RUS, BRA, NZL and MLT lead the rankings after two days of competition while GRE upset champion ESP and improved its ranking after a horror first-day slump.
Overview
Some unlikely teams are making it to the top of the rankings with BRA, NZL and MLT chasing frontrunner RUS after two days of competition. MNE took the scalp of ITA 12-10 and champion ESP fell 9-8 to GRE, a first-day loser to RUS.
The points system does not favour some but there are still two more days of the league round for teams to catapult into the top eight.
First Round League Phase Match Reports
Match 19. KAZKAHSTAN 16 SINGAPORE 15 in penalty shootout: FT: 12-12. Pens: 4-3. (4-4, 1-2, 5-2, 2-4)
KAZ made up for the first-day loss to EGY with a penalty-shootout win over a defiant SGP. KAZ slipped into the shootout with a last-gasp goal on extra and then did not miss a shot. Amazingly, the shooter to fail at the penalty line was Ryan Chua who amassed seven goals in regular time. KAZ briefly tasted the lead in the first quarter and then retook the advantage in the third and made great strides for 9-6 and 10-7 before closing the period at 10-8. SGP returned to the fray, scoring the first two goals for 10-10 by 3:30. Goals were traded to 1:59 and Chua scored the go-ahead goal at 1:25 with a shot from outside. KAZ called a timeout to no effect and KAZ took another at 0:26, gained an exclusion and converted the extra play through Assanali Amangeldinov. Then the shootout prevailed with KAZ the winner and SGP tasting its first defeat after beating Poland on day one.
Match Heroes
Alizhan Audanbekov, captain Amangeldinov, Duman Sagyndyk and Sultan Kumarbek scored twice each for KAZ. Chua slammed in seven goals for SGP and goalkeeper Lucas Lim made seven saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
KAZ converted three from five on extra compared to SGP’s six from seven. KAZ sent in four from five on penalty, led the steals 12-8 and shot 27-19.
Match 28. EGYPT 21 URUGUAY 4 (7-0, 2-1, 6-1, 6-2)
EGY made it two from two with a super-solid effort against URU. The opening quarter made a statement and URU made strong efforts to score, gaining in each of the last three periods. However, it was a hard slog with EGY showing its full capabilities. The first Leon Varela strike, on penalty, came at 4:01 of the second period, meaning eight minutes before scoring. Varela scored the second at 3:40 in the third quarter with a shot from outside. The third came through Santino Decia on extra at 4:55 in the fourth with Jan Llorca striking at 1:06 for URU’s fourth goal and fifth for the tournament. Meanwhile, EGY was scoring at will and should go far in the tournament.
Match Heroes
Omar Ahmed Mokhtar scored five from seven and Haroun Moustafa four from five with seven others making the sheet. Varela scored twice from five attempts for URU while goalkeeper Mateo Campal dragged in seven saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
EGY converted five from eight on extra to URU’s one from one; converted four from five on penalty to one; countered three times to none; took the steals 13 to one and the overall shots at 32-10. URU was roasted on all counts.
Match 20. GERMANY 8 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 12 (1-2, 3-2, 2-4, 2-4)
USA picked up its second win and GER a first loss. Channing Wigo, son of four-time Olympian Wolf Wigo who captained USA, tossed in the first ball with Aden Shin scoring the second for 2-1 before the quarter-time buzzer. Goals were traded in the middle of the second quarter with Julian Konitzer stealing the ball to score for the first and then a second on counter for 3-3. Wigo netted on extra and Nico Buchelt also converted extra for 4-4 with six seconds left on the clock. Justus Oestreich converted a penalty foul to give GER the lead at the top of the third quarter with Shin replying soon after. Another swap occurred before Shin converted extra for 7-6 at 2:32. Owen Marks, who scored the sixth goal, converted extra for the eighth to give USA a two-goal advantage at the last break. Francesco Pintaric scored twice either side of an Oestreich penalty goal. Oestreich was in another trade but Shin scored his last at 1:28 for 12-8 — the final score.
