The Tartan Army met Finland at Hampden Park today for a final friendly before Euro 2024. After an uneventful first half that left the Scottish crowd numb, Scotland managed to get the home fans off their seats twice in the second half. Finland found a way back into the game, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
In the opening minutes it was Scotland that controlled the possession, but the first real danger came from Finland. A shot in the box from close range got blocked by a last ditch sliding tackle from Kieran Tierney.
In the second quarter Lawrence Shankland got the ball on his chest just outside the Finnish box. It gave the Hearts striker an opening to shoot at goal. The ball flew a few feet over the bar. It was the biggest Scottish chance of the match so far.
After the half hour mark Finland managed to break through the Scottish defence on the counter, resulting in a shot on target. A foot from Tierney took the power out of the Finnish effort. It resulted in an easy save for Angus Gunn. By half time the score remained 0-0.
Scotland started the second half more brightly than the first. Billy Gilmour managed to get a clean shot at the Finnish goal. After chesting the ball down outside the Finnish box he got the ball on target. The goalkeeper was in the right place and could grab the ball with relative ease. The chance was followed by several dangerous crosses into the Finnish box.
The pressure built up to a sharp cross into the Finnish box by Scottish captain Andrew Robertson. The threat could not be dealt with by the Finnish defence, bouncing off the feet from Arttu Hoskonen and into the net.
The Scottish pressure persisted after the 1-0 opener. In the 58th minute Robertson got another dangerous cross into the opposition box, which found the head of Shankland. The Scottish Premiership top scorer got a clean header at goal that left the Finnish goalie without a chance: 2-0.
Finland got a goal back in the 73th minute. Substitute Benjamin Källman was left unmarked in the Scottish box. It allowed the attacker to get a downward header at goal after a cross. The ball was just outside the grasp of substitute veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon: 2-1.
In the 84th minute Finland was awarded a penalty. The spot kick was taken decisively by Antman, with Gordon going in the wrong direction. The goal took the sides back on level terms: 2-2.
Scotland debutant Tommy Conway managed to get a clean header on target in the final minute, but the Finnish goalie managed to keep it out. Neither side scored a winner. The home crowd waved off the Tartan Army at 2-2.
Euro 2024 will kick-off next Friday at 8:00 PM. The opening game against Germany will be held in Munich’s Allianz Arena. In group A of Euro 2024 Scotland will also be facing Hungary and Switzerland.
