Switzerland is better than Canada. We know the first quarter-finalists of the World Cup



PAP / EPA / TOMS KALNINS / Pictured: Swiss national team hockey players

Rafal Smolinsky


Six other games of the elite hockey world championships were played on Saturday. The first quarter-finalists have been selected. In a successful match, Switzerland beat the team from Canada.

Saturday’s event in Riga was the clash of two undefeated teams. The well-formed Switzerland won 3-2 against Canada, securing the fifth set of points. The first goal was scored in the 30th minute by Tyler Toffoli. Then came the brilliant response from the Helvetians. Nico Hischier, Dario Simion and Andres Ambuhl, 39, led the team 3-1. The contact goal for the hockey players from the country of the maple leaf was scored by Michael Carcone and that was all the Canadians managed to do.

Switzerland have won their fifth game in the league this year and with 15 points they sit first in the Group B table. The Helvetians can also think of the knockout stage. Canada will also play in the quarter-finals. Hockey players from the country of the maple leaf have accumulated 11 points and there is no longer any chance that they will not be among the top four teams in their group.

The Czech team also qualified for the quarter-finals. Our southern neighbors won Saturday against the Norwegians 2:0. The first half proved decisive, in which the reliable Dominik Kubalik and Jakub Flek took care of the goals. The Czechs with 13 points are second in Group B. The Norwegians have collected four points so far and are still unsure of staying in the world’s top flight.

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A precious victory in the context of accession to the quarter-finals was won by the Latvians. The Group B tournament hosts beat the Kazakhs 7-0 on Saturday night. It is an important victory, as it allowed Latvia to move away from the most dangerous Slovakia by six points. Only these two teams count in the fight for fourth place, giving promotion to the knockout stage. The Latvians have everything in their hands. If they score against the Swiss on Tuesday (they won’t lose in regular time), they will play the quarter-finals. In case of defeat, the Slovaks will be able to overtake them. The representatives of our southern neighbors must beat Slovenia and Norway for three points. With an equal number of 11 “points” they will be ranked higher, as they won a direct match against the hosts

In Tampere, a few victories were taken by the favorites on Saturday, although it was not without problems. Until the middle of the third third the resistance of the Danes could not be broken by the Americans. When Cutter Gauthier finally scored in the 50th minute, the goal sack dissolved. Alex Tuch made it 2-0 and Rocco Grimaldi made it 3-0 with a shot into an empty net. The American team, like Switzerland, has 15 points and is sure to play the quarterfinals. The situation of the Danes was complicated. They are still two points ahead of Germany, but it is our western neighbors who will face lower-ranked opponents.

Three points for the advancement to the knockout stage were also collected by the hosts of the Group A struggles on Saturday. The Finns won with the Austrians 3-1. The result could certainly have been more impressive, as Suomi managed no less than 39 shots on target compared to 18 for the rivals. In the end, however, the goals for them were scored by Kasperi Kapanen, Antti Suomela and Ahti Oksanen. For the Austrians, who still have only one last chance match to play against Hungary, Dominic Zwerger scored.

Sweden will also play in the quarter-finals. On Saturday night, Trzy Korony won France 4-0, scoring all the goals in the first half. The Scandinavians have 14 points in their achievements and are ranked second in Group A. The Habs beaten by them have gained four points so far. There are only games against the Americans and Germany ahead of them, so it won’t be easy to improve on the achievements.

After Saturday’s matches, we already know the six quarter-finalists. These are teams from the United States, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Czech Republic and Canada. In Group A, Denmark, Germany and France are still vying for the last spot to qualify for the knockout stage. However, in Group B, as mentioned above, only Latvia and Slovakia count.

group A:

USA – Denmark 3-0 (0-0, 0-0, 3-0)
(Gauthier 50′, Tuch 56′, Grimaldi 60′)

Austria – Finland 1:3 (1:2, 0:0, 0:1)
(Zwerger 5′ – Kapanen 2′, Suomela 8′, Oksanen 59′)

Sweden – France 4:0 (4:0, 0:0, 0:0)
(Lindholm 2′, Zetterlund 10′ and 20′, Berggren 17′)

m Crew m WITH ZPD/K PPD/K P Goals Points
1 UNITED STATES 5 5 0 0 0 21-5 15
2 Sweden 5 4 1 0 0 19-2 14
3 Finland 6 4 0 1 1 21-14 13
4 Denmark 5 2 1 0 2 17-15 8
5 Germany 5 2 0 0 3 15-14 6
6 France 5 0 1 2 2 10-17 4
7 Hungary 5 0 1 0 4 7-26 2
8 Austria 6 0 0 1 5 7-24 1

Group B:

Norway – Czech Republic 0:2 (0:2, 0:0, 0:0)
(Kubalik 13′, Flek 19′)

Canada – Switzerland 2-3 (0-0, 1-2, 1-1)
(Toffoli 30′, Carcone 57′ – Hischier 34′, Simion 37′, Ambuhl 53′)

Kazakhstan – Latvia 0:7 (0:2, 0:3, 0:2)
(Ri. Bukarts 16′, Batna 18′, Dzierkals 22′, Abols 30′ and 52′, Indrasis 40′, Daugavins 50′)

m Crew m WITH ZPD/K PPD/K P Goals Points
1 Swiss 5 5 0 0 0 22-4 15
2 The Czech Republic 5 4 0 1 0 19-9 13
3 Canada 5 3 1 0 1 20-7 11
4 Latvia 6 3 1 0 2 17-14 11
5 Slovakia 5 1 0 2 2 10-14 5
6 Kazakhstan 6 0 2 0 4 10-28 4
7 Norway 5 1 0 1 3 5-11 4
8 Slovenia 5 0 0 0 5 6-22 0

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