Match Heroes
Captain Shin scored four from 11 attempts from a team that only took 26 shots. Goalkeeper Alistair Sterrett made a huge 10 saves for USA. Oestreich top-scored with four for GER and goalie Karlo Thiele took in seven balls.
Stats Don’t Lie
USA converted six from nine on extra and GER two from six. On penalties, USA scored one from two and GER two from three. On steals, USA went nine to six and on shots, 26-25.
Match 29. SOUTH AFRICA 6 POLAND 8 (3-3, 2-2, 1-3, 0-0)
POL made up for its loss to SGP the day before with a hard-fought victory thanks for stout defence and the performance of goalkeeper Nataniel Wojcicki, who was named player of the match. The break came in the third quarter and it was where the match was won. RSA was leading the teams in the first quarter and POL took over in the second briefly before RSA nudged ahead and then went to the half at 5-5. Witold Babula on extra and Karol Rogaczewski from two metres took it to 7-5. Chris Davidson replied on extra and Bartlomiej Topolski blasted in a missile from a six-metre, free throw for 8-6 with 11 seconds remaining. RSA had seven shots to one in the final period with neither side scoring. Both coaches saw yellow at the 3:13 mark as tensions exploded.
Match Heroes
Kornel Szczerba, Babula and Topolski scored a brace each and goalkeeper Wojcicki gladly accepted the player-of-the-match award for his seven saves. Morgan Erasmus and captain Davidson scored twice each and goalie William Biddulph stopped seven shots in his half a match.
Stats Don’t Lie
POL netted two from six on extra and RSA two from three. RSA scored the only penalty goal, won the steal 6-2 but narrowly trailed on shots at 26-22.
Match 23. HUNGARY 12 TURKIYE 6 (5-2, 5-1, 0-1, 2-2)
HUN made it a second successive victory with the fancied Turks not managing to get past the post first. The rot started early for TUR with HUN gaining the first five goals before handing off two by quarter time. A HUN triple sent the Magyars to 8-2 before Cagan Kir nudged in a penalty strike and Oliver Frater responded on the next attack for 9-3. A late action goal for HUN turned the match at 10-3. Efe Ilik converted extra at 3:01 and TUR was back in the match, winning the period with that one goal. However, HUN started the fourth with Ilik replying on extra at 4:30. It was not until1:42 that Kemalcan Onur scored for TUR. HUN took a timeout and scored at 1:26, the final nail in the coffin.
Match Heroes
Frater with four goals for HUN. Ilik nailed three for TUR and the real hero was goalkeeper Ayhan Aydemir with 11 heroic saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
HUN scored four from five on extra and TUR four from six. Each scored a penalty goal; HUN won the steals 11-nine and the shots 26-22 with a commanding percentage.
Match 30. UKRAINE 10 ISRAEL 11 (2-3, 3-2, 3-3, 2-3)
ISR turned the tables on UKR at 1:05 in the fourth period as Aviv Gidron scored from outside. Earlier captain Yali Winberg scored at centre forward for the equaliser after his opposite number, Vitalii Dyadyura scored on penalty to break a minute-long deadlock. ISR made the play in the first quarter; UKR scored the go-ahead goals in the second, with ISR coming back each time. ISR took over the reins in the third with UKR levelling at 1:07, going ahead at 0:37 and ISR equalising on penalty, 16 seconds form the last break. UKR started the final period with Winberg setting the scene for the final stanza.
Match Heroes
Winberg slotted three goals and eight other made the sheet for ISR. UKR's Dyadyura scored five from 10 attempts and goalkeeper Anton Shushunov took in nine balls.
Stats Don’t Lie
UKR converted four from 10 on extra and stopped four from five; made two from three penalty goals from four to ISR’s two from four; shared the steals at five and the shots at 25, although ISR had a 44 percentage and UKR 40. Close figures that demanded a tight match.
