England's Scandinavian tour was arranged as a final warm-up before the World Cup finals started the following month. With games to follow in Norway and Denmark, England were determined to get off to a winning start here in Helsinki. This was not the most inspiring of matches, though, and England struggled for much of the time.

They were presented with a golden opportunity early on when the referee awarded them a penalty. Alan Ball was entrusted with the kick but watched in despair as Halme made a fine diving save. It was not the sort of start England wanted and they laboured from that moment on. Encouragingly, despite their other failings, the chances were still being created but for a long time the finish was not there.

Ball, Martin Peters, who had another impressive match, Geoff Hurst and Roger Hunt all put in goal attempts that were blocked in one way or another. It was frustrating for the players and left Finland in the match with a chance. One cunning cross by Kumpulampi gave England problems until Norman Hunter cleared the danger. Hunter was in dominating form in what was, thankfully, a strong England defence. Jack Charlton won everything in the air and Ray Wilson's fierce tackling contributed much to the solidity of the defensive unit.

For the first half-hour, England scratched around trying to find an opening. Despite their goal chances, they looked decidedly ragged and the sparse crowd sensed that it would not take too much from Finland to throw England deeper into confusion. But with the giant clock by the scoreboard showing the first half nearly over, the visitors came up with a memorable goal.

Hurst took the ball down the left touchline before sending in a short centre which Peters met superbly to flick past Halme with the outside of his right boot. It was a brilliant piece of positioning and finishing.

There was still time for England to score again before the interval and this time it was an even better goal. Hunt, so full of running, found Ball, who slipped a telling pass to Ian Callaghan. The winger made ground before his long centre cleared several blond Finnish heads for Hunt to arrive at the far post to end the move he had started with a lovely header past Halme. If the first goal had belonged to West Ham then the second definitely belonged to Liverpool. One would have to go a long way to see Hunt's effort bettered.

So, what a transformation. England, for so long looking strained and disjointed, suddenly found themselves totally in control. They could even have had a third goal in the dying seconds of the half but Hunt's effort was disallowed by the referee.

Despite lots of effort and possession in the second half England never looked fully convincing. They had to wait until the very last minute of the match before they scored their elusive third goal. It came in extraordinary fashion as Jack Charlton, up with the attack for the 'umpteenth' time, shot from almost on the by-line. The ball somehow screwed into the net off the boot of Kautonen for a scrappy goal. Somewhat dubiously the official verdict gave the goal to Charlton.

England now looked to improve in their game in Norway, aiming to show more venom in their finishing as well as their general play.
  

Martin Peters scored his first goal for England and the first of the match at the start of a final warm-up tour before the World Cup finals. Alan Ball failed from the penalty spot in a game remembered more for the many missed chances than those that were eventually taken by Roger Hunt and Jack Charlton (a freak goal from a last-minute shot from out on the by-line. Ian Callaghan made a lively debut alongside his Liverpool team-mate Hunt as Alf Ramsey continued his experiment of playing with just one winger. Soon, there would be none!
  

Source Notes

TheFA.com
Original newspaper reports
Rothman's Yearbooks
Mike Payne's England: The Complete Post-War Record (Breedon Books Publishing Company, Derby, U.K., 1993)
Norman Giller, Football Author
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CG