The clash of the titans offered the fans a magnificent floorball show. Both teams headed for the lead until the very last minutes of the match. With less than five minutes remaining on the clock, Emil Johansson scored a power-play goal to make it 5-4 for his team and sent the very important points to Sweden.
The battle of floorball giants began carefully. Patience and good defense were the names of the game. Yet the first goal of the match came quite soon. At 2:16, Johan Samuelsson took advantage of his great position in front of the Finnish goalkeeper and scored a rebound goal. Both teams went on with magnificent defending and neither of them offered their opponent any mistake. The Finns had a long power play, but the Swedes showed their masterclass and killed the penalty. The equalizer came from Peter Kotilainen’s stick in the 17th minute. The Finnish left-winger escaped the Swedish defense and tied the game.
The second period continued in the same fashion. Both teams tried to steer clear of any unforced errors, which resulted in a very cautious course of the match. In the 25th minute, Jani Kukkola received a penalty for roughing. His team survived the penalty kill, but Kukkola did not have to rush back onto the pitch – just two seconds after the end of his penalty, Rasmus Enström lobbed the ball over the Finnish goalkeeper’s shoulder and gladdened the loads of Tre Kronor supporters in the crowds again. More than 10 thousand amazing fans at the O2 Arena saw the Finns controlling the end of the second period. With 3 goals in a row they completely turned the score around.
With the two-goal advantage, the Suomi team focused on defending. In attack, it was nothing but counter attacks for them. The Swedish players moved themselves in front of the Finnish net and the result came very soon. The floorballers in blue and yellow jerseys tied the game with two goals in the blink of an eye. Especially the third goal situation was a very close one – the referees took a long video review to make the final decision. The most important moment of the match was the penalty for Jussi Piha. He was penalized for slashing and Sweden quickly converted the power play. The key goal was scored by Emil Johansson with 55:07 on the clock. Finland then tried playing with 6 men on the pitch, but did not manage to equalize. This means that the Swedes celebrate the Scandinavian derby victory after the 5-4 win.
DAY 4: Group Stage Culminating, Czech Republic to Face Switzerland – 4.12.2018
Germany Saves Czechs by Beating Latvia, Nordic Powers Post Convincing Wins – 4.12.2018
Sweden Dominates Norway to Get Easy 9-1 Win – 3.12.2018
Estonia Beats Thailand 11-4 to End Group Stage Unbeaten – 3.12.2018
Great First Period Secures First Victory for Finland – 3.12.2018
Great Defense Gives Australia First Tournament Win over Poland – 3.12.2018
Data Analysis: Latvia vs Czech Republic 4:3 – 3.12.2018
Impressive Third Period Pushes Germany to First Win in Prague – 3.12.2018
Zubir‘s Two Goals Help Singapore Beat Japan in Front of 6,341 Spectators – 3.12.2018
Data Analysis: Finland vs Sweden 4:5 – 3.12.2018
DAY 3: Program Starts with Asian Battle, Fans to See Two Nordic Derbies – 3.12.2018
Latvia Stuns the Hosts, Slovakia and Switzerland on Scoring Surge – 3.12.2018
Estonia Wins Evening Thriller in Arena Sparta – 2.12.2018
First Tournament Surprise as Latvia Beats Czech Republic 4-3 – 2.12.2018
Battle between Canada and Singapore Ends in First Tournament Draw – 2.12.2018
Switzerland Outclasses Germany 13-1, Känzig Scores Four Goals – 2.12.2018
Japan Enters Tournament with 1-15 Loss against Slovakia – 2.12.2018
Norway Turns Score to Get First Tournament Win – 2.12.2018
Data Analysis: Germany vs Czech Republic 5:10 – 2.12.2018
DAY 2: Twelve Teams in Action, Czechs to Face Latvia – 2.12.2018