Canada was the big winner on day two, as it downed France in dramatic fashion, despite the best efforts of big hitters Thomas Vernoux and Romain Marion Vernoux. Meanwhile, Australia was pushed all the way by China and Montenegro marched on with another resounding victory.
Match Reports
Match 13. First Round League Phase.
UKRAINE 24 HONG KONG 7 (6-3, 7-1, 8-2, 3-1)
Ukraine bounced back from its opening-day defeat to France by sweeping Hong Kong aside. Despite conceding the first two goals, the Ukrainians quickly recovered and a 10-0 surge after 6-4 ended Hong Kong’s resistance and took it firmly out of sight. After hitting four goals each against the French on day one, Ukraine’s Dmytro Ashanin and Orest Dzhura carried on their prolific form in Malta by firing in another five and six respectively.
Match 14. First Round League Phase.
CHINA 12 AUSTRALIA 16 (3-2, 3-4, 4-5, 2-5)
Australia had to work hard to eventually shake off Malta on day one and found itself embroiled in another fierce battle today. China was the thorn in its side this time, as Australia again started slowly and trailed by two early in the second period (4-2). By halftime, the scores were locked at 6-6 and up to this point it was the Aussie Sharks doing all the chasing. In the third, Australia began to edge ahead, but China kept finding answers, levelling three times. Matthew Byrnes proved to be the saviour for Australia, as he nudged his side in front shortly before the penultimate break and added three more in the fourth quarter to take his game-high tally to eight. Byrnes could even afford to miss a penalty, as China failed to find another equaliser despite captain Zhongxian Chen bringing his side within one twice in the final minutes.
Match 15. First Round League Phase.
ROMANIA 28 SOUTH AFRICA 5 (8-1, 9-2, 5-1, 6-1)
Romania totally outclassed South Africa from start to finish. All but one of its outfield players ended up on the scoresheet, as South Africa struggled to get any sort of foothold in the match. A 4-0 burst to start the game gave an indication of what was to come, with Romania’s free-flowing attack cutting through South Africa’s defence at will. By halftime, the gap was 14 and it was simply a case of damage limitation in the third and fourth. Vlad-Luca Georgescu led the way for the Romanians, rifling in five goals from five shots.
Match 16. First Round League Phase.
ARGENTINA 5 MONTENEGRO 21 (2-4, 0-8, 2-5, 1-4)
Montenegro picked up from where it left off against Kazakhstan on day one by confidently swatting away Argentina. It was another dominant display that showed Montenegro means business and a place in the top two is firmly in its sights. Argentina kept up briefly until 2-3, then an 11-0 blast set Montenegro on its way to another comprehensive victory. Joint-top scorers Nikola Moskov and Duro Radovic were the standout performers, grabbing four goals each.
Match 18. First Round League Phase.
FRANCE 12 CANADA 13 (3-2, 2-2, 3-5, 4-4)
France’s big guns faltered against Canada, who out-foxed its opponents to cause the biggest surprise of the day. France was two up early in the second period (4-2) and looked to be on the right track, but Canada refused to fall further behind. At halftime, the North Americans were still breathing down France’s neck and Jason O’Donnell delivered a decisive blow right on the buzzer at the end of the third to put his team ahead for a third time (8-9). Bogdan Djerkovic struck first in the fourth to put France in more trouble, but two goals each from Thomas Vernoux and Romain Marion Vernoux helped keep their side in contention at 12-12 with 4:26 still left to play. Jack Merrill ended up the hero, as his strike with 2:29 on the clock decided the outcome as the Canadian defence held firm to close the game out.
Match 19. First Round League Phase.
GREAT BRITAIN 9 NEUTRAL ATHLETES B 21 (0-3, 2-4, 4-8, 3-6)
Great Britain produced a better performance than its day-one showing against China, but still ended up well beaten. Neutral Athletes B were more clinical in front of goal and their rigorous defence gave up few opportunities for the Brits. The score could have been worse had it not been for the heroics of British goalkeeper Thomas Manley in the first half, who posted nine saves during his 16 minutes of action, including blocking Arslan Zakirov’s penalty with a strong left hand. Zakirov had the last laugh, though, as he, Konstantin Sheikin and Roman Shepelev finished as joint-top scorers with four goals each.
