Sporting Kansas City defender Nico Hasler notched his 66th cap for Liechtenstein on Friday in a 3-0 road loss to Finland at Telia 5G Arena in Helsinki.
Deployed as an advanced midfielder, Hasler played the full 90 minutes in Liechtenstein's penultimate UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match. The result was one to celebrate for Finland, which sealed second place in Group J to clinch its first-ever European Championship berth. The Finns will make their UEFA Euro debut next summer as one of 24 nations to compete in the quadrennial tournament.
Hasler and Liechtenstein made the task difficult for Finland throughout the night. Jasse Tuominen gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute, but the second goal wouldn't come until after the hour mark. Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki buried a penalty kick on 64 minutes and bagged his brace 11 minutes later to seal the win and ignite wild celebrations inside the stadium.
One of the most accomplished players on the Liechtenstein squad, Hasler has started all nine Euro qualifying matches for his country this year. The side has taken two draws from those games, highlighted by a 1-1 stalemate at Greece in September that saw Hasler record the game-tying assist.
Eliminated from Euro 2020 contention as the last-place team in Group J, Liechtenstein will conclude its qualifying campaign on Monday when it hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina at 1:45 p.m. CT. The contest will stream live on ESPN3 and the ESPN App.
