Match report
Player of the match: To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Finland’s goalscorer Katariina Kosola has been given the gong for player of the match. “Kosola was extremely dangerous in the attacking third and put in a huge shift at the back,” said the Uefa technical observer group. “On top of that she scored a beautiful goal.”
Meanwhile in Thun: Finland are sitting pretty on top of Group A, having won their first match at a Euros finals for 16 years.
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The next cab off the Euro 2025 rank: Hosts Switzerland are about to take on Norway in Basel, where a capacity crowd of 37,500 are filling their seats. Kick-off is in 45 minutes and you can follow the action with Scott Murray …
That red card: Having seen a few replays I am prepared to concede I may have been a little hasty in saying how well-earned that second Hilder Antonsdottir booking was. Yes, she definitely tread on the instep of Evelina Summanen but it a good lawyer would convince a jury that it was an accidental stamp. While intent is irrelevant, a more charitable referee might have kept her card in her pocket under the circumstances.
Full time: Iceland 0-1 Finland
Peep! Peep! Peeeeeeeeeeeeeep! It’s all over in Thun, where Finland have prevailed courtesy of the only goal of the game at the Stockhorn Arena. Katariina Kosola scored it, cutting in from the left to lash a right-footed shot past Cecilia Runarsdottir after Hildur Antonsdottir was dismissed with over 30 minutes left to play for a costly act of petulance that earned her a second yellow card.
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90+7 min: Johnsodttir gets one last opportunity to Delap the ball into the Finalnd penalty area. It’s flicked on but Finland win a free-kick and the referee blows the whistle for the last time. The Finns have won the opening game of Euro 2025 against an Iceland team that was reduced to 10 players just before the hour mark.
90+5 min: Not just a long-throw merchant, Sveindis Johnsdottir keeps her eye on a dropping ball and fires her volley wide from about 20 yards. She appeals for a corner, claiming her shot took a deflection but doesn’t get one.
90+4 min: More astute “game management” from Finland, who are about to make a triple-substitution. That’ll take their tally to one more than their quota of five allows so one of the replacements is forced to retake her place on the bench. Iceland take another long throw but nothing comes of it.
90+3 min: Koivunen is tested by a powerful shot from Tryggvadottir which went through the legs of a defender. There’s more booing and jeering from the Iceland fans as Finland’s goalkeeper tries to waste more time. The referee has a word with her and tells her to get on with it.
89 min: Eva Nystrom makes a half-0decent fist of clearing another long throw into the box from Sveindis Jonsdottir and Iceland concede a free-kick allowing the Finns to clear their lines. We’ll have a minimum of six added minutes.
86 min: Oof! Agla Maria Albertsdottir lets fly with a snap-shot that needs some saving from Finland goalkeeper Anna Koivunen. Moments later, Koivunen goes down with cramp in what some cynics – but not this one – might suggest is a blatant effort to waste time. To nobody’s great surprise she is roundly booed by the Iceland fans sitting behind her goal.
84 min: Finland are bossing the possession stats in a bid to try and run down the clock, while Iceland give them a hand by making another substitution. Katla Tryggvadottir is on for Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir.
81 min: Dare I say it but Iceland have had far more about them with 10 players than they did with 11. If they had played with this much vim and vigour before losing Hilder Antonsdottir to a red card, they might not be losing.
78 min: Finland double-substitution: Jutta Rantala and Nea Lehtola on for Koivista and Sallstrom. One of her side’s better players, Rantalas is just back after a long spell out with injury.
75 min: Sveindis Jonsdottir latches on to a decent ball over the top but fires well wide. That was a decent chance for Iceland and they may not get many more in the final 15 minutes. .
72 min: After Iceland had coughed up cheap possession not too far outside their own penalty area, the ball was played to Katariina Kosola on the left side of the Iceland penalty area. Surveying her options, she decided to go it alone, cutting inside and sending a right-footed effort past the goalkeeper. In the Iceland goal, Runarsdottir appeared to get a fingertip or two to the ball but was unable to keep it out. It’s 1-0 to Finland in Switzerland and 10-woman Iceland have a Matterhorn to climb.
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GOAL! Iceland 0-1 Finland (Kosola 70)
Finland lead! And the opening goal of this tournament has been scored by their standout player in this game.
69 min: Iceland substitutions: Sandra Jessen is replaced by Dagby Brynjarsdottir, while Agla Maria Albertsdottir is on for Hlin Eiriksdottir.
