Ten-man Finland beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 in their World Cup qualifier in Zenica on Saturday to keep the pressure on Group D leaders France.
Finland are now just one point behind the world champions who can guarantee their qualification with a victory over Kazakhstan later on Saturday.
France then face the Finns in Helsinki on Tuesday.
Brentford forward Marcus Forss put Finland ahead after 29 minutes but shortly after the visitors saw Jukka Raitala handed a red card for a violent tackle on former Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac.
Robin Lod doubled the lead after 51 minutes and, although Luka Menalo pulled one back, Daniel O’Shaughnessy sealed the win in the 73rd minute.
The Finns, who qualified for their first European Championships at Euro 2020, can still qualify for Qatar although Ukraine can still pip them for one of the top two spots.
The Bosnians have been eliminated.
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