The Swiss men’s team won the quarter-final against Greece 3:2 after a great chase, thus entering the history of street hockey.
Never before has a modern Swiss men’s street hockey team reached the semi-finals of a world championship. A win against Greece was missing for a date with history. The Swiss dominated the game, showing themselves to be rebellious and courageous and creating numerous chances. However, it was the Greeks who, contrary to the course of the game, led 2-0 until the 24th minute. The Swiss did not let themselves be discouraged and equalized until the second siren. Five minutes before the end, Paulik completed the turnaround with a shot into the top corner. The Lonza Arena shook. “We were physically stronger and our team spirit was strong! Let the adventure continue!” said goal scorer Paulik.
In the other quarter-finals of the men’s draw, the USA took the upper hand over title contenders Slovakia in a well-deserved and balanced duel (7:3). The reigning vice-world champion Czech Republic did not let itself be surprised by the underdog Haiti. It won in a sovereign manner 8:0. In the evening match, defending champion Canada was on its way to the semi-finals after 20 minutes of play against Finland. The semi-finals will take place on Friday afternoon at the Lonza-Arena in Visp. Switzerland will enter the competition at 18:00 against Canada.
USA-Czechia final in the women’s draw – the momentum of the Swiss slowed down
The Swiss women’s team was delayed in its goal of reaching the excellent 5th place. Despite overwhelming dominance, the Swiss had to bow out 2:0 to the “United Nations” team. Once again, a lack of composure and striking power was their downfall. The Swiss want to end the World Championship in style with the classification match against Great Britain on Friday afternoon (28 June, 4:30 p.m., Raiffeisen-Arena Raron).
In the semi-finals, the USA beat defending champions Canada 2-1 in a hard-fought semi-final. The Czechs, the reigning vice-champions, earned a well-deserved 4-1 victory over Slovakia. The World Championship final will take place on Friday evening (June 28, 20:30, Lonza-Arena Visp).
