Finland lose on penalties to Cape Verde but win FIFA Series at Eden Park

Yet the single point they secured proved sufficient to claim victory in the FIFA Series New Zealand, following the hosts' 4-1 triumph over Chile later that night.

Finland finished at the top of the four-team group, collecting four points across their two games, surpassing New Zealand and Chile who each had three, while Cape Verde ended with two.

Jacob Friis introduced four alterations to the team that defeated the All Whites 2-0 just three days prior, though it was a pair of players who kept their spots that linked up to net a goal right at the end of first-half added time, with Leo Walta driving in from the right flank swiftly then delivering a pass for Naatan Skytta to finish off.

This marked the Kaiserslautern midfielder's inaugural international strike during his fourth outing for the Eagle Owls.

Finland nearly extended their advantage shortly after the interval when Topi Keskinen battled to win room for a shot just outside the box, only for his firm effort to clip the foot of the upright and rebound clear, robbing him of a debut senior goal.

As the game approached its final quarter, Finland found themselves levelled by a forward linked to Finnish football, when Sidny Lopes Cabral set up Kelvin Pires from SJK Seinajoki to draw level. Much like Skytta, this was the defender's first goal in his fourth international match.

Upon the conclusion of regular time, the contest proceeded directly to a penalty shootout, where Lopes Cabral and Walta both found the net initially, before Finland took control with Jovane's miss and Onni Valakari's successful effort.

However, from that point, fortunes turned against Finland, as both Keskinen and Jaakko Oskanen missed their attempts, while the Blue Sharks converted their following three spot-kicks to prevail 4-2 in the shootout.

The hosts' later win solidified Finland's status as champions of an event in which they stayed undefeated over full matches versus two teams bound for the World Cup. Friis's squad returns to the field in late May and early June for preparatory games versus Germany and Hungary.