HELSINKI — Flag-waving Finland fans poured onto the field, embracing each other and mobbing the players as fireworks exploded outside the stadium. A party decades in the making finally erupted in Finland after its national soccer team qualified for a major tournament for the first time on Friday. The Finns beat Liechtenstein 3-0 in Helsinki to secure a place in next year’s European Championship and end decades of embarrassments, disappointments, and near misses on the international stage. “Many of us have been waiting for this for years, some even for decades,” read a post on the Twitter feed of Finland’s national team.

Source: International New York Times November 15, 2019 19:12 UTC