Finland’s coach explains the unusual victory over Albania: I blame no one

Finland’s coach, Jakob Fris, admitted that his team suffered against Albania in the match they won 2-1 thanks to Valta’s two free kicks.

“The start was really difficult. Albania scored a beautiful goal from a set piece, so we were chasing the game straight away. Then things started to change, and it was all about us trying to break down the low block. Sometimes you can score goals from set-piece situations, as we did today. That is a big help.

We took a 2-1 lead, but then things became difficult and we became too rushed. We got caught in transition situations, and I think players with a bit more experience would not have found themselves in such situations in the final moments of the match. We had three players under the age of 21 in the starting line-up. I blame no one, but sometimes you have to find yourself in such situations and deal with them.

We had a good approach, but we also worked hard. It is not easy to break down a team that plays with a low block. We have the victory and we will enjoy it for a few hours, after which we will focus on the next match,” Fris told “Yle” after the end of the match.