Finland (6)* v (6) Sierra Leone

By Dhugal Bedingfield

A string of saves from giant Finnish keeper Jari Aberg has seen Finland overcome Sierra Leone in a dramatic penalty shoot-out after the two sides were deadlocked 6-6 at full time.

Finnish striker Anne Hirvasvuopio proved that she could compete with the big boys by opening the scoring early with a quickly taken free kick.

Hirvasvuopio provided plenty of problems for the Sierra Leone defenders early with her speed and precision, scoring her second with a tidy finish.

At the other end Mohamed Jalloh was having a tough time trying to find a way past the unflappable Aberg but Ahmed Barrie's strikes were enough to keep his side within striking distance, the Africans trailing 3-2 at the break.

Hirvasvuopio completed her hat-trick seconds after the break and when she added a fourth it looked like curtains for Sierra Leone.

Some officious refereeing saw Sierra Leone awarded their second penalty but Aberg again denied Mahmoud Bah but Bah made up for it almost immediately with a sweet left foot strike.

The Africans seemed to be finishing stronger in the 30 degree heat and levelled the game in the last minute thanks to Jalloh's second goal of the match.

After a scramble in the last few seconds the Austrian referee blew his whistle and sent the match to penalties.

It was always going to be a tough task finding a way past the Finnish man mountain in goals and predictably Aberg saved Sierra Leone's first two efforts.

However, his Sierra Leone counterpart Lamin Conteh kept his side in the contest with two quality saves of his own.

After Karl-Bengt Henriksson and Mahmoud Bah both converted Aberg ended the match with a superb block with his midriff.

The win leaves Finland second in group F on six points while Sierra Leone sit on four after picking up a point for their penalty shoot-out loss.

Photos: Photoworx