Portugal survive second-half scare to down Finland and continue impressive form
Roberto Martinez took the chance to rotate from his usual XI in what was the first of three home-soil friendlies before they make the short trip to Germany, and they were dominant while unremarkable in the opening stages.
Some key players did make the starting lineup, however, and they made their mark inside 17 minutes.
Vitinha looped his corner to the far post and onto the head of Ruben Dias, who shook off Richard Jensen to head in off the ground for his third strike in Portugal’s red and green.
As simple as the opener had been, it served to help the hosts find their groove, and soon the likes of Rafael Leao and Conceicao started to cause problems for the experienced Finland rearguard.
Still, clear-cut opportunities were at a premium, and Bundesliga golden glove winner Lukas Hradecky didn’t flinch when faced with efforts from Nuno Mendes and Conceicao.
Just as Finland looked to be heading into the break still in with a chance, Anssi Suhonen hauled down Conceicao on the edge of the area leaving Diogo Jota to rifle in a second from the resulting penalty kick.
The second period opened with two attempts from Joao Cancelo which both forced Hradecky into the action, the second of which required a miraculous reflex stop to stay out of the net.
The chances flowed from there, and soon the ever-influential Conceicao laid it off for Bruno Fernandes to curl in from distance less than 10 minutes after his introduction.
The visitors were crying out for a bit of quality, and up stepped all-time top scorer Teemu Pukki to produce an astonishing quick-fire double with his side’s first two attempts of the game.
He first latched onto Robin Lod’s through ball and delicately chipped over Jose Sa, before Matti Peltola shuffled it through for the former Norwich City man to slide into the net.
The home side were unwavering, however, and their search to restore breathing room bore fruit as Fernandes took advantage of some silky Conceicao footwork to pass inside the near post.
The two late goals for Finland really took the shine off the victory for the Selecao, but they displayed serious strength in depth and will look forward to contesting a relatively weak Group F at the finals later this month.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Francisco Conceicao (Portugal)
