There were three clutch matches in second-day competition where teams were vying for final placings ahead of Thursday’s quarterfinals. Three group wins were on the line with China securing Group B, Germany Group C and Netherlands Group D. Iran won Group A on day one.
Overview
In a tight competition where a dropped match is near fatal, today brought the teams to the third and final round to decide who will go to the quarterfinals and in the best positions.
Group A had Iran win two matches on the opening day while Ukraine romped home against South Africa 19-8 to secure second place.
Group B went to China thanks to a 13-11 margin over Portugal. Great Britain lost both its matches on Wednesday.
Group C went to Germany who needed a late goal to defeat Malta 15-14. Singapore lost both Wednesday matches for third.
Group D was won by Netherlands, downing Turkiye 16-15 — the difference between first and third in the group. Netherlands broke the deadlock 1:34 from full time. Slovakia did enough on Wednesday for second in the group.
Match Reports
Match 9, Group A, UKRAINE 19 SOUTH AFRICA 8 (5-2, 7-1, 3-2, 4-3)
Ukraine was never headed and turned the 2-0 start into 5-1 by the first break and 12-3 at halftime. The dye was cast early and Ukraine just kept pounding the South African goal to good effect. Denys Ratikin scored two of the first three for Ukraine. The second quarter spread the margin to five with Brett Sneddon reclaiming one for South Africa. A Ukrainian triple caused South Africa to call a timeout, to no effect, and Ukraine secured two penalty goals to close the half.
Ratikin fired in two more at the top of the third quarter, the first from deep right and the second from centre forward. Dylan Watt scorched in a six-metre, free-throw missile for 14-4 with goals traded by the final break. Oleksandr Diadiura made his third from deep left while Ryan Sneddon and Brett Sneddon scored consecutive penalty goals. Two more Ukrainian goals — the second from Ratikin on extra — made it 18-7 with Brett Sneddon gaining his second penalty goal. Yurri Chyzhuk had his penalty attempt saved at 0:51 but he scored on counter at 0:17 for the final 19-8 score.
Match Heroes
Rakitin with six goals for Ukraine. Diadiura and Danylo Sokolov finished with three each. Brett Sneddon netted three for South Africa.
Turning Point
Ukraine jumping from 3-2 to 7-2 and then 7-3 to 14-3.
Stats Don’t Lie
Ukraine converted five from seven on extra and denied South Africa all three chances. Ukraine converted four from five on penalty with South Africa going three from three. The Africans won the steals 7-3 and on a par with shooting at 35-34, favouring Ukraine.
Bottom Line
Ukraine keeps itself in the mix for the finals while South Africa’s new team needs more competition.
Match 10, Group B, CHINA 13 PORTUGAL 11 (6-3, 3-2, 2-5, 2-1)
China notched a vital win against Portugal, coming from 3-2 down and racing to 7-3 six minutes into the second period. From then on, Portugal held the upper hand, but not enough to get across the line. Chen Zhongxian opened with the first two goals and then Portugal netted the next three. China made it four straight with Chen finishing the flourish with a six-metre-free-throw shot. Chen owned the second period, scoring three goals to Portugal’s two. At 9-5, China was comfortable heading into the second half.
Zhu Biele made it 10-5. It became 11-7 and three unanswered Portuguese goals — with Pedro Moura and Joao Guerreiro in the mix — narrowed the score to 11-10. Moura had his penalty shot stopped in the last half-minute. In the final quarter, Gao Yingyi scored twice — the first on counter and second from the right-post position on extra — for a three-goal advantage. Moura pulled one back with a nonchalant backhander from centre forward at 2:26 for 13-11. China went to a timeout and its shot rebounded to Portugal, who subsequently lost the ball. China shot at the end of possession time and the last three seconds were not contested.
Match Heroes
Chen topped the scoring with six goals for China and goalkeeper Wu Honghui was on song with nine saves. Portugal’s Moura, Salvador Rodrigues, Diogo Santiago and Guerreiro all scored twice.
Turning Point
China overturned Portugal’s 3-2 advantage to go 7-3 ahead. Portugal’s 5-2 third period could have been 6-2 but for a missed penalty attempt, which could have levelled the match. China steadied the ship in the final quarter.
Stats Don’t Lie
Both teams did well on extra with China scoring five from nine and Portugal five from 10. China nailed its one penalty attempt and stopped Portugal’s one. China stole the ball five times to four and Portugal took more shots at 33-27.