68 min: Connecting with a low cross from the right, Gudrun Arnardottir tries to score with a backheel flick but sees her cheeky, innovative effort defected out for a corner. Iceland are down in numnbers but far from out of this game. Moments later, Arnardottir is forced into action at the other end of the pitch, blocking a shot from Katarina Kosola.
66 min: Finland substitution: Oona Sevenius comes on for Sanni Franssi.
64 min: “Do the Finns have the best shirts in the competition (the away one is pretty classy too)?” asks David Wall. “For that reason alone i hope they make a good run in the tournament.” It is a nice shirt, David but it’s one of only two I’ve seen thus far so I’ll reserve judgement for now.
60 min: I can reveal that Antonsdottir was sent off for stamping on the ankle of Evelina Summanen in a late off-the-ball incident and in my opinion thoroughly deserved her second yellow card. Truth be told, it was the kind of challenge that mnight have earned her a straight red if she wasn’t already on a booking. Silly, silly, silly!
Red card! Iceland are down to 10 women
58 min: Hilder Antonsdottir receives her second booking in quick succession for some manner of off-the-ball incident and has to walk. Quite what she did remains unclear but her appeals for the ref to check with VAR fall on deaf ears because the Uefa curtain-twitchers aren’t allowed to get involved because it’s a yellow card that is being questioned. More news as we get it but Iceland are down to 10 women!
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57 min: Sveindis Jonsdottir is caught by Emma Koivista’s trailing arm as she tries to cut in from the byline. She doesn’t win a free-kick but does get to take a long throw after drying the ball and her hands with a towel. Cue: more pandemonium in the Finland box as Ingiborg Sigurdardottir has a shot blocked by Emma Koivista, who took that effort full force in the face. Finland eventually scramble clear.
54 min: Iceland substitution: Eriksdottir off, Albertsdottir on. It’s a like-for-like replacement on the right wing.
51 min: Hildur Antonsdottir picks up the second yellow card of the game with a robust and agricultural challenge on Katarina Kosola. She can have no complaints about that yellow card and to be fair, issues something of a mea culpa to the referee. It’s a free-kick for Finland in a promising position but Evelina Summanen’s delivery is poor in what are now blustery conditions.
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49 min: For Finland, Linda Sallstrom cuts in from the right wing and tries a shot towards the near post. Her effort trundles harmlessly wide.
48 min: Finland win the ball high up the pitch but Sanni Franssi runs into traffic and Iceland are able to clear their lines.
Second half: Iceland 0-0 Finland
46 min: Play resumes and there is a change in the Iceland line-up. Their skipper Glodis Viggosdottir, who was struggling with an injury during the first half, has been replaced by the 20-year-old midfielder Saedis Heidarsdottir. With all due respect to the young substitute it’s a huge blow for Iceland, for whom Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir has been handed the captain’s armband.
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An email: “I have a soft spot for the Finnish Women’s team ever since seeing their junior side in 2014 in Moncton (New Brunswick, Canada) for the ‘practice run’ for the Women’s World Cup (where I saw the England v France on my birthday, as well as Columbia v Mexico),” writes John Pitre. “The ladies had utterly taken over a downtown Starbucks in full kit and even in that setting and at that age looked formidable enough that no one was asking them to move. I should see how many of the current team might have been occupying Main St. Moncton in 2014.”
Half-time: Iceland 0-0 Finland
The players go in for the break with nothing separating them and Iceland sweating over the fitness of their skipper, Glodis Perla Viggosdottir, who had to receive treatment twice in the first half. Euro 2025 is still waiting for its opening goal. Katarina Kosola has been the game’s outstanding player, while her Finnish teammate Emma Koivisto has also caught the eye.
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45+2 min: We’re into three minutes of added time at the end of a half in which Finland have been in the ascendency but Iceland had the best chance on one several counter-attacks.
45 min: Finland’s players crowd around Iceland goalkeeper Cecilia Runarsdottir as they take a corner but are unable to prevent the goalkeeper claiming the ball sent sailing towards the far post.
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42 min: Iceland win another throw-in deep in Finland territory but on this occasion Sveindis Jonsdottir is unable to fling it anywhere near as far as she would like or her teammates were expecting. I’d say somebody should throw her a towel but the ball is bone dry. Maybe her palms are too sweaty after all this running around in the early evening heat.
