Reigning champions Austria ended the day as the only side with two wins to their name on the opening day of the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship following a goal-fest at Leuven’s Sportoase.
They saw off both Croatia and Switzerland in close-run battles; Germany also have a 100% record having won their only game of the day while Spain are also in the mix thanks to an 8-6 carnival win over the Croats.
In Pool B, it is extremely tight with Portugal the story of the day, winning their first ever match at this level when they defeated Ukraine 4-1.
Hosts Belgium started well with a 4-2 win over the Portugeuse in front of a raucous home crowd while Ukraine drew 4-4 with Czechia. Poland were the last side to enter the stage and they produced a brilliant defensive performance to beat the red lions 4-2.
***
In Pool A, reigning champions Austria have the early advantage with two wins from two after a couple of hard-fought results.
Indeed, they fell behind against Croatia in the first quarter of game one as Lucas Bachmann scored his nation’s first ever goal in the top division.
The Red Capricorns did pull away after that but Croatia never stopped battling, cutting the gap to 5-3 in the closing quarter. Austria, though, were always just out of reach thanks to Fabian Unterkircher’s hat trick, making it 6-4.
They backed it up with a 4-2 win over Switzerland. Fülöp Losonci’s first half double meant they were always in front as the Swiss spurned a penalty stroke to limit their chances.
Germany were too strong for Spain in their only game of the day, scoring four in the first 12 minutes. Elian Mazkour was on fire, scoring three as they won with a healthy 6-2 scoreline.
The Spaniards, though, bounced back in spectacular style when they defeated Croatia 8-6, lifting them to three points and keeping up their interest in the semi-final shake-up.
Pool B began with a thrilling 4-4 draw between Czechia and Ukraine, coming alive in the last six minutes with five goals. Ukraine led 3-1 at that stage but Lukas Plochý’s double earned a point.
Belgium found life difficult against Portugal in front of a packed house for their first game, falling behind 2-1 early in the second half.
But star man Philippe Simar turned the tide, scoring three for the indoor red lions to put them in front and Mallory Magnant’s smart finish made it 4-2.
The Portuguese side bounced back brilliantly, however, to record their first ever win in the top division with a 4-1 success against Ukraine. Rodrigo Castro and Laurens Halfmann’s pair put them 3-1 ahead by the 16th minute.
And Ukraine’s task got even harder when Vitalii Shevchuk got a second yellow card and a permanent suspension which meant they could not find a way back.
Poland were the last side to enter the stage and they stunned the home favourites Belgium with Gracjan Jarzyński scoring four times in a 4-2 victory. The hosts were also left frustrated as they missed two penalty strokes which made a big difference to the complexion of the game.
Day two of the men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship begins with a bang in Pool A with Switzerland looking to get off the mark against a Spanish side (10am CET) hungry for more following their win over Croatia.
Germany face the Croats (11.15am CET) looking to keep up their 100% record before Pool B returns with opening day heroes Portugal facing Czechia (12.30pm CET). Poland will aim to back up their memorable win over Belgium when they face Ukraine (1.45pm CET).
The evening session begins with Croatia versus Switzerland (4pm CET) before the huge meeting of contenders Austria and Germany (5.15pm).
Portugal meet Poland (6.30pm CET) before Czechia and host Belgium round out the day (7.45pm). By the end of proceedings, the semi-final line-up will be looking much clearer with each side hoping they are in the mix.
Watch it all live on www.eurohockeytv.org
Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship – day one results
Pool A
Austria 6 (F Unterkircher 3, B Stanzl, S Eitenberger, F Losonci) Croatia 4 (L Bachmann 3, M Mucić)
Germany 6 (E Mazkour 3, H Mertgens 2, P-P Kaufmann) Spain 2 (I Cobos, M Prol)
Spain 8 (I Abajo 3, E Zorita, C Curiel, I Cobos, A Sanz, J Muñoz) Croatia 6 (L Bachmann 2, G Fujs 2, M Mucić, A Fujs)
Switzerland 2 (B Stomps, L Hengartner) Austria 4 (F Losonci 2, B Stanzl, M Kelner)
Pool B
Czechia 4 (L Plochý 2, A Uhlíř, M Seemann) Ukraine 4 (V Kalinchuk 2, B Kovalenko, D Luppa)
Belgium 4 (P Simar 3, M Magnant) Portugal 2 (J Santos, L Halfmann)
Ukraine 1 (V Zhmereniuk) Portugal 4 (R Castro 2, D Halfmann 2)
Poland 4 (G Jarzyński 4) Belgium 2 (P Simar, C Hermans)
** For further match data and fixture information from the tournament, go to https://tms.fih.ch/competitions/1548