Match 22. BRAZIL 13 CHINA 7 (2-2, 6-1, 3-4, 2-0)
BRA picked up its second win and CHN now has two losses following the penalty-shootout loss to MLT on day one. Murilo Malardo started the scoring for BRA with CHN slipping in the next two from centre and a penalty strike from Luo Zijin. BRA levelled with an outside shot before the quarter-time break. Malardo scored the first two of the second quarter with Zhou Letian pulling one back. The next four goals fell to BRA for 8-3 at the turn. Goals were traded twice and then Luo and Li Bingze at centre minimised the deficit to three. Luc Feital gave BRA an extra edge with a goal on the buzzer for 11-7. In the final quarter, Malardo opened on extra and Raul Freitas closed on action, 11 seconds from time for the 13-7 victory.
Match Heroes
Malardo topped with four goals and Vinicius Meira made nine saves for BRA. Luo made a hat-trick for CHN.
Stats Don’t Lie
BRA converted three from six on extra to one from four; missed a penalty shot to two from China; won the steals 10-six and had a 52 per cent shooting average to China’s 25.9.
Match 31. PERU 3 ROMANIA 17 (1-6, 1-3, 1-3, 0-5)
ROU made it two from two with a comfortable rout of PER. The opening period said it all as PER valiantly tried to stay in the match but could not carry the day and flopped in the final period. ROU had four in the bank before Camilo Martinez scored PER’s first. ROU used six different scorers. David Vieru and Darie Badic, on counter, moved the score to 8-1. Goals were traded by halftime. It was two minutes into the third before Milan Flore scored for ROU and soon after Salvador Castillo converted from the penalty line for PER. Two more ROU shots, and another Badic counter, made it 12-3 at the final break. Flore and two Badic strikes shifted it to 15-3 at 2:57. Another ROU pair closed the match.
Match Heroes
Badic sent home five goals and Bogdan-Andrei Nica three for ROU and the goalkeepers joined for eight saves. Castillo was the only double scorer for PER.
Stats Don’t Lie
ROU scored three from five on extra and stopped all five PER attempts. ROU missed one of two penalty attempts and PERU nailed one. ROU took the steals at nine-three and the shots at 29-18 with a 58.6 per cent success rate.
Match 21. NETHERLANDS 12 SERBIA 15 (2-4, 3-6, 3-1, 4-4)
SRB gained a second victory and NED a first loss. BY 10-5 at halftime, SRB had the match in the bag, but it had to watch closely as NED fought back and won the second half. Maksim Kreckovic shot from outside on the first attack and he did not seem to want to stop shooting. He gained the second and then the third on penalty. Benjamin Versluis and Rink van der Weijden on extra arrested the slide with Uros Muncan squeaking in the 4-2 goal on the last second. Van der Weijden started the second quarter with SRB easing the score to 8-3 thanks to two more Kreckovic scores. Van der Weijden scored two of the next three before Strahinja Milutinovic shot from the hole for 10-9 in the last second. Damian Doumenis scored twice for NED to start the second half. Goals were exchanged in the dying minutes for 11-8 at the last break. Kreckovic and Doumenis swapped outside shots with Andrija Cubrilovic grabbing his second, and most important, from the top at 3:44 for 13-9. He was in a trade around the minute mark that started a flurry. Doumenis scored at centre at 0:49; Kreckovic put away a penalty shot at 0:26; Boris Dobrenovic scored on action with a second left and Kreckovic missed the last-gasp missile for 15-12.
Match Heroes
Kreckovic smashed a tournament-equalling high of seven goals and Cubrilovic three for SRB. Doumenis and van der Weijden scored four each for NED.
Stats Don’t Lie
SRB nailed four from seven on extra and shut out eight of 12. SRB scored three and NED one penalty goal. The steals were even at four and the shots favoured SRB in percentage — 53.6-40.
Match 32. CZECHIA 8 ZIMBABWE 6 (4-2, 1-1, 0-2, 3-1)
These two teams had two goals between them before this match, so it was pleasing the goals came and one team went home a winner. ZIM started the scoring but come the last second, CZE had a 4-2 margin with Tobin Bensch drilling from outside to beat the buzzer. Christian Zieman on extra narrowed it one but Lukas Zachoval did the same a minute later. The final three and a half minutes was a series of turnovers and steals, giving CZE the 5-3 halftime lead. Nathaniel Jerahuni converted extra at 2:51 in the third and a ZIM penalty shot was rejected. Jerahuni fired in his penalty attempt for 5-5 at 0:09. Zachoval swayed the match to CZE early in the fourth and Alexander Tivadar converted a penalty foul for 6-6 at 3:04. Zachoval finished extra for 7-6 at 2:40 and he shot from six metres on a free throw for 8-6 at 0:40, securing the success.
