Yesterday ended with the semi-finals as Croatia and Switzerland prevailed to make it into the Final, by the smallest of margins, one goal separated Switzerland and Portugal and the second semi-final went to a shootout!
Match 15: Switzerland v Portugal (Semi-final 1) 3-2
Yesterday’s rest day has proven to be beneficial as today’s third match sees Switzerland and Portugal show off their athletic abilities. Switzerland scored a goal in the first quarter, but Portugal soon caught up with a short corner. Both Portugal and Switzerland then scored another goal, and tensions were high as possession of the ball continued to swap back and forth, each team fighting to break the tie. Switzerland then took the lead with their 3rd goal. The final score was 3-2 to Switzerland.
Switzerland’s Goal Scorers:
#23 Gael Wyss-Chodat
#3 Elias Brönnimann
#24 Pascal Knabenhans
Portugal’s Goal Scorers:
#3 Vasco Ribiero
#14 Joao Basilio
Match 16: Croatia v Gibraltar 1-1 (4-1 S/O)
Gibraltar and Croatia playoff in the last game of the day, competing for a place in the final. The first quarter of the match saw almost equal possession, with Croatia slightly dominating. Gibraltar managed to score a goal in a short corner, but this was soon followed by a field goal from Croatia in the third quarter. Tensions started to rise in the last quarter as both teams were determined to break the tie and take the lead, however, all attempts fell short. The tie led to a penalty shootout, with both teams bringing their top performers to secure the goals. This resulted in Croatia obtaining 5 goals whilst Gibraltar acquired 2 goals.
Goal scorer for Gibraltar
#9 Julian Lopez
#8 Ian Rodriguez (shootout)
Goal scorer for Croatia
#27 Anže Fujs
#6 Zvonimir Vuk (shootout)
#5 Mario Mucić (shootout)
#27 Anže Fujs (shootout)
#2 Lucas Maximilian Bachmann (shootout)
Earlier in the day, the Relegation Pool C games took place:
Match 13: Lithuania v Malta (Pool C) 5-3
Lithuania and Malta face off in the first match of the day. The start of the match was seemingly equal, with pace, technique and possession being similar across the two teams. During the first quarter, no goals were scored as the defenders on both teams were adamant to keep any balls out of the circle, however, in the second quarter, Lithuania managed to get passed Malta and put a goal on the scoreboard. In the third quarter, Lithuania was quickly awarded two short corners which successfully hit the backboard, which was followed by another field goal, securing their lead in the game. Malta managed to score three goals, in a matter of four minutes during the last quarter, which gave them hope for at least a draw. But unfortunately for Malta, Lithuania scored another goal which made it harder for Malta to catch up. The final score was 5 – 3 to Lithuania.
Lithuania Goal Scorers:
#4 Zygimantas BALSIUKAS (C)
#10 Rokas Galkus x2
#20 Kristis Bubnelis x2
Malta’s Goal Scorer’s:
#9 Christ Aguis
#14 Jonathan Borg
#16 Keith Bajada
Match 14: Turkey v Slovakia (Pool C) 1-0
Turkey and Slovakia go head to head for the second match of the day. Turkey quickly gets awarded multiple short corners but they were unfortunately unable to hit the backboard. The first two quarters of the match was balanced in play, especially each teams defence, which subsequently resulted in no goals being scored. In the third quarter, Turkey had more opportunities to score by being awarded multiple short corners, one of which was successful, allowing them to take the lead in the match. Slovakia was, unfortunately, unable to score any goals but their defence was vigorous throughout the entire match. Many cards were awarded during this match including four green and three yellow. The final score of the match was 1 – 0 to Turkey.
Turkey Goal Scorer:
#7 Vakif Kilinc
Today’s games:
| Time | Teams | Title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | TUR – MLT | Pool C | |||
| 11:15 | SVK – LTU | Pool C | |||
| 15:45 | POR – GIB | 3rd/4th Place | |||
| 18:00 | SUI – CRO | Final |
All games are being live-streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org