EuroHockey Championship Qualifier I Women (Prague, Czechia) – day 2 round-up

Switzerland will meet Lithuania in the fifth place playoff on Sunday while Croatia play Türkiye for seventh following today’s classification matches in Prague.

Switzerland bounced back from their quarter-final defeat in style as they recorded a 7-0 win over Croatia to earn a place in Sunday’s fifth place playoff.

After a series of early penalty corners, Sofie Stomps put them in front from a penalty stroke in the eighth minute and Elena Trösch added another from a set piece.

Dunja Härtsch’s ripper of a corner shot extended the half-time advantage to 3-0 – her first outdoor international goal – as a short-handed Croatia struggled in the Czech heat.

Nele Pöhler stretched the score out further a minute into the second half and they ran up another three goals in the last 10 minutes. Stomps and Trösch both scored their second before Tessa Hipp became another to get her first international goal with two minutes left.

For Lithuania, an early goal from Denise Soto and a late corner from Samanta Jakovleva propelled them to their win over Türkiye.

Soto’s goal was an excellent drag-flick in the seventh minute as Lithuania made most of the early play.

As time wore on in the second half, Türkiye piled forward as much as they could while Lithuania were menacing on the break and creating the bigger chances.

They hit the outside of the post and tipped just wide before Jakovleva’s powerful sweep made it into the roof of the net.

The Turks kept attacking and did win a stroke but it was fired wide by Ece Șahiner; a couple of further corner goals went awry as Lithuania held on for the win.