by Jean-Pierre Thiesset (26/6/25).
Within the Finnish women’s football family is there any outrage at Katriina Talaslahti’s non-selection? There is be lots of talk about the squad selection online and on various forums/social media.
Katriina Talaslahti finished 4th in Arkema Première Ligue standing with Dijon for the first time in Dijon history. Katriina participated largely in this success with 8 clean sheets in 16 games she played as starter and numerous world class saves.
However, Katriina Talaslahti is not selected in Finland squad for Euro 2025. We could imagine that the 3 goalkeepers selected play in major leagues too and have better statistics than Katriina. The teams and statistics of the 3 goalkeepers selected in the Finland’s squad are:
Tinja-Rikka Korpela plays for Servette FC, Switzerland, which is 34th in UEFA ranking. Korepela is 39 years old and played only 1 game with her squad in 2024-2025 season. However, she does have a lot of top-level experience.
Anna Tamminen plays for Hammarby IF, Sweden, which is 51st in UEFA ranking. She is 30 years old and played 6 games with her squad in 2024-2025 season.
Anna Koivunen plays for Djurgardens IF, Sweden, which is 84th in UEFA ranking. She is 23 years old and played 11 games with her squad in 2024-2025 season. She currently holds the number one spot and jersey for Finland.
In the Dijon communication about Katriina staying in Dijon squad for next season, Sylvain Carric, Dijon Women’s Manager, declared, “It is a great satisfaction to announce Katriina’s contract extension. Katriina is an excellent goalkeeper, coming off a very good second half of the season where she only conceded two goals, which is anything but a coincidence. She will continue to bring us all her qualities as a goalkeeper, but also her professionalism and her ability to unite in the changing room.”
Talaslahti also said, “signing an additional season with DFCO was the right decision for me. I’m really happy to extend my contract and it’s gratifying to see the club’s trust in me. I’m going to do my best in my field and give my best to help the team progress and achieve its goals. I’m really proud and happy to be staying here. Now, I’m going to start my seventh season in the French league.”
Compare to the other goalkeepers in the Finland squad, whose qualities and skills I do not question, I still do not understand why Talaslahti, playing in one of the best and more challenging championship for a goalkeeper and in which she has outstanding performances, is not one of the 3 goalkeepers selected for Euro 2025.
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