Helsinki delivered a day of thrills and spills as the men’s and women’s EuroHockey Championship Qualifiers II got under way at the Velodrome.
The women’s tournament began with Gibraltar securing an important 1–0 victory over Hungary.
The sides were evenly matched throughout a closely contested encounter in which clear scoring opportunities were limited. The decisive moment came in the final period when Gibraltar were awarded a penalty stroke.
Captain Natalie Caetano stepped up and converted confidently, scoring what proved to be the only goal.
Hosts Finland opened their home tournament against Luxembourg, making a cautious start before settling into the match and enjoying long spells of possession.
** Finland’s women line out for an historic first EuroHockey Championship fixture. Photos: Ville Järvinen
While they built attacks effectively in the opposition half, the breakthrough never arrived and the teams went into the interval level at 0–0.
Into the second half and Luxembourg were able to capitalise on a couple of opportunities with Natalie Paul making it 1-0 and she would later follow-up with her second of the day after Maude De Cooman made it 2-0.
Despite the defeat, Finland head coach Markku “Sikke” Heino saw plenty of encouraging signs in the performance in what was a debut day for the entire team.
“Everyone played really well, but if I have to single out some, it was Ailin Festivo, Mira Nicolaes and goalkeeper Reija Jokinen who shone on the field. Honestly, the game should have ended differently,” he said afterwards.
“There were a few stupid mistakes that resulted in goals but this was a good start to the Finnish women’s tournament. You can’t be disappointed, but you can’t be very happy either. It wasn’t much of a stretch to win. We were punished for mistakes.”
Next on the agenda on Friday morning will be the meeting of Luxmebourg and Hungary before Gibraltar face Finland.
The men’s tournament opened with Lithuania taking on Luxembourg in an evenly contested match. Parity remained intact for much of the first half before Cominykas Vaikenas gave Lithuania the lead in the 29th minute, finishing the opening goal of the contest just before the break.
As the match entered its closing stages, Lithuania doubled their advantage through captain Andžej Burkot. Luxembourg responded when Leopold Krampe pulled a goal back to make it 2–1, but the comeback fell short and Lithuania held on for the victory.
The most dramatic match of the day came between Malta and Greece. After a goalless first half, Greece appeared to take control immediately after the restart. Paris Welzel struck twice in quick succession to put the Greeks 2–0 ahead, leaving Malta facing a major challenge.
The Maltese, however, refused to give in. Captain Tom Degiovanni reduced the deficit in the 40th minute, giving his side renewed belief. Their persistence paid off in the closing stages when Degiovanni found the equaliser from a short corner.
** Greece hit the top of the net against Malta
With the momentum firmly on Malta’s side, there was still time for one final twist. Moments after levelling the score, Joseph Ellul-Turner struck the winning goal at the very end of the match to complete a remarkable comeback and secure a 3–2 victory.
In the day’s closing game, Finland started brightly against Gibraltar in a high-tempo contest, backed by strong support from the home crowd.
But Gibraltar seized the initiative just before half-time with a goal from a short corner from Julian Lopez and, only minutes later, Julian Hernandez extended the lead to 2–0.
Finland continued to battle throughout the second half but could not turn their efforts into goals. In the third period, Leigh Dobinson added Gibraltar’s third, sealing a 3–0 victory.
Friday sees Hungary face Lithuania in Pool A while Gibraltar meet Greece and Malt play Finland in Pool B.
** Click here to follow all the stats from the women’s tournament
** Click here to follow all the stats from the men’s tournament
** Go to the Finnish Hockey website for further pictures, reports and details
