Markku Kanerva admitted England’s clinical finishing was the difference between the two sides as Stuart Pearce’s side inched their way to victory in the opening clash of the Under 21 European Championships.
England sit on top of Group B after Germany and Spain slugged out a goalless draw, but it was by no means a walk in the park against a stubborn Finland outfit.
Lee Cattermole and
Micah Richards scored for England, and sandwiched in between was a Tim Sparv penalty for the Scandinavians along with a resultant red card for
Michael Mancienne.
Despite being a man light for a large portion of the game, England bounced back to win to leave Kanerva frustrated but optimistic for the remainder of the tournament.
“I'm very disappointed we didn't get any points, but am very proud of the way we played and the courage and fighting spirit we showed,” he said.
“We can take a lot of positives from this game into the matches against Germany and Spain. We'll have to defend better from set-pieces but I have to be satisfied with my players. England defended well and had experienced players who were able to calm things down even when we had them under pressure.
“We know that the difference between two teams is often about efficiency in front of goal. They didn't create many chances but scored two goals – otherwise there wasn't much between the teams.
“We played well but they had almost 60 minutes with ten men. The first goal was particularly sloppy and I'm disappointed with that – otherwise I was very satisfied with the game as whole.”
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