Finland squad for Women's Euro 2022: player profiles - Kuikka, Westerlund...
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- 25 Jul 2022
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As part of the Guardian’s Women’s Euro 2022 Experts’ Network, a collaboration between media outlets from 16 countries, AS is offering in-depth profiles of the players in all 16 squads at the tournament, which runs from 6 to 31 July. This lowdown on the Finland team is written by Ville Väänänen of STT.
Goalkeepers
Tinja-Riikka Korpela
Date of birth: 5.5.1986 (36)
Position Goalkeeper
Club: Tottenham Hotspur
“Tinni”, as she is known, is very experienced goalkeeper. She has played more than 100 matches for the national team and she has been her country’s No 1 for almost 15 years. She has won the Norwegian championship with Lilleström and two Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich. Most recently she has been playing in the WSL, first for Everton before joining Tottenham, where she played 11 league games in the 2021-22 season. Her brother has played second-tier ice hockey in Finland while Korpela played basketball for her country when she was young. Her partner Emilia is a musician and she has recorded a song for Team Finland.
Anna Tamminen
Date of birth: 30.10.1994 (27)
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Hammarby IF
A goalkeeper who has great reactions and uses her length to dominate the penalty area. She is now in her second year with Hammarby in the Swedish top flight, having moved there after winning the Finnish double with Åland United. Åland is a tiny island of 1,580 km² and a population of around 30,000. She had already had a stint in Sweden, with second division side Hovås Billdal in 2017 and definitely felt she had made the right choice in joining Hammarby. “I had Finland’s best defence in front of me at Åland so I didn’t have that much to do,” she said. “Here at Hammarby the tempo is higher [in training[ and the shots are harder. A proud vegan, she is the most likely candidate to replace Korpela when the veteran hangs up her gloves.
Paula Myllyoja
Date of birth: 20.4.1984 (38)
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: RCD Espanyol
Paula is very experienced goalkeeper who has had to overcome a series of health problems to be where she is. It is truly remarkable that she is still playing at the highest level at the age of 38. When in her twenties she was diagnosed with promyelocytic leukaemia and had to spend time in intensive care after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage. Read more...
