Finland’s opening defeat did not faze Petteri Nummelin, who played 15 times in the World Cup.
Petteri Nummelin, who works in the Latvian coaching team at the World Cup, noticed Finland’s defeat just before his own opening game.
– The first thing that came to my mind was that I don’t know if it would be better to go to Finland.
Why?
– The whole time, everyone has been cheering that Finland will win this tournament and the others will fight for second place. Then there is a small drop like that.
– Now the team can start the tournament all over again, with a clean slate, Nummelin says to Iltalehte.
So there can be a seed of good in defeat.
– That was the first thing that came to my mind. Don’t ask why.
From the fox
Petteri Nummelin’s debut at the World Cup as a coach ended in defeat. TIMO KUNNARI
Many players now have a pat on the forehead, so to speak, when the long-awaited World Cup opening went under the bench.
– And Mikko Rantanen and Kaapo Kakko were left without points. Oh, those boys are grumpy now. And so are many others out there. It can be good in the future, Nummelin predicts.
The Finnish tournament continues immediately on Saturday.
Latvia squatted
Kaapo Kakko remained scoreless in the first game of the Games. Petteri Nummelin believes that the man from Lieto will hit the target in the future. PETRI SAARELAINEN / AOP
Nummelin also tasted defeat in the World Cup opening. Canada beat Latvia 6-0 on Friday evening in Riga.
Both North American teams took a clear opening victory in the tournament. Someone might be surprised by that.
– We were nervous at the beginning. the download probably went a little over. In the beginning, we were on the right track. The last ten minutes of the opening set were pretty good from us.
– But if you don’t score goals here, it’s pretty hard to win games. And when you have such a professional team next to you, who will score a goal in every single situation, the 50-year-old coach thinks.
– Our moment would have been to have caught up to the beginning of the game. That moment went to others today.
Next stop: Slovakia
Latvia continues its tournament right away on Saturday evening. Slovakia, a degree lighter, will meet.
– It will come quickly. This game should be forgotten quickly. Still, it’s easier to forget this game than to win it.
– Hopefully we can play our own game on Saturday, what has been agreed. Only then will we see what things need to be improved and where we are already good.
The home audience is an asset
Latvia is boosted by the home crowd, which reacts wonderfully to the situations of the game.
– Today the audience could also be a source of pressure. Both for Finland and for us. Home games, the mood is high and everyone is in a terrible mood. Then the download goes a little overboard, we are nervous and afraid of making mistakes.
– What usually happens then, is exactly that those mistakes happen, the former top pack enthuses.
– I believe that in the second game the audience will support us. It was great that they were with the whole game today.
Nummelin coaches professionally in Switzerland. Friday night’s game was the veteran’s first as a coach in the World Cup tournament. The man accepted the experience calmly.
– It felt like a hockey match, that’s what it is.