Teemu Pukki scores twice to break Jari Litmanen’s all-time goalscoring record for Finland
The Norwich striker is just two shy of a century of caps for his nation
Teemu Pukki scored twice for Finland in their World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Tuesday, to break the all-time scoring record for his nation.
The long-standing holder was the legendary Jari Litmanen, star of the 90s and 2000s who played for the likes of Ajax, Barcelona and Liverpool.
While Litmanen netted his 32 goals across 137 appearances - he remains the most-capped player for Finland - Pukki has now plundered 33 in far fewer games on the international scene, with the win over Kazakhstan being his 98th cap.
Of more immediate importance was the three points keeping Finland in the hunt for a play-off spot to reach the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.
While France are runaway leaders of Group D, Finland are now level on points with Ukraine with two fixtures left to play. Bosnia-Herzegovina are fourth, just two points back with a game in hand in a tight race for second and the play-off place.
Pukki has not quite had the same happy fortunes at club level this season, with Norwich City still yet to win in the Premier League - though he has scored both their two goals so far since a return to the top flight.
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