Bottom Line
China is looking good ahead of the finals and Portugal could upset yet.
Match 11, Group C, GERMANY 15 MALTA 14 (5-3, 3-3, 3-5, 4-3)
Germany scored a last-minute goal for victory and supremacy in the group. It looked like it was going to be easy, slipping out to 5-3 at the first break and then 7-3 six minutes into the second. However, from then on, Malta won the match 10-8 — not quite enough for the win. Mark Gansen scored twice in the first period for Germany while Steven Camilleri scored all three Maltese goals. Zoran Bozic netted his second to start the second quarter as Germany’s 7-3 was trimmed to 8-6 before the turn.
Nikolai Zammit made the most of a rebound to snare the first goal back in the second half. Denis Strelezkij, like Zammit, gained his second. Goals were traded and Andreas Galea pulled Malta to within one with a long lob from the top right. Camilleri scored from the other side to level at 10. Goals were traded by the buzzer. Fynn Schuetze opened the final eight minutes from the top with the two left-handers, Zammit and Jayden Cutajar, gifting Malta the lead from extra and penalty. A German timeout yielded no goal, but Strelezkij took a six-metre-foul shot for 13-13 at 3:49. Lukas Kueppers thanked his lucky stars when the rebound dropped for him to score at centre for 14-13 at 2:23, Both teams went to a timeout and for Malta it yielded a goal to Camilleri on extra. At 0:54, Bozic used his height on the left-post position to steer in an extra-man goal for 15-14. Malta lost the ball in the hole and Germany then wasted the remaining time for victory.
Match Heroes
Bozic, Strelezkij and Gansen scored a hat-trick each while goalkeepers Felix Benke (12) saves) and Max Spittank (five) played their part in the victory. Camilleri with five and Zammit with three were Malta’s best scorers. Goalkeeper Jake Tanti made nine saves.
Turning Point
Germany had an excellent start for 7-3 by late in the second quarter. Malta levelled twice late in the third and took the lead at 13-12. Germany claimed the last two goals for the victory.
Stats Don’t Lie
Malta had excellent statistics, with six from eight on extra compared to four from nine; steals at 8-5 and shots at 39-31 while both scored their one penalty chance. However, it was not enough to win.
Bottom Line
It was the first time Germany was really challenged and its needs to make sure of retaining a good lead if it hopes to go far in the tournament. Malta has to get into the game quicker.
Match 12, Group D, TURKIYE 15 NETHERLANDS 16 (5-4, 3-4, 3-2, 4-6)
Netherlands shook off Turkiye in the last three minutes for victory in a thrilling, end-to-end goal-fest. Turkiye was three up inside two minutes — with the first two penalty goals from Selcuk Caner — and held two-goal advantages until Kas Te Riele plundered a second goal for the Dutch to finish the first-quarter scoring. His third levelled the match at 5-5 just 12 seconds into the second quarter. Sebastian Hessels gave Netherlands the lead from the top left and Engin Colak responded. Te Riele and Caner traded goals and Hessels and Atakan Destici did the same for 8-8 at halftime.
Destici regained the lead for Turkiye. Goals were traded and Te Riele went on counter for his fifth strike to level at 10. Caner scored on extra from wide left to regain the Turkish lead before the final break. In the final period, Lars Ten Broek landed his second goal and Hessels scored from wide left to take the Dutch 12-11 up. In between these goals, Te Riele was fouled out, limiting some of Netherlands shooting power. Efi Naipoglu equalised at 5:36 before two Dutch goals gave them the ascendancy by 4:41. This was nullified as Mehmet Yutmaz and Nadir Sonmez, on extra, sent the local fans screaming. Tom de Weerd drilled from the right and Yutmaz responded from very deep on the left on extra. Hessels received the ball at 1:34 and fumbled the ball before recollecting and scoring for 16-15. Turkiye went to a timeout and the subsequent shot was deflected. Netherlands gained a penalty foul but the shot was saved, breathing life into Turkiye’s campaign. Turkey shot and gained a corner with six seconds remaining and the shot from deep left was swatted out by the defender. Netherlands had survived to win the group.
Match Heroes
Caner with four goals and Destici with three. Mert Meral made eight saves in goal for Turikye in his three quarters in the pool. Te Riele and Hessels grabbed five each for the Dutch. Miki Buitenhuis had another fine match in goal with 12 saves.
