14th January 2017: Day 2 at the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships in Puconci and another full schedule of games as Turkey, Italy, Wales and Ukraine are all still in contention for the coveted promotional slots for the EuroHockey Indoor Junior Championships in 2019:
Match 8 : Slovakia v Wales
A very anticipated game after the teams performances on Friday. An end to end first half saw the teams finish 2-2 at half time but in the second half Italy had the tactical edge and converted 3 penalty corners with Luca Valentino scoring 3 PC goals in the match. Finals score 6-3 to the Italians.
Match 9 : Turkey v Norway
A very one-sided performance here with Turkey having the greater physicality and tactics. 4 players each scored 2 goals in the 9-0 win. 6 of the 9 goals were from penalty corners
Match 10 : Ukraine v Wales
This was always going to be a tight and tactical match. Wales had the better of the first half exchanges, scoring 2 penalty corners. The final 10 minutes of the game saw 4 goals with Welsh Captain Hzwel Jones scoring Wales 4th with 2 minutes to go. Ukraine came back to within one goal in the last minute of the game, but time was soon up. A close game, as Wales sneaked the win 4-3.
Match 11: Italy v Slovenia
A real goal feast and a special performance from a strong and talented Italian side. 6 goals from Sandy Grosso, 5 from Mattia Ambrosini amongst others in a 17-0 comprehensive win. Slovenia battled hard and ran well but the Italians were too strong in defence and attack.
Match 12: Turkey v Slovakia
Turkey began the game in style by scoring with the first attack of the game. This set the tone for a high energy game. After 10 minutes Turkey were dictating the pace and led 2-0 at half time. Slovakia went out to attack in the second half however the strong Turkish defence scored regularly from the counter attack. Slovakia received 2 yellow cards towards the end of the game, showing their frustration. Slovakia played the final 8 minutes using the power play however this did not put Turkey off and consequently Turkey scored more goals, making the final score 8-0.
Match 13: Norway v Ukraine
Norway took a surprise early lead, giving them confidence. Ukraine absorbed this pressure and led 3-1 at half time. Norway started strong, their best performance of the tournament so far however the speed, passing intensity and running of Ukraine was too much for them to handle. The final score was 7-1 to Ukraine.
Match 14: Slovenia v Wales
Slovenia took an early lead and this set the tone for a great first half from them. Benjamin Clague equalised for Wales from a PC to make the score 1-1 at half time. Both goalkeepers were in inspired form as both teams knew that victory was important. Wales webt into a 3-1 lead with 10 minutes to go and they tried to pass Slovenia off the park but they did not relent. However a goal from Nejc Potokar made the final 2 minutes interesting but Wales made sure of victory with a quick reply to restore their 2 goal advantage.
Ranking after Day 2: