.

At kick-off Finland were two points behind Poland, having narrowed the gap against their nearest rivals with a 2-0 win on Friday. And goals from Akseli Pelvas, Teemu Pukki and Riku Riski, combined with Poland's 1-0 loss to Spain, ensured Finland ended in the top three having picked up more points in the last four days than their previous six games combined.

"Our aim was to claim third place and we did that," said Finland coach Markku Kanerva. "I'm satisfied with our performance this autumn: wins against Poland and Liechtenstein and a draw against Spain. Today it was a little bit difficult but we controlled the game, claimed a good win and  got to watch some new players in action."

Pelvas pounced to give Finland the lead when a Sebastian Mannström corner was not cleared on 21 minutes and later in the half captain Joona Toivio's long-range effort was parried by Benjamin Büchel and tapped in by Pukki. Just past the hour Pelvas found Riski in the box and his shot deflected out of the reach of the stranded Büchel, leaving Liechtenstein still searching for their first point in a main U21 qualifying round group following their maiden campaign.