Finland wins first-ever hockey gold at Beijing Olympics

Finland won the men's Olympic ice hockey final on Sunday in Beijing, finally clinching a gold medal at the eighteenth attempt, Report informs via YLE news.

The team won Russia 2-1, with goals from Ville Pokka and Hannes Björninen.

The medal brings Finland's medal haul to eight at the Beijing games, with Finland now ranked 15th in the table.

The Olympic hockey tournament had started off in difficult fashion, with coach Jukka Jalonen complaining that his star forward Marko Anttila was stuck in quarantine for an extended period.

But Anttila was released and helped his team to some memorable wins. In the semi-final Finland had defeated Slovakia 2-0 thanks to goals from Sakari Manninen and Harri Pesonen.

Earlier in the tournament this team had come back from 3-0 down to defeat arch-rivals Sweden 4-3, sparking joyous celebrations from Finns.