40 min: It’s a superb block from Koivisto, who is on hand to deny Sandra Jessen what looked like a far post tap-in as she slid to connect with a low cross from Sveindis Jonsdottir at the end of an Iceland counter-attack.
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38 min: Finland right-back Emma Koivisto gets forward again and tries to send a cross into the Iceland penalty area. It’s cleared, although not very convincingly. The deadlock remains resolutely intact in Thun.
33 min: There’s another short break in play as Iceland captain and 2024 Ballon D’Or nominee Glodis Perla Viggosdottir goes down in need of treatment for a second time. If she’s forced off with injury it will be a huge setback for her country. She’s continuing for now, although it took an age for the referee, Katalin Kulcsar, to let her back on to the pitch after she had vacated it after receiving medical attention.
32 min: Finland attack again with Sanni Franssi advances on the Iceland penalty area from deep. The ball finds its way to Katariina Kosola, who leans back and she tries to curl the ball into the top corner and sends her effort high and wide.
30 min: Finland midfielder Oona Siren tries a shot from a long way out but her dipping effort is dealt with more than capably by Iceland goalkeeper Runarsdottir.
27 min: Iceland long-throw specialist Sveindis Jonsdóttir trots to the sideline and Delaps the ball towards the near post, where it’s flicked on and bounces off Finnish goalkeeper Anna Koivunen’s chest. The Finnish defence are in a total panic as the ball lands near the edge of the six-yard box but are able to scramble it clear in instalments.
25 min: Hlin Eriksdottir lumps a hopeful ball forward from just inside her own half but doesn’t have many options to aim for in the Finland half.
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23 min: “Some of us Icelanders, about 5%, have family names,” writes Kári Tulinius in reply to Joe Pearson’s earlier question about apparently rogue Icelandic surnames. “My great-great-great-grandfather immigrated to Iceland from Denmark. The ancestor of Sandra Jessen immigrated around the same time, I think also from Denmark. Diljá Zomers’ dad is from somewhere in Scandinavia too.” That clears that one up.
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21 min: There’s a brief water-break for both sides as Iceland captain Viggosdottir receives treatment for an injury. Temperatures are high in the Stockhorn Arena but stormier weather is forecast for later.
15 min: Hildur Antonsdottir concedes a throw-in near the halfway line after winning the ball and Finland advance upfield again. The ball breaks to Kosola on the edge of the box and she forces a good save from Iceland goalkeeper Runarsdottir. It’s a corner for Finland and from the set-piece Linda Sallstrom tries to catch out Runarsdottir with an attempt to whip the ball past her at the far post. It’s an audacious effort but the goalkeeper is up to the task.
13 min: Iceland fans are making themselves heard, performing the thunderclap with which their country first became associated at the 2016 men’s Euros. For Finland, Katarina Kosola gets a sight on goal and tries her luck from distance but is unable to keep the ball from sailing over the bar.
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11 min: Not for the first time, Iceland attempt to play it out from the back and cough up cheap possession to Finland, who are bossing these early stages. Goalscoring chances have been few and far between thus far, however.
8 min: Nervy times for Iceland, as VIggosdottir fails to connect with an attempted clearance. Cue an Finnish shot which forces Iceland goalkeeper Cecilia Ran Runarsdottir into an early save.
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6 min: Finland attack down the right and Katariina Kosola tries to send a cross into the Iceland box. Her delivery isn’t high enough and the ball is put out for a corner by Glodis Perla Viggosdottir.
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2 min: The first yellow card of the tournament goes to Finland centre-back Eva Nystrom, who is penalised for hauling an opponent to the ground just outside her side’s penalty area on the right-hand side. Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir’s delivery is superb but the ball is headed away by Natalia Kuikka.
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Iceland v Finland is go ...
1 min: Finland get the ball rolling in this tournament and immediately boot the ball long, conceding a throw-in down near the corner flag. They soon win the ball back and Sanni Franssi’s attempt to square the ball into the Iceland penalty area is blocked by Gudrun Arnardottir.
National Anthems: The teams line up for the national anthems, with the players of Finland wearing white shirts with a blue stripe down the middle, white shorts and white socks. Their opponents are in blue shirts with red trim on the collar and sleeves, blue shorts and blue socks. Kick-off at Euro 2025 is just a few moments away …
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Not long now: The time for talking is over as the teams line up in the tunnel and prepare to walk out out on to the pitch. Mercifully, they’ll be walking out together in the traditional gladatorial style, as opposed to being introduced individually and at great length as we’ve seen in the Club World Cup over in the USA.
