Finland continue flying form in qualifying but Portugal take promotion place

[p]Conceding twice after the 90-minute mark in the opening game of the group away in Vizela in March was what ultimately cost [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/finland/EPXH92YE/"]Finland[/a] top spot, and while their 4-0 away win in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/slovakia/6yMSOPh6/"]Slovakia[/a] last Friday kept them three points behind [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/2wzV2vte/"]Portugal[/a] and improved their goal difference to +7, a 5-0 rout of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/latvia/b5PNuOS4/"]Latvia[/a] by the Portuguese gave them a +15 goal difference, meaning Finland had to win by four.[/p][p]Marko Saloranta's side gave themselves every chance by [b]taking the lead in the 12th minute when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/engman-adelina/UusZ0tMB/"]Adelina Engman[/a] provided for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lehtola-nea/vaOd9zPR/"]Nea Lehtola[/a][/b], but [i]Helmarit [/i]hopes were all but ended just before the 30-minute mark, when [b]a free-kick from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nazareth-kika/C6WD4e4E/"]Kika Nazareth[/a] evaded everyone[/b] in a crowded penalty area and nestled in the bottom corner.[/p][embed guid="d5ddd28a-8229-49a0-8ecf-bb9da7253746" url="https://x.com/HelmaritFI/status/2064414473381634082" social-type="twitter" /][p]Nonetheless, heading into the play-offs with another win was the main objective for the home side, who went ahead again [b]two minutes into the second half through Lehtola's second of the game[/b], provided by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/siren-oona/8WgcrbY3/"]Oona Siren[/a].[/p][p]And Finland capped off a worthy victory 11 minutes from time when [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ahtinen-olga/OfEJC1BA/"]Olga Ahtinen[/a] teed up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/nystrom-eva/024T4pJi/"]Eva Nystrom[/a] to make it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/finland-EPXH92YE/portugal-2wzV2vte/?mid=pxUS2HNt"]3-1[/a][/b] and deny Portugal an 100% record in the group.[/p][p]Both sides now head into October's play-offs for the World Cup, where Portugal will be a seeded team and Finland an unseeded for Path 2 in the first of two rounds of matches, with a place at Brazil 2027 the ultimate prize.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/world/world-cup-women/"]Review all the Women's World Cup qualifiers on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]