The fourth World
Championship took place in Helsinki, Finland from 18th to 25th May 2002. As
expected, Sweden won the tournament, although this time Finland gave them a
really hard time. The event had an unlucky outcome for the Czech team.
Unsurprisingly, Sweden dominated group A, outclassing all their opponents. They defeated Denmark 15-2, Norway 13-0, and Germany 18-1. Basically, this group was only about the fight for the second place. And it was Norway who came off best from the battle of the three teams thrashed by Sweden, beating both Germany and Denmark.
Matches in group B, which featured the Czech team, were much closer and more interesting. The first three teams had identical match record: two wins and one loss. The Czechs sensationally managed to beat Finland 4-3 and followed up on the 2-2 draw from the previous championship. The Finns thus didn’t beat the Czech team for the second time in a row. This feat helped the Czechs secure the second place in their group.
Sweden and Finland cruised easily through the quarterfinals, with the defending champions crushing Latvia 16-0 and their challengers outclassing Germany 7-1. On the contrary, the Czech Republic and Switzerland worried about their advancement to the semis until the very last moment. Switzerland narrowly overcame Norway 3-2. The match between the Czech Republic and Denmark went into overtime after a 4-4 draw, in which Pavel Kožušník brought great relief to the Czechs with a golden goal.
So, the favorites for both semifinals were clear. And the assumptions were confirmed. The Czechs were routed by Sweden 1-7, while Finland outplayed Switzerland convincingly 5-1. A Nordic final and a bronze medal game between the Czech Republic and Switzerland gradually became an evergreen.
For the Czech players, the tournament ended in a big disappointment. Despite being down by three goals in the 3rd place game, they managed to close the gap and tied the score at 3-3. However, Stefan Lüthi scored the decider in overtime and the Czechs remained without medals.
The final between the Nordic giants was incredibly tight for a long time and Sweden gained their decisive lead with just nine minutes left in the match. By winning 6-4 they earned their fourth gold medals out of four world championships.
Johan Anderson of Sweden was the scoring leader of the tournament and won the MVP prize as well.
Useful info for fans coming to Prague – 10.9.2018
Data Analysis: Overview of the EFT in Pardubice – 7.9.2018
Data analysis: Czechs played quick and it paid off – 2.9.2018
Data Analysis: Second period not enough for Finland – 2.9.2018
Data Analysis: Finland in pure control over Czechs – 1.9.2018
Analysis: Slow attacks generate most goals but they are not the strongest weapon of winners – 29.8.2018
Media accreditation process launched – 22.8.2018
WFC 2018 Eshop launched! – 22.8.2018
Language lessons with Czech players – 6.8.2018
Floorball is coming to Prague – 20.7.2018
Enjoy WFC with your children, who have a big discount for VIP upgrade – 1.6.2018
Join the TEAM 2018 – 25.4.2018
Compete for World Championships Tickets during the Superfinal – 18.4.2018
Attend the Championship with a Bunch of Friends – 28.3.2018
Buy Your WFC Tickets Now – 15.3.2018
Test Your Floorball Knowledge and Win Tickets for the WFC – 14.3.2018
The World Championships to Start at a Cracking Pace! – 13.3.2018
Tickets for World Floorball Championships 2018 from March 15 – 6.3.2018
WFC 2018 Groups – 1.3.2018
WFC Prague Teams and Group Ballot – 27.2.2018