Report thanks to Finnish Hockey
Tight fight in Ukraine Switzerland match
On the second day of the EuroHockey Junior Championships in Helsinki two, equally strong teams faced each other. Both teams had one win behind them and a desire to win again.
In the early part of the match, Ukraine kept the game under control, whilst Switzerland focused mainly on a good defense. The first real attack came in the first quarter when Ukraine was awarded a short corner, which was well saved by the goalkeeper.
Step by step Switzerland got more and more involved and both teams put together a few good attacks and there were some great saves from both goalkeepers. We saw good performances and a strong effort from both sides with the first goal being scored in the third quarter of the match when Ukraine’s Yaroslav Berhilevych put his team to a 1-0 lead.
Only three minutes later, Switzerland had a possibility to tie the game when they were awarded a short corner. Loris Grandchamp found a way to hit the ball behind Ukraine’s goalkeeper Bohdan Yurkov into the goal.
Towards the end, Switzerland took more and more control of the game as the Ukrainians picked up green and yellow cards. However, no further goals were scored and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Finland was outrun by Lithuania
In the second match of the evening, Finland faced Lithuania. Finland started the game with a good attitude, but already in the first quarter, we saw two great goals from Lithuania, skillfully scored by Povilas Sinkevicius and Rafal Stankevic. Finland got a few good attacks and got to try for a goal in a short corner, but the shot went towards the goalkeeper.
In the second quarter, Finland’s Elmeri Rihtilä took the first green card and Lithuania used the situation well by hitting a 3-0 goal by Andzej Burkot.
In the third quarter, Lithuania took final control of the game and scored two more goals. The first goal was a penalty shot, which Justinas Blazys hit with confidence behind Jobanvir Khaira, who acted as Finland’s goalkeeper in the second half. The 5-0 goal was made by Dominykas Vaikenas.
In the fourth quarter, Finland received two yellow cards, and while Finland’s defense fumbled, Lithuania took advantage and strike the 6-0 goal from a short corner. Finland managed to attack Lithuania a few more times, but no goals were scored.
Lithuania finished the game by hitting the final scores of the game 7-0 from a short corner received in the last minute.
Tomorrow is a rest day and we resume on 29th July:
| Time | Teams | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 11:15 | LTU – SUI | Pool A |
| 13:30 | UKR – FIN | Pool A |
All games are being streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org
Photograph: Ville Järvinen (c)
