Finland and Latvia will meet in the World Cup semi-final in Malmö on Saturday from 20:10. You can also watch the World Cup semi-final between the Czech Republic and Sweden from 17:00 on Areena.
Hinn Hirvonen,
Henri Pitkänen
The Men’s Floorball World Championships will be played in Malmö, Sweden, from 7 to 15. december shows all matches in Finland on its channels.
Broadcast of the Finland–Latvia semi-final on TV2 on Saturday at 20:00
The Finnish men’s floorball team advanced to the semi-finals on Friday evening in Malmö, as expected, when Norway fell after a rough start with a score of 6-1.
– We got what we were looking for. Playing on full courts could create more of a threat, but a balanced, patient performance. Finland was able to save energy, Urheilu’s expert Toni Lötjönen sees
Perttu Kytöhonka especially made the match a success Joona Rantala led by a field that managed to score twice.
– There was definitely something left to think about Nico Salon of a fielder who still didn’t take off in this game.
Finland’s coaching has been criticized for the fact that Malmö’s World Cup team is largely made up of club team players, each of whom is used to carrying responsibility and playing big minutes in their own team.
The so-called three-court roughnecks shine by their absence.
– During the game, I wondered if this field led by Salo would still be a suitable triple field for Finland. They have the experience and know-how specifically to kill minutes and eat ball control from the opponent. But Alpo Laitila and Jere Niemelän The Pakkipari formed may not be the best option for that, Kytöhonka reflects.
Surprise resistance
In Saturday’s later semi-final, Finland will face Latvia, who succeeded in a historic trick on Friday. Heikki Luukkonen led Latvia advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in history.
Switzerland, who lost to Latvia in overtime, was not in the medal games for the last time in 1996, when the men’s floorball world championships were played for the first time.
– Latvia’s energy can be channeled in two ways: either they think that there is no pressure now and through positivity see only opportunities. If Finland gets off to a good start, the balloon can deflate completely, Kytöhonka thinks.
Latvia seriously challenged Finland in the opening match of the World Cup, which was even described as the worst in Finland’s World Cup history. The narrow victory ended with a score of 4–3, when Justus Kainulainen dunked the ball into the net three minutes before the end.
Despite the historic trick, ‘s experts don’t have much faith in Latvia’s place in the finals.
– In terms of level, if player comparisons are made, there could be zero to one player from Latvia in the Finnish team. The difference in level is significant, but of course the team has shown that steps have been taken. Finland is a big early favorite, Kytöhonka lines up.
Lötjönen is on the same lines.
– Even though some market players and maybe even Finnish coaching have suggested that Latvia and Slovakia are not so weak, it is not possible that they would have bridged the level difference. Yes, it tells about the weakness of the coaching of Finland or other top countries if the games are tight.
World Cup fiasco for Sweden?
Germany hung with Sweden in the quarter-finals until the last ten minutes of the final round. The tournament of the tournament host, which is chasing its third consecutive championship, has not gone as expected so far: in the final match of the first series, Finland caused Sweden the first defeat in history at a home tournament.
The Czech Republic, on the other hand, has performed convincingly in the tournament and defeated Slovakia 9–1 in its own quarter-final. Even after the opening set, the scoreboard was 6–0.
Nevertheless, both experts believe that Sweden will clear their semi-final and play in front of the home crowd in Sunday’s final.
– You don’t have to play in any upper register. If they play at their level, the Czech Republic will be able to put a pretty good cover on the counter. This is the last waltz for Sweden’s coaching and for many players the last appearance in the Games. It’s terribly loaded with expectations. Sweden is its worst opponent, Lötjönen estimates.