SOME FINN SPECIAL
Cult hero Riihilahti scored against England in 2001 & is counting down the days until his country face Three Lions again in the Nations League
BY
AKI RIIHILAHTI was the last Finn to score against England and cannot wait to see his country face the Three Lions again.
A Crystal Palace cult hero who once named his pet cat after Gary Lineker, Riihilahti has an extended family and a big fanbase in the UK.
Now 47 and CEO of his nation’s biggest and most successful club, HJK Helsinki, he was 23 when he stunned the Three Lions at Anfield.
He headed Finland in front with a goal which went in off Gary Neville, in a World Cup qualifier in 2001 his side eventually lost to Sven Goran Eriksson’s men.
Later this year the two nations will compete again after being drawn in a Nations League group with Republic of Ireland and Greece.
Riihilahti, who will watch Finland take on Wales in a Euro qualifier tomorrow, said: “I knew I would score that day. I even told my English cousin to bet on it but he forgot!
“Gary Neville tried to claim it as an own goal. I just felt so confident. Like nothing could stop me that day. “I had just been at Crewe for a week and they wanted to sign me, but Palace came in and I signed for them instead before ever visiting their training ground.
“Then we played England and I scored. Going to Palace training afterwards, that was a good start for me.
“They actually ran out of the letter “I” in the club shop without me even playing a game there, because my name has so many “I”’s in it and everyone was buying my shirt. That was quite fun.”
Riihilahti went on to become a fan favourite at Palace, helping them win promotion to the Premier League in 2004.
And he is still a popular figure at Selhurst Park, with Eagles fans even helping him to recent success in Finland’s Strictly Come Dancing. Riihilahti said: “I kept asking them to vote on Twitter. I was probably the worst dancer in the history of the competition but they got me to the semis!”
Everyone knows about England’s Golden Generation but Riihilahti was part of Finland’s.
He said: “We had a lot of players who were doing well in the top five leagues in Europe.
Jari Litmanen, Sami
Hyypia, Mikael Forssell.
“It was called the
Golden Generation.
But we never quite qualified for a major tournament. We were one game away twice.” Since then, a less talented Finland team made history when they reached Euro 2020.
Riihilahti said: “Our team now is renewing itself. It’s the next generation from the one that went to the Euros.
“The expectation for the Nations League is not as high. But it’s not a team anyone should underestimate.
“It has one of the best keepers in the world at the moment in Lukas Hradecky and Teemu Pukki up front.
“Finnish people have grown up watching English football. We don’t watch other leagues so much. When England play in Helsinki it will be a big celebration.”
‘Gary Neville tried to claim it as an own goal. I just felt so confident. Like nothing could stop me that day’