Finland U21 produced a shock result against Spain U21, winning 2:1 in the UEFA U21 Euro Qualification Group Stage on Thursday 25 September. The Finns went ahead through O. Ruoppi in the ninth minute and held their nerve despite Spain's relentless pressure. M. Ylitolva doubled the lead in the 66th minute before J. Ramon pulled one back for the visitors with just four minutes remaining. The result ended Spain's perfect record and sent a message across the group.
The opening goal came early, with Ruoppi finding space to fire past the Spanish goalkeeper. Spain responded with urgency but the Finns stayed compact. Yellow cards accumulated as tensions rose: Ylitolva went off in the 20th minute, followed by Espart and Andres before half-time. Spain made changes at the break, bringing on L. Moller for Andres and replacing Espart as well.
Finland restored their two-goal cushion when Ylitolva struck again in the 66th minute. The Spanish manager responded with two substitutions in quick succession, bringing on both J. Rodriguez and F. Lopez in the 70th minute. Spain threw men forward, but the Finnish defence held firm. Ramon's goal in the 86th minute gave Spain hope, though Spain's late goal in the 87th minute — scorer not specified — could not secure a point.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Spain dominated possession at 66 per cent and registered 143 attacks compared to Finland's 43. Yet Finland managed 5 shots on target with 71 per cent accuracy, while Spain saw 6 shots on target with just 25 per cent accuracy. It was a match where the Finns took their chances and the Spanish failed to convert. The visitors also recorded 11 blocked shots, suggesting Finnish bodies got in the way repeatedly.
The result reshapes the group standings. Spain remain top with 21 points from seven wins, but now have one game left to play to extend their perfect record. Finland sit second with 16 points from five victories, one draw and one defeat. They had already beaten Norway, Sweden, Cyprus and San Marino in recent outings, but this performance against the group leaders carries more weight than the earlier results. The Finns fancy their chances if they can replicate this structure on the final day.