Match 20. First Round League Phase.
GEORGIA 17 BRAZIL 15 in penalty shootout FT: 12-12. Pens 5-3 (4-3, 2-1, 2-3, 4-5)
Penalties were needed to separate Georgia and Brazil after a 24-goal thriller ended in a stalemate. Neither team could pull away, with Brazil constantly pegging the Georgians back, despite trailing by two on seven occasions. Midway through the fourth, Rafael Vergara even nudged Brazil ahead (10-11) for the first time, but the response was swift. Valiko Dadvani levelled, then Besarion Akhvlediani’s strike with 1:28 remaining looked to have won it for Georgia. However, Vergara’s man-up goal with just 15 seconds on the clock sent the game to a shootout. Gustavo Guimaraes’ shot was saved by Irakli Razmadze in the fourth round, and as all five of Georgia’s were perfect, Brazil fell to its second successive defeat in Malta.
Match 21. First Round League Phase.
PORTUGAL 26 POLAND 7 (4-2, 6-1, 7-1, 9-3)
After sitting out of day one’s action, Poland started its World Cup campaign with a heavy 19-goal loss to Portugal. Sharpshooters Salvador Lopes and Rui Martins caused most of the damage, hammering in seven goals apiece, as the Portuguese roared to an emphatic victory. It was an afternoon to forget for Poland, who missed all seven of its man-up shots, and was powerless to turn the tide against its far superior opponent.
Match 22. First Round League Phase.
SLOVENIA 8 SLOVAKIA 13 (2-2, 1-2, 2-5, 3-4)
A low-scoring first half saw both defences on top, as Slovenia and Slovakia were both having problems in attack. In the third, it was Slovakia who finally started moving through the gears and began to unlock Slovenia’s back line. A 5-0 rush swung the game in its favour and there was no way back for the Slovenians. The deficit was reduced to three twice, but the result was never in danger. Slovakia’s defence rarely faltered, restricting Slovenia to just two goals from 11 man-up attempts, while Maros Tkac top scored with four.
Match 23. First Round League Phase.
TURKIYE 28 SINGAPORE 7 (7-1, 6-0, 8-4, 7-2)
Turkiye had little trouble dismantling Singapore to make it two wins from two in Malta. After establishing an unassailable 13-1 advantage by halftime, Turkiye continued to push forward, adding 15 more goals before the final buzzer. It was another tough lesson for Singapore, which was unable to stop the onslaught. Mehmet Yutmaz was in fine form for Turkiye, rifling in a game-high eight times, including two penalty goals.
Match 24. First Round League Phase.
MALTA 19 KAZAKHSTAN 7 (4-2, 4-2, 8-2, 3-1)
Host Malta overpowered Kazakhstan to earn its first win of the tournament, much to the delight of the home fans inside the stands. Ivan Nagaev and Elijah Schembri opened the scoring to help set Malta on its way to a commanding victory. Kazakhstan managed to keep the score respectable until halftime (8-4), but collapsed in the third, as Malta rubber-stamped its authority by striking eight more times. It was a dominant win for the Maltese, with Nagaev leading the charge with five goals.
Ranking
Canada 86.2
2. Montenegro 85.8
3. Neutral Athletes B 83.9
4. Romania 83.3
5. Australia 83.2
6. Portugal 81.6
7. Turkiye 81.4
8. Germany 76.2
9. Malta 67.5
10. France 66.4
11. China 65.1
12. Argentina 62
13. Ukraine 60.8
14. Georgia 60.5
15. Slovakia 60.2
16. Kazakhstan 41.8
17. Brazil 40
18. Slovenia 39.5
19. South Africa 37.6
20. Singapore 35.8
21. Hong Kong 34.6
22. Great Britain 33.4
23. Poland 31
Day 3 Schedule
Australia v Singapore
Germany v Hong Kong
Canada v Portugal
Georgia v Slovenia
South Africa v Neutral Athletes B
China v Turkiye
Brazil v Kazakhstan
Montenegro v Great Britain
Argentina v Ukraine
Romania v Malta
France v Poland