Ireland’s tactical approach in the opening minutes was aggressive, as manager Heimir Hallgrímsson ordered his players to stand high up the pitch, limiting Finland’s chances to play their way out of the back.
However, it didn’t take long for the Finnish side to find cracks on the opposing defence, and although the hosts looked on top early on, Ireland would undoubtedly contribute toward the Scandinavian side breaking the deadlock before the 20th-minute.
A huge blunder from Nathan Collins when trying to play the ball out of the back allowed Joel Pohjanpalo to face Caoimhin Kelleher one-on-one, as the Venezia striker coolly slotted the ball home to put the hosts in front.
Ireland thought they had equalised less than five minutes later, but Evan Ferguson’s goal was ruled out since Robbie Brady’s cross had left the pitch before Collins assisted Ferguson’s close-range finish.
Nonetheless, Ireland pushed the lines forward in an attempt to even things up as the first half progressed, as they took advantage of the hosts adopting a more cautious approach, but the lack of ideas in the final third prevented them from creating any real dangerous chances.
Meanwhile, Finland attempted to slow things down and didn’t take too many risks to protect their 1-0 lead heading into the half-time break.
The Irish side started the second half with a more positive approach and looked committed to push their lines further up the pitch, with Ferguson creating more and more problems upfront.
It seemed it would be a matter of time before the visitors equalised, and that’s exactly what happened in the 57th minute via Liam Scales, with the Celtic centre-back heading home a free kick from Brady.
Ireland didn’t back down after the goal and continued to push forward, but that positive attitude left open spaces at the back that Finland tried to exploit.
Just when it seemed like neither team was going to find the winner, Brady appeared when it mattered the most, controlling a perfect cross from Festy Ebosele to drill an unstoppable shot past Lukáš Hrádecký.
Finland would probably feel unlucky to taste defeat after scoring an early goal, but Ireland deserve a lot of credit for their second-half reaction.
The Boys In Green will aim to start a winning streak under Hallgrímsson’s tutelage when travelling to Athens to take on Greece on Sunday, while Finland will aim to snap their winless skid when hosting England.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Robbie Brady (Ireland)