Turning Point
Turkey at 3-0; Netherlands at 7-6; Turkiye at 9-8; Netherlands at 14-12; draws at 14 and 15; then Hessels’ winner
Stats Don’t Lie
Turkiye was best on extra-man attack with seven from 12 and stopping five from nine. Turkiye also claimed both penalty goals and stopped one of Netherlands. The Dutch stole the ball six times to five and both teams took 38 shots.
Bottom Line
One goal was the difference between first and third, so close was this match. The Dutch should go further in the tournament while Turkiye should finish in ninth place.
Final Points
Group A: Iran 6, Ukraine 3, South Africa 0
Group B: China 6, Portugal 3, Great Britain 0
Group C: Germany 6, Malta 3, Singapore 0
Group D: Netherlands 6, Slovakia 3, Turkiye 0
Classification 9-12 Crossovers
Match 13, 3A SOUTH AFRICA 9 3B GREAT BRITAIN 15
Great Britain had to overcome a 2-0 deficit at the quarter and take the lead for the first time at 2:55 in the third period. It managed to grab 4-4 and 5-5 scores in the first half thanks to two Reuben Powell goals. However, the hard work was done by Lewis Gilmour with the first four goals for Britain. Dylan Watt had two goals in the bag by halftime as South Africa looked the team to beat.
Watt netted a third to start the second half but three British goals, including another to Reuben Powell, gave Britain an 8-6 advantage, which it improved to 9-7 via a Kameron Powell penalty. Gilmour, Kameron Powell and an identical pair of goals from Ben Alderson pushed the margin to six before Dean Sneddon stole the ball in front of goal and scored for 13-8. Britain put away another two and Ryan Sneddon closed the scoring on penalty for South Africa at 15-9.
Match Heroes
Gilmour was best with four goals and Kameron Powell and Reuben Powell netted three apiece for Britain. Watt scored a triple for South Africa.
Turning Point
Great Britain taking the lead for the first time at 7-6 three minutes from the last break. It was onwards and upwards from there.
Stats Don’t Lie
Great Britain was forceful on extra-man attack with five from 10 and stopping four from five. Britain went four from four on penalty and South Africa made sure of its two. The steals were locked at six and South Africa had the better of the shots at 33-28.
Bottom Line
South Africa showed what it is capable of at this level by holding out Great Britain for much of the match. However, stamina was lacking in the final stages. Britain would be happy with the latter stages of the match.
Match 14, 3C SINGAPORE 10 3D TURKIYE 26 (0-9, 3-6, 1-4, 6-7)
Turkiye showed that is better than being in the lower play-offs. The 9-0 first quarter showed that and the class of Selcuk Caner was on show from the beginning with the first three of his amazing 10 goals. He sat back as Atakan Destici and Mehmet Yutmaz made their charges. Caner started the second period on penalty and had two more by the middle of the period. Singapore awoke with three different scorers at 10-1, 13-2 and 13-3. Yutmaz nailed his fourth to close the half at 15-3.
Singapore managed to slow the Turkish juggernaut in the third quarter, keeping Turkiye to four and scoring a second Jayden See goal. The final quarter was a ripper from the scoring front with Sanjiv Rajandra gaining a second for Singapore as Yutmaz and Caner filled their holiday stockings to 25-7. Singapore threw a triple with a pair of penalties to bring up double figures and a second goal to Yee Heng Tan. Caner gained his 10th on a quick drive, snapping the ball into goal a second from full time.
Match Heroes
Caner was a constant thorn in Singapore’s side with a tournament-high 10 goals with Yutmaz scoring six and Destici four. Rajandra, Tang and See scored twice each for Singapore.
Turning Point
The opening whistle.
Stats Don’t Lie
Turkey converted all three extra-man chances and stopped one of three; converted six of seven from the penalty line to Singapore’s two from three. On steals, Turkiye went 10-7 and had more shots at 38-24.
Bottom Line
Turkiye is by far the better team with bigger and harder shooters. With more preparation could have been in the quarterfinals. Singapore must regroup for the classification match on Friday.
Day 3 Schedule
Classification 11-12
Match 15. 13:00. South Africa v Singapore
Classification 9-10
Match 16. 14:30. Great Britain v Turkiye
Classification 1-8 Quarterfinals
Match 17. 13:00. Iran v Portugal
Match 18. 11:30. China v Ukraine
Match 19. 13:00. Germany v Slovakia
Match 20. 14:30. Netherlands v Malta