The Women’s World Floorball Championships in Ostrava is entering its most crucial phase. This weekend, matches are scheduled both for final placements and, above all, for the medals. On Saturday at 4.00 p.m., the Czech national team will face Finland in a battle for a historic place in the final. Earlier, other placement games were played: Norway defeated Denmark and will compete for fifth place on Sunday. Their opponent will be Latvia, who defeated Slovakia in overtime.
Norway – Denmark 4:3 (1:3, 2:0, 1:0)
The first playoff match for places five to eight saw Norway start more actively. However, it was their opponents who celebrated the opening goal, as Mørch scored from midfield. Norway equalized later in the first period. The tug-of-war for the lead continued, and before the first intermission Denmark reclaimed their advantage. Late in the period, they extended it to a two-goal lead for the first time in the match. Norway, however, refused to give up and early in the middle twenty minutes cut the deficit back to the narrowest possible margin. The game continued at a very even pace, but after a great comeback in the third period, Norway took the lead for the first time. The Norwegian players then managed to hold on to the slim advantage even during the opponents’ final goalie-less push. Thanks to this victory, Norway will battle for fifth place on Sunday, while Denmark will play for seventh.
Latvia – Slovakia 4:3 e.t. (2:0, 1:1, 0:2, 1:0)
A major drama unfolded in the clash between Latvia and Slovakia. The Baltic side dominated the opening period thanks to goals by Julija Rozīte and Anna Ankudinova. Latvia also made a strong start to the middle frame, as just twenty-eight seconds after it began Simona Grāpēna added another name to the scoresheet. The players coached by Michal Jedlička refused to give up, and Slovakia pulled one back through FBC Ostrava forward Paulína Hudáková. Heading into the final period, the Slovaks faced an unfavorable 1:3 deficit. They were given an opportunity on the power play, which Daniela Hrabovská converted to bring them within a single goal. Slovakia continued to create chances, and another one paid off when Laura Chúpeková found the net. Everything pointed toward overtime. However, one second before the final buzzer, Anna Ankudina was illegally impeded on a breakaway. The referees did not hesitate and awarded a penalty shot. The fouled player took it herself, but she was denied by goalkeeper Farulová. In overtime, Latvia sealed their victory thanks to a quick finish by Emilija Salaciete, earning a spot in Sunday’s fifth-place match against Norway.
Czechia – Finland 1:0 (0:0, 0:0, 1:0)
The Czech women managed to defeat Finland in the first semifinal of the day by the narrowest possible margin, 1-0. However, the victory did not come easily. The match was very evenly balanced right until the very end, and either team could have won. The heroine was Michaela Kubečková, who failed to convert her penalty shot but redeemed herself 79 seconds before the final buzzer by scoring the goal that secured the Czechs’ historic first-ever advance to the World Floorball Championship final.
Sweden – Switzerland 3:6 (1:4, 0:1, 2:1)
The semifinal showdown between Sweden and Switzerland had a clear favorite in the Swedes, who had gone unbeaten for 18 long years! However, against the team from the land of the Helvetic cross, Sweden struggled throughout the game and, whenever they did create chances, were denied by the outstanding performance of goaltender Lara Heini. While she kept her crease firmly locked down, her teammates kept scoring goal after goal against Tre Kronor and eventually sealing a commanding 6–3 victory. The result eliminated Sweden from the battle for world gold, meaning the Swedes will not defend their championship title for the tenth consecutive time. Even more remarkably, for the first time in the history of the Women’s World Championships, one of the Nordic powerhouses — Sweden or Finland — will leave the tournament without a medal. An extraordinary and unprecedented moment, which unfolded here in Ostrava on Saturday.
