West Ham United women’s team defender Eva Nyström fired Finland to three points in their UEFA Women’s Nations League clash against Hungary with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday night.
The contest was only seven minutes old when the 25-year-old put her side ahead, and she showed her capabilities from the spot, converting an early penalty kick which proved to be the only goal of the game.
Like Nyström, fellow Finnish Hammer Oona Siren played 90 minutes of the Group B3 fixture, as their team sit second in the table with three points from their two matches.
Also tasting victory on Tuesday was Kinga Szemik, who kept her fourth consecutive international clean sheet as Poland scored late to clinch a 1-0 victory against ten-player Romania.
After the home side were reduced to ten players midway through the second half - following the dismissal of striker Ioana Bălăceanu - it was Natalia Padilla-Bidas who won the contest for Poland in the 84th minute.
The result means Szemik and Poland sit top of the Group B1 standings at the end of the February international break with two wins from their two matches.
Meanwhile, having not featured against Iceland on Friday, Seraina Piubel was in from the off for Switzerland for their Group A2 clash against Norway.
The forward received a good run out, playing just over an hour before being withdrawn with the score goalless.
The game sprung to life in the final 15 minutes and goals from Elisabeth Terland and Caroline Hansen either side of a Sydney Schertenleib strike clinched a 2-1 victory for Norway three minutes from time, leaving Switzerland bottom of the group.
While the all-important action came in the dying stages in Norway, there were three first-half goals in France’s clash with Iceland, which the former edged 3-2.
Midfielder Dagný Brynjarsdóttir entered proceedings on the hour mark with her side trailing 2-1, and there was a quick-fire goal for either side following her introduction - as Sandy Baltimore restored France’s two-goal cushion, which was quickly wiped out by Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir. Iceland are third in the standings after their two matches.
Verena Hanshaw picked up another 90 minutes for Austria in Group A1, but unfortunately the third-placed side fell to a first defeat in the competition, as Germany ran out 4-1 winners thanks to goals from Laura Freigang, Linda Dallmann, Giovanna Hoffmann and Vivien Endemann - despite Annabel Schasching giving Austria a third-minute lead.
Elsewhere in the Nations League, Kirsty Smith played the final four minutes of Scotland’s Group A1 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands while Jessie Stapleton was an unused substitute in the Republic of Ireland’s 4-0 loss against Slovenia in Group B2
In Spain, Shelina Zadorsky put in a resolute defensive performance against Chinese Taipei to help Canada win the Pinatar Cup on Tuesday.
Canada went into the final match of the round-robin tournament knowing a victory would secure them the trophy, and they blew their opposition away in emphatic fashion - storming to a 7-0 scoreline.
The West Ham United women’s team defender played all 90 minutes of the contest as her side cruised to a five-goal lead at the break, before completing the rout in the second period, as Canada won the tournament for the first time in their history.
Elsewhere in the competition, Li Mengwen gained some more minutes for China in their clash with Mexico.
The defender came on as a half-time substitute with work to do as her side were 2-0 down after goals from Alice Soto and Alexia Delgado gave Mexico the upper hand at the break.
The 29-year-old helped shut out the opposition in the second half, but her side were unable to find a route back into the contest, leaving them third in the standings at the end of the competition.
Meanwhile, Inès Belloumou, who switched her international allegiance to Algeria, helped her new side claim a 3-0 win over South Sudan in their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier second leg on Tuesday, which followed their 5-0 victory earlier in the international break.
Also in action was Anouk Denton, who helped England U23s bounce back from their defeat to Germany U23s, as the defender kept a clean sheet in the Young Lionesses' 1-0 win over France U23s.
The friendly, played in Stevenage, saw its only goal of the game come in the 35th minute when Isobel Goodwin scored on her maiden England U23s start.
Also keeping a clean sheet in a friendly was Camila Sáez, who - after making her 100th appearance for Chile on Saturday - limited Argentina to little joy in their goalless draw on Tuesday.
