Rangers star Glen Kamara produced a below-par performance and his World Cup hopes were dealt a second blow in quick succession on Sunday night as Finland drew again in Qualifying Group D.
Kamara played a key role in Finland’s successful Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, and when that delayed tournament is finally played in the summer, it will be the Nordic country’s first appearance at a major tournament.
However, their chances of making it to the 2022 World Cup already look rather slim.
That’s because they failed to win each of their first two qualifiers, in a group that features reigning World Champions, France.
In their first outing, at home against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night, they drew 2-2. Kamara played the full 90 minutes in midfield and was booked as a late Miroslav Stevanovic equaliser snatched a point for the visitors.
The Gers star’s outing was solid if unspectacular, but he struggled against Ukraine in Kyiv on Sunday as his side once again failed to secure three points.
His pass accuracy was a strong 90.7% but he was booked, failed to produce any key passes or shots on target, and made just a solitary interception.
Those numbers contributed to a WhoScored.com rating of 6.0, the lowest of any Finland starter and joint lowest in the match.
Ukraine dominated the game and looked on course for victory until an 89th-minute Teemu Pukki penalty cancelled out Junior Moraes’ opener.
The two draws leave Finland second in Group D, which, on paper, looks like a relatively healthy position.
However, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kazakhstan have both only played once and while a draw in Ukraine wouldn’t normally constitute a poor result, a win was required after the opening night slip-up on home soil.
Meanwhile, one of Kamara’s Rangers teammates played a big part in a second successive qualifying win.
