Slovakia dominated the semi-final match against Lions for long stretches. However, Finland’s defensive battle led to the final. Sakari Manninen scored the winning goal already in the opening round.
The Finnish men’s hockey team has advanced to the final match of the Beijing Olympics, which will be played on Sunday. Finland won Slovakia 2–0 in the semifinals on Friday morning. The winning goal of the match was scored Sakari Manninen. At the last minute Harri Pesonen got to hit the puck to an empty goal.
The Lions have played in the Olympic final once before, in 2006 in Turin, when Sweden won the stinging final 3–2. Finland also won silver in 1988, but then the tournament was played in series. The team has four Olympic bronzes (1994, 1998, 2010, 2014).
Finland had already won Slovakia in the opening round of the tournament in their opening match 6–2. Since then, Slovakia, which has played a very upswing tournament, had also lost to Sweden, but won the Latvian Group 5-2 in the final match. In the first round of the playoffs, Slovakia knocked out Germany 4-0 and then surprised in the semi-finals of the US 2-3 victory race after rising to the levels in the last minute of the regular season.
Finland only has profits from Beijing. After the opening game in Slovakia, Finland won 3–1 in Latvia and 4–3 in Sweden overtime. As the group winner, Finland advanced directly to the semi-finals, leaving Switzerland 5–1.
This is how the match progressed
Slovakia played a strong opening round. It played disciplinedly, and Finland did not reach dangerous finish points during the first ten minutes.
– The timings haven’t quite clicked. In terms of the timing and reliability of the control start, there is room for improvement so that we can get into the Slovak defense at an even better pace, Sports Expert Juha Juujärvi commented at that point.
At 15.58, however, Finland took the lead as a result of playing a strong offensive zone. Markus Granlund brought the puck to the area from the right edge and Finland got the rotation going. Finally, the disc was dropped into the blue line. Defender Sami Vatanen offered a cross pass to Pakkari To Petteri Lindbohmwho delivered a wrist shot to the finish.
The loose disc fell on Sakari Manninen, who finished coldly Patrik Rybarin under the mattress from the front corner. At this stage, the powers of the Finnish stock exchange are 4 + 3 = 7.
– Manninen put it coolly inside that second disc. Are you raising the mattress? I then put it in along the ice. Time came to a standstill in that situation, an expert in ‘s speech Ismo Lehkonen admired.
After Manninen’s 1-0 lead, Vataan still had a great place to finish Marko Anttila, but these Rybar found out. In the first installment, the defenses: Finland Harri Säteri eight, Rybar seven.
In the second installment, the Lions started strong, but little by little the grip turned to Slovakia. After that, Slovakia practically dominated the match until the final totals.
Among other things, Slovakia’s number one field, captain Marek Hrivik, Peter Cehlarik and a 17-year-old who hit the tournament five times Juraj Slafkovsky received strong pressure on the Finnish end.
After a few minutes of playing in the second round, Hrivik made the most of Säter’s attack from Slovakia’s superiority, already taking the Finnish hammer ashore, but no longer getting the puck turned.
Ismo Lehkonen scolded Finland for aggression in defensive play.
– Slovak players have a psychological advantage. When there is a game charm on, they also dare to play the puck boldly, Lehkonen comments during the second set.
In the middle of the batch and the match, Finland got to play 5vs3 superiority for more than a minute, when first Anttila and then Mikko Lehtonen was crushed. However, Finland did not get past Rybar, and Slovakia played an aggressively strong underpower.
After the freezers, Slovakia’s strong milling continued until the end of the second batch.
– Lions’ feed play and first feed are a bit sluggish. They have been so quiet that the recipient has had time to go hungry while waiting for the feed, Ismo Lehkonen wondered.
This was also signed by Harri Pesonen, a lion striker, in the sweat interview after the second installment.
– It’s been (a puck game) pretty miserable. No one wants to fail, but you have to take responsibility when the puck is on stage. If you feel that there is a little power, you have to play, Pesonen thought.
However, Finland survived another break in the 1–0 lead. Fighting went steadily, Säteri 13 and Rybar 12, but undoubtedly closer to success was Slovakia.
– Finland’s search time was overwhelming and it could not take advantage of it. Slovakia were able to create significantly more goals by five to five. Säter’s confident, gestureless game has dulled Slovakia’s effectiveness, expert Juujärvi said after the second installment.
In the third installment, Slovakia continued its active grip, which was broken at 41.21 Kristian Pospisilin to the ice. However, Finland did not score with a superior goal, but Slovakia escaped the 2vs1 attack at the end of the penalty. Defender Mikko Lehtonen managed to clear the situation and, on the other hand, Slafkovsky’s cross in front of the goal went a little too far.
Slovakia, the most positive surprise of the tournament, quickly took control of the game again after the cold.
– We do not see a strong offensive game from Finland, that Finland would defend on the puck and play seconds off the clock with long spins of the offensive zone. We are on the defensive. It is now a picture of the game, expert Juujärvi said.
In the last ten minutes, Finland defended its own territory firmly and sacrificially, like the head coach Jukka Jalosen The lions have been in the habit.
For example, the square field Anttila, Hannes Björninen and Saku Mäenalanen contracted a lot – and Björninen grabbed starts with a tough percentage.
Slovakia took the lead after about a minute and a half. Last minute defender Ville Pokka after discharging the Slovak end disc, the disc was discharged from its own end. Teemu Hartikainen through the disc ended up in the middle bone, where Harri Pesonen was awake. Pesonen managed to transport the puck to the empty Slovakian net and seal the final place in Finland.
In the third set, Säteri defeated seven, Rybar five times.
The story continues after the graphics.
Ismo Lehkonen: “This was not a triumph victory for hockey”
The final match will be played on Sunday at 6.10 am Finnish time. Finland’s opponent will be either Sweden or the team of the Russian Olympic Committee, who will face in the second semi-final on Friday at 15.10.
Expert Juha Juujärvi says that Finland defended intactly and ice-coldly, but the offensive game was surprisingly sluggish.
– We saw an intact 60 minutes defensively, but the offensive game was left in the barrel. This match became the protection of the leading position, and little of his own creative attack was seen, Juha Juujärvi commented.
– A really cold-headed and controlled end, because panic is rarely avoided, Juujärvi praised.
In terms of play, Slovakia would have earned the final place as well. However, according to the system, Ismo Lehkonen sees Finland as defending really well. Slovakia did not get very many goals in the end, especially in the final round.
– It wasn’t this triumphant victory in hockey, but we humbly accept this. The stakes were high and our players were in a huge stress situation, Lehkonen reflects.
– The game is not always fair. That is what can be said, but this will be accepted.
Harri Säteri: “It was a difficult game”
Although the entire Finnish defense game was successful, one of the heroes was, of course, Harri Säteri, who played the zero game.
– It was liberating to hear the buzzer. It was a difficult game, the guy was playing a really good game. Nothing was free, Säteri said after the match.
He praised the Lions ’defensive game, but for some reason the offensive game was on ice against Slovakia.
– There was a lot of will and struggle. The guys are doing business for each other. Looks great in its own way. The wolves come in some, but are well defended. Slovakia did not get to the finish line in the wrong installment. The difficulties and coping with them unite the team, Säteri put it and described the upcoming final match as a “unique moment”.
– You should also be able to enjoy as much as possible on Sunday.