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An email: “I thought I understood naming conventions in Iceland and was not surprised that almost the entire squad ends in ‘dottir’,” writes Joe Pearson. “What’s up with Jensen, Zomers, and Anasi? Ringers from other countries?”
It’s a good question, Joe. Natasha Anasi was born and reared in the USA but received Icelandic citizenship in 2019 after living there for five years. Diljá Ýr Zomers and Sandra Jensen are both native Icelanders, so I am not sure why their names don’t end in ‘dottir’.
I’m going to hazard a quite possibly incorrect guess that they might have got married and taken other surnames but if anyone out there knows better feel free to drop me a line.
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An email: “I’m Icelandic and my wife is Finnish, so our children are therefore both,” writes regular correspondent Kári Tulinius. “Given that both nations could really do with a win here and a draw might suit neither, this has weighed especially heavily on my son and daughter, who have been debating who to support. It’s not often that my life resembles a Bluey episode, but this is literally the plot of the season 3 episode The Decider.”
The view from Switzerland: Enthusiasm is palpable in a country where fans are buying in to a tournament where progress should be made on and off the pitch, writes Nick Ames in Nyon.
The opening ceremony: While this contest between Iceland and Finland may be the first game of the tournament, the official opening ceremony won’t take place until just before Switzerland’s match against Norway in Basel later this evening.
It says here that the three-act cermony will feature 185 cast members, 16 flag banners, 40 inflatable props and 29,000 Tifo cards distributed to fans in the stadium, and will be followed by Swiss popster Beatrice Egli and her Norwegian counterpart Astrid S singing their countries’ national anthems. In the meantime, here’s a nice land art painting by Saype to keep you culturally nourished …
Iceland: Thorsteinn Halldórsson’s side will be tough to beat but can they turn tightly contested games into victories? Words: Víðir Sigurðsson.
Finland: A poor Nations League and an injury troubled buildup has taken the shine off Marko Saloranta’s side after an impressive qualifying campaign, writes Ari Virtanen.
Iceland v Finland line-ups
Iceland: Runarsdottir, Arnadottir, Viggosdottir, Sigurdardottir, Arnardottir, Johannsdottir, Vilhjalmsdottir, Antonsdottir, Eiriksdottir, Jessen, Jonsdottir.
Subs: Ivarsdottir, Birkisdottir, Agustsdottir, Heidarsdottir, Zomers, Brynjarsdottir, Anasi, Tryggvadottir, Albertsdottir, Gunnlaugsdottir, Halldorsdottir, Andradottir.
Finland: Koivunen, Emma Koivisto, Kuikka, Nystrom, Tynnila, Kosola, Oling, Summanen, Oona Siren, Sallstrom, Franssi.
Subs: Tamminen, Korpela, Vilma Koivisto, Ahtinen, Emmi Siren, Heroum, Kollanen, Lehtola, Roth, Sevenius, Rantala.
Guardian's Women's Football Weekly
Pre-tournament listening: Faye Carruthers is joined by Suzanne Wrack, Tom Garry and Marva Kreel for a full preview of Euro 2025, with the tournament kicking off today in Thun. Faye and the Guardian panel will be recording regularly throughout the tournament, so please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
Today’s match officials
Referee: Katalin Anna Kulcsár (Hungary)
Referee’s assistants: Anita Vad and Irina Pozdejeva
Fourth Official: Catarina Isabel Ferreira de Campos
Video Assistant Referee: Tamás Bognár
Prediction time: Spain are expected to win the tournament but England have a Golden Boot contender in Alessia Russo. Our writers, including the USA manager Emma Hayes, make their tournament predictions ahead of kickoff in Switzerland …
Group A: Iceland v Finland
Iceland and Finland are the first of the 16 teams participating in this summer’s Euros to get a run out and while neither side is fancied to go too deep into the competition, a win at the Arena Thun this evening will get either off to a flyer.
Thorsteinn Halldórsson’s Iceland side go into this game as favourites against a Finland team managed by Marko Saloranta and who are the lowest ranked team in a group also containing Norway and the hosts, Switzerland.
Finland qualified for this tournamnet via the playoffs, seeing off Montenegro and Scotland in the process, while Iceland qualified in second place in their group behind Germany, winning four and drawing one of their six qualifiers. They are ranked 14th in the world, compared to Finland’s 26th. Kick-off in Thun is at 5pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
