Under 19: Finland stake their claim for top spot in the group with 5-0 win over the Titans

In their second outing of the qualifying round for the European Championship, the San Marino Under-19s locked horns with hosts Finland. The Scandinavians came flying out of the blocks, imposing a high tempo on the game. Efforts from Lähteenmäki and Helén failed to hit the target, while Mendolin forced Casadei into action. Finland were in full control and turned their dominance into a lead on 22 minutes through Helén. From a wide free-kick, he lost his marker and beat Casadei after the goalkeeper’s initial save. The young Scandinavians kept pushing even after taking the lead, squeezing high up the pitch, right up to San Marino’s goal kicks. That allowed Protti and Forcellini to isolate themselves one-on-one with their markers and thus become frequent targets for Casadei’s long deliveries. The San Marino goalkeeper then produced heroics on 39 minutes, when Sariyev awarded a penalty for an alleged foul by Marinucci on Vauhkonen. Helén stepped up as usual and went across goal, but Casadei guessed right, saved the penalty and ensured the first half ended with the deficit at a single goal. After the restart Lundberg’s side needed barely 20 seconds to double their advantage. Zafferani lost the ball on the edge of his own area and Helén calmly rounded Casadei before slotting into the net. A minute later, Della Balda picked up his second yellow card in as many matches – a suspension that will rule him out of Tuesday’s clash with Switzerland. Finland kept coming, with Casadei called into action by a powerful strike from Vauhkonen, but he could do nothing about Paananen’s goal on the hour mark. The midfielder timed his run perfectly to meet Puukko’s inviting cross and head home. Just as the hosts seemed to have eased off the gas, they produced the quickfire double that sealed the final scoreline, courtesy of Nzoko and Paananen again. Nzoko sprang the offside trap and beat Casadei left-footed in the one-on-one, before the midfielder settled a goalmouth scramble in the San Marino box with a superb right-footed volley on the bounce. The Young Titans will be back in action on Tuesday 15 October, again at 12:00, when they face Switzerland in their final group fixture. The Swiss, who edged past Czechia, have drawn level on three points with their most recent opponents. Finland top the standings with a maximum return as they prepare to take on their Czech counterparts.

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Euro U19 2025 – Qualifying Round | Finland v San Marino 5-0   FINLAND Vuorjoki; Nurmi, Saarela, Simojoki, Lähteenmäki (46' Puukko); Ruoppi (46' Siltanen), Mendolin (81' Mentu), Paananen; Huovila (21' Nzoko), Helén (74' Ezeh), Vauhkonen Substitutes: Maukonen, Puukko, Pasanen, Toivonen, Kangasniemi Head coach: Peter Lundberg   SAN MARINO Casadei; Valentini (87' Valentini), Zafferani, Semprini; Marinucci, Cervellini, Della Balda, G. Bugli (89' Meloni); Forcellini (77' Domeniconi), Protti, Bindi Substitutes: Hoel, L. Bugli, Mularoni, Pasolini Head coach: Nicola Cancelli   Referee: Bulat Sariyev (KAZ) Assistant referees: Samat Tergeussizov (KAZ) and Sargis Hovhannisyan (ARM) Fourth official: Ashot Ghaltakhchyan (ARM) Scorers: 22', 46' Helén, 59', 87' Paananen, 75' Nzoko Booked: Mendolin, Della Balda, Nurmi Note: on 39' Casadei saved a penalty taken by Helén; attendance 532

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