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Semifinal Sweden - Finland Sweden in the finalThe semifinal sensation between Sweden and Finland ended with 5-3. For 50 minutes Finland was the better team and took over the lead three times. In the end, though, Sweden improved mightily. In the final on Sunday they will meet up with the winner of the match Switzerland - Czech Republic. Finland started the game with lots of pressure. They had learned from the game against Switzerland and controlled the match. Defenseman Vesa Punkarri tested the Swedish goalkeeper after only a few seconds. It was also Punkarri who gave his team the lead with a killer shot from the center line in the 5th minute. A clever free-hit version caused confusion in the Swedish defense. Top assist player Mika Kohonen served Punkarri, known for his precise shots, perfectly. For eight minutes the Finns were the dominant team, until the Swedes awoke from their initial lethargy. Also a free-hit – completed by a straightforward shot by Jacob Gustafsson - led to the tie in the 10th minute. The second period started with a faulty beginning for Sweden. After only 20 seconds, Suomi Captain Jakko Hintikka helped the Finns to a new lead by a hidden shot. On the Swedish team, only the line with GC-star Niklas Jihde, Andreas Hellgard and Mathias Larsson played more or less convincing. In the 37th minute, tournament top scorer Niklas Jihde tied the score 2-2 with a sensational solo shot, after many unsuccessful chances. The decisive moment occurred with twelve minutes to go in the game. Swede Gustaf Forsberg was confined to a two minute penalty for a foul on Markus Neimo. The Finnish power-play formation achieved excellent chances. Tero Karppanen and Hannes Öhman had two opportunities each to score. Captain Jakko Hintikka, best Finnish player, even hit the post. The Finns built up a lot of pressure, but stayed unsuccessful. As soon as Forsberg’s bench penalty was over, Swede Magnus Svensson scored to 4-3. It was the first time that Sweden managed to take the lead in this game. The Finnish team seemed to be paralyzed by shock after this goal against. Mistakes snuck into their game, which is quite uncommon for this star ensemble. The 25-year-old defenseman Esa Jussila caused the final decision with a major bad pass. Conny Vesterlund profited from Jussila’s mistake and shot the Swedes to the final. Afterwards, Sweden stepped up its game mightily. They allowed no more faults, finally defeated their arch rival with 5-3. Swedish head coach Peter Kokocha admits: “We failed to give a 100 per cent of our potential for a long time.” Captain Johannes Gustafsson agrees with Kokocha: „We started very poorly. Fortunately, we improved.” Finnish head coach Pasi Tilander recognizes the opponent’s effort: “In the end it was apparent that the Swedes are used to winning. We were well-prepared and played well for a long time. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough.” The Finns had come here with great expectations and now are out of the running for gold. They can at most achieve the third rank by winning tomorrow’s game against Switzerland. Sweden will play the Czech Republic to defend their title.
Quotes to the gamePeter Kokocha (head coach Sweden)“It was tough for us to get the 0-1 that early. We didn’t expect it at all. In general, Norway caused us some problems during the first period. I would prefer to play Switzerland than the Czech Republic in the final, partly just because of the great atmosphere.” Johannes Gustafsson (player Sweden)„We definitely missed out on the start of the game. It was a close game, as expected, but we were the better team during the last ten minutes. In the final, I want to play against Switzerland, because I played here seven years ago and still know some Swiss players from then.” Pasi Tilander (head coach Finland)“In the first period, we had excellent chances; unfortunately, we hit the post twice. If we had been more efficient, the game might have taken another turn. The Swedish team was as strong as anticipated, but it didn’t succeed in taking us by surprise. We were well-prepared. Sweden was the better team in the end, though.” 
5th A-WFC Semi-Final Schluefweg, Kloten Scores: 5. Punkari (Kohonen) 0:1 11. J. Olofsson (Calebsson) 1:1 21. Hintikka (Järvi) 1:2 37. Jihde (J. Olofsson) 2:2 43. Hintikka (Lehtonen) 2:3 47. Svensson (J. Olofsson) 3:3 51. Svensson 4:3 56. Vesterlund 5:3 Penalties: |
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