Finland and Greece had a 1-1 draw at the European Championships qualifying football match at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki on Saturday. Nikos Karelis opened the scoring in the 24th with a curving shot from the outside area but Finland’s Jarkko Hurme’s volley in the 55th leveled the shot.

Both teams searched for a second goal but created no major chances until the end, even though Greece’s coach Claudio Ranieri brought in a fresh attacking trio in the final minutes.

“We played well (except for) the first 15 minutes of the second half when we defended too deep,” said Mr. Ranieri. On the bench, Ranieri was assisted by Greek player George Karagounis who had retired after the World Cup.

Greece’s playing had improved after a 1-0 homeloss against Romania in the opener and the country will host Northern Ireland on Tuesday.