The play-off round is over and we saw all four favorites advance to the quarterfinals. In the first match at the O2 Arena, Slovakia had to bow to the strong Latvian side. The same applies to the Estonians, who were within arm’s reach of victory for a long part of the match against Denmark, but in the end lost by a single goal. At Arena Sparta, Norway outclassed Australia and in the evening Germany beat Canada.
Latvia – Slovakia 6-1 (2-1, 0-0, 4-0)
The first match of the elimination stage came of better for the Latvians. Their patient floorball bore fruit and thanks to the contribution by the two-goal scorers Cerins and Jansons they will meet Sweden in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Slovaks definitely had some chances to turn the match into a drama. At 3-1 for Latvia, Dudovič had a penalty-shot opportunity after a foul on Gašparík, but the championship scoring leader (7+9) failed to score this time. And Slovakia didn’t capitalize on their power-plays either.
Denmark – Estonia 3-2 (1-0, 0-1, 2-1)
An attractive and evenly balanced game that was decided by the Danish captain Mikkel Skov Nielsen and his game-winning goal in the 52nd minute. The Estonians were the slightly better side from about halfway through the match, but due to the Danish goalie Trolle (40 saves) and sometimes due to bad luck they were not productive enough. The Danish forward Emil Odfeldt, who recorded two points in the game (1+1), was selected his team’s MVP. Denmark will face the home team of the Czech Republic in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Norway – Australia 10-0 (3-0, 4-0, 3-0)
The third play-off game and the first one taking place at the Arena Sparta featured the teams of Norway and Australia. The Aussies qualified for the play-offs at the last moment, following their high win over Japan. On the other hand, Norway was sent into the play-off round after losing only to the Nordic floorball powers. The difference in the teams’ qualities was significant, but the Australians presented themselves with a fearless offensive performance, which definitely won them favor of quite a few fans in the stands. Despite all this, Australia was outclassed 0-10 and will play for the 9th–12th place. Norway will take on Switzerland in the tomorrow’s quarterfinals.
Germany – Canada 7-2 (2-1, 3-1, 2-0)
In the last match of the day, Germany took on Canada but had a really poor start into the game. The Germans conceded in the first minute already and had to realize very quickly that the match won’t be easy at all. Canada defended lion-heartedly but still left some cracks in their defensive wall. Four and a half minutes before the end the North Americans pulled their goalie, but their final pressure was thwarted by two penalties with about ninety seconds left on the clock, in which they conceded their final goal.
Latvia Overcomes Norway after Penalty Shootout – 8.12.2018
Data Analysis: Czech Republic vs Denmark 10-1 – 8.12.2018
DAY 8: Battles for Final Start, Quarterfinal Losers to Fight for Fifth Place – 8.12.2018
Day 7 Summary: Favorites Sail through to Semis, Championship Again Offers Fantastic Atmosphere – 8.12.2018
Slovakia Takes 9th Place after Exciting Victory over Estonia – 7.12.2018
Finland Becomes Last Semifinalist after 6-1 Win against Germany – 7.12.2018
Canada Edges out Australia Thanks to Huge Comeback in Third Period – 7.12.2018
Sweden Advances to Semifinals after Beating Latvia – 7.12.2018
Poland Outclasses Thailand 9-1 to Grab 13th Place – 7.12.2018
Takizawa Scores Twice as Japan Beats Singapore 4-2 to Take 15th Place – 7.12.2018
Data Analysis: Group Stage Summary – 7.12.2018
DAY 7: Two Quarterfinals and Final Placement Matches on Schedule – 7.12.2018
Day 6 Summary: Czechs Easily through, Switzerland Stumbles, Attendance Record Broken – 7.12.2018
New WFC Attendance record – 6.12.2018
Data Analysis: Sweden vs Denmark 25-0 – 6.12.2018
Czech Republic Comfortably Wins Over Denmark to Reach Semifinals – 6.12.2018
Estonia Outclasses Canada 9-2 to Face Slovakia in 9th Place Game – 6.12.2018
Switzerland Gets Past Norway in Overtime Drama – 6.12.2018
Slovakia Beats Australia 12-3, Will Fight for 9th Place Tomorrow – 6.12.2018
Data Analysis: Norway vs Finland 1-9 – 6.12.2018