England return to winning ways: Three Lions defeat Finland

England bounced back in style, easing past group underdogs Finland to secure three points and momentarily draw level with Greece on nine points.

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Following their shock 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley, interim head coach Lee Carsley was feeling the heat. It was no surprise that he made some adjustments to the starting lineup for this crucial encounter in Helsinki, with the biggest boost being the return of captain and all-time leading scorer Harry Kane.

England started brightly, turning up the intensity in the opening 15 minutes of the first half and the final 20 minutes of the second. These key periods saw Finland on the back foot, retrieving the ball from their own net twice. First, Jack Grealish calmly slotted home after breaking through one-on-one with the Finnish goalkeeper, putting the visitors ahead.

It's worth noting that Grealish, who scored just twice in 36 appearances under Gareth Southgate, has already matched that tally in his last three games under Carsley’s guidance.

As the match wore on, Trent Alexander-Arnold added a touch of brilliance, curling in a stunning free-kick into the top corner. Declan Rice sealed the deal with a third goal late on, before Finland grabbed a late consolation from a corner.

This victory marked England’s third win in four UEFA Nations League matches, while Finland, still without a point, have officially been ruled out of the race for the top spot in the group. However, the Finns likely have their sights set on other targets as they move forward.

With Harry Kane back and Grealish finding his form, England will be looking to build momentum as they push for promotion.

Nations League 2024-2025

Finland - England 1:3 (0:1)
Goals: Grealish, 18 (0:1); Alexander-Arnold, 74 (0:2); Rice, 84 (0:3); Hoskonen, 87 (1:3)

Finland: Hradecky; Uronen; Hoskonen; Alho (Antman, 82); Ivanov R-t; Jensen F. (Lod, 75); Kamara G.; Peltola; Schüller (Walta, 63); Keskinen (Pukki, 75); Kallman (Pohjanpalo, 63)
Bench: Joronen; Sinisalo; Galvez; Tenho; Pikkarainen; Stahl; Nissilä

England: Henderson D.; Alexander-Arnold; Guehi; Stones; Walker; Gomes An. (Lewis R., 80); Palmer Co. (Madueke, 68); Rice (Gallagher C., 85); Grealish; Bellingham (Foden, 80); Kane (Watkins, 69)
Bench: Pickford; Pope; Colwill; Livramento; Solanke; Gordon A.