EVEN when they had the momentum on their side, Finland couldn't make their superiority count.
In the opening game of the Euro Under-21 Championship, Finland appeared to be on their way towards creating a major upset when they equalised from the spot against 10-man England.
Alas, England were the ones to notch the second goal instead to win 2-1.
Then, in their second game, they seemed on top of Germany for large periods of the match, only to concede twice in quick succession to lose 2-0.
It was the first time Finland had qualified for an Under-21 final tournament, and their lack of experience told, so said the captain Tim Sparv.
'I think we played as good as anyone else in this tournament, but we lacked that experience to win the games,' the 22-year-old told The New Paper in an exclusive interview.
'It is small things that decide who will win when it is 0-0 for a long period, and we were maybe a bit naive in certain areas.
'We played good football, we played the right way, but we lacked the cutting edge.'
It was also Finland's shyness in front of goal that proved to be their downfall.
Over the three group matches against England, Germany and Spain, they scored just once.
Sparv, who netted the goal against England, believes that the ability to find the back of the net when it mattered was something that the semi-finalists - England, Sweden, Italy and Germany - have in common.
He also described Finland's group opponents England and Germany as 'efficient' teams.
Impressive
Sparv said: 'The four countries in the semi-finals are good teams which showed that offensively, they were better than the rest.
'They know how to score goals.
'I am impressed with the efficiency of England and Germany.
'I think England had three shots on goal and scored twice.
'It was the same with Germany.
'We had a lot of shots during these games, and more possession.
'But in the final third, we didn't have the tools to unlock their defence.'
However, he feels that the best team in the tournament comes from outside of Finland's group.
Italy stunned hosts Sweden by beating them 2-1 despite playing with 10 men for close to an hour.
The Azzurrini earned rave reviews for their disciplined performances, while a few of their players have also caught the eye.
Sparv is one big fan.
He said: 'I think Italy will win it.
'I have been very impressed with them so far.
'Sebastian Giovinco and Mario Balotelli are players who will win games for you.
'They also have the typical Italian strength in defence.'
Meanwhile, Sparv is grateful for the experience, which will put him in good stead as he attempts to make headway in his football career.
But there was also something else he got out of the competition - Theo Walcott's jersey.
Sparv became good friends with England's Walcott and Martin Cranie when he was learning the trade at Southampton's youth academy.
He said: 'I spoke with both Theo and Martin before the game.
'It was very nice to see them again for the first time in two years.
'I also swapped shirts with Theo after the game and it is definitely going up on the wall.'
