Sweden overcome arch-rivals Finland in a nail-biting shoot out thriller, while Czech Republic silence the Swiss crowd by overpowering the local heroes 11:3. It was a historic #SuperSaturday at the #WFC2022! We tell you why!
Latvia vs. Slovakia, 8:5 at the AXA Arena, Winterthur
Latvia defeated Slovakia 8:5 with a sudden show of force in the third period. While the game was close in the first periods, the Latvians widened the gap later, with MVP Artis Raitums’ opportunism and aggression scoring two swift goals and an assist. Slovak MVP Kristián Kozák was valiant in defending the goal before the swift and tireless Latvian aggression, but the Slovak effort wasn’t enough to advance them. The timing of the match was perhaps disadvantageous to the Slovaks, who gave it their all in the bout against Czechia the night before, and this early morning game against a day-rested Latvia left Team Slovakia little time for rest
Norway vs. Germany, 5:6 at the AXA Arena, Winterthur
Germany defeated Norway in a tense overtime duel in the rankings for 5-8th place. The game was sandwiched by a strong Norwegian start, a German dominated middle, and a return to Norwegian control in the end to bring them to a 5:5 draw, upon which Germany was able to strike first in the sudden death. German MVP Niklas Rutz was tireless in defending against a strong Norwegian offence: a doggedness critical in preventing the Norwegians from gaining the ground they needed. For Norwegian forward Sander was keen-eyed in capitalising on any weaknesses, scoring two goals. The match propels Germany to their last game of the tournament, where they will duel Latvia for fifth place.
Sweden vs. Finland, 4:3 at the Swiss Life Arena, Zürich
Sweden will play for 10th World Championship title after surviving a real Floorball thriller against their well-known rivals of Finland. In a nail-biting match, the Swedish team prevailed after a penalties shots at 4:3.
The teams were neck to neck in the first period, and delivering great defence, entered the locker rooms for the first break at 0:0. Linus Nordgren of Sweden opened in the second period, but Justus Kainulainen “returned the favour”. Chasing each other in the score, none of the teams would give the other the chance to take control over the game. Even though Sweden were leading at 3:1, thanks to some nice combinations, the Finnish players tied at 3:3. After 10 minutes of overtime, the spectators in Swiss Life Arena enjoyed a real spectacle with penalty shots. It didn’t start quite well for the reigning champions, but in the end, they showed resilience and seized their chances to fly to the Big Finale.
Johan Samuelsson was named Best Player of team Sweden, while the award for Finnish MVP was given to Nico Salo.
Switzerland vs. Czech Republic, 3:11 at the Swiss Life Arena, Zürich
The Golden generation of Czech Floorball will fight for their first-ever trophy at the World Floorball Championship. The players of head coach Jaroslav Berka took a sweet revenge for their Bronze medal match loss back in 2018, and disappointed the hosts of Switzerland.
Only in the first minutes of the match did the Swiss show what they are capable of – leading at 2:1. However, after the 10th minute, the Czechs, whose team is mainly composed by players who have already twice pocketed the U19 Worlds, completely dominated the game. The Swiss, on the other hand, struggled to find their rhythm, and couldn’t seize their chances.
Marek Benes (two goals, two assists) was chosen for Team Czechia’s MVP, while Christoph Meier of Switzerland received the award for Best player of his team (one goal).