Match Heroes
Zachoval with four goals from five shots. Tivadar and Jerahuni scored twice each for ZIM.
Stats Don’t Lie
CZE made three from six on extra and ZIM a brilliant four from five. CZE missed a penalty shot and ZIM scored two from three, meaning all its six goals came from extra and penalty and not from action. ZIM won the steals nine to seven but lost out on shooting at 47.1-40.
Match 24. ITALY 10 MONTENEGRO 12 (3-3, 2-3, 1-3, 4-3)
Both teams arrived with blowout victories on day one. After the match was tied in the first quarter, MNE surged two ahead in the second before Italy struck back to level with Mario Filippi converting a penalty foul. Dimitrije Milic sat at six metres and bombed a goal for 6-5 — the halftime differential. Matija Franeta and Lazar Stepanov both scored on extra for 8-5. Franeta repeated the effort at 3:42 for a handsome 9-5. Fabio Testa narrowed the margin on action, 13 seconds from the last break. Testa was in an exchange early in the fourth and also with Franeta for 11-8 at 3:38. Vuk Rackovic and Filippi traded by 2:55. ITA missed a penalty attempt but Filippi shot from the top for 12-10 at 0:35, too late to hope for penalties. Both teams took a timeout and the resulting shots failed to penetrate the goal.
Match Heroes
Franeta and Milic scored three each and MNE captain Jaksa Milanovic pulled in a magnificent 12 saves. For ITA, captain Testa scored four and Filippi three. The goalkeepers combined for eight saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
MNE converted five from 10 and ITA three from four on extra. MNE made one penalty score and ITA blew two from three. Italy won the steals six-three, scored on counter and made three outside shots from 18 attempts while MNE banged in four from 10. On overall shots, MNE went 46.2 per cent to 32.3.
Match 33. MEXICO 8 MALTA 15 (1-6, 3-3, 3-3, 1-3)
Malta gained a second victory after its shootout win over China on day one. Mexico is now on two losses but with many more goals under the belt. The match was won in the first quarter and the score ballooned to 8-1 when Benjamin Lewis gained his fourth goal. Brandon Gomez at centre and Carlos Ramos and Maximus Ponce, on extra, narrowed the deficit to 8-4 in an excellent run. Lewis stopped the celebrating with four seconds remaining. Gomez and Jake Simpson exchanged goals before Carlos Nunez penetrated the goal on penalty for 10-6. Nunez grabbed another on extra with Lewis and Giulio Massa from the top swinging the match firmly to MLT at 12-7 by the final break. Nathan Spiteri scored twice for MLT and Lewis went on counter. MEX had the final say on extra for 15-8 in MLT’s favour.
Match Heroes
Lewis equalled the top for the championship with seven goals from eight shots for MLT. MEX Captain Nunez was best with three goals.
Stats Don’t Lie
MEX gained most of its goals on extra — five from six compared to MLT’s one from two. MLT put away three penalty goals to one; won the steals 10 to eight and the shooting at 75 per cent to 57.1. MLT also sent in three missiles from the top.
Match 26. CANADA 10 NEW ZEALAND 11 (4-2, 1-3, 3-4, 2-2)
NZL scored a second victory with a brilliant comeback, wresting the lead for the first time late in the third quarter, going two up, coming level and winning with a penalty shot nearly three minutes from the final buzzer. It was another shock to Canada after losing by three to ROU on day one. NZL is the highest of the Commonwealth nations here now. Nikola Tesanovic and Stanley Anderson began the North American quest with Luca Mayall responding at centre. Anderson made it 4-2. Hugo Tuffery and Kenrich Shek levelled for the Kiwis by 1:34. Tesanovic and Mayall swapped extra-player goals for 5-5 by 0:22, the halftime score. CAN led a trade to kick off the second half and Tesanovic scored from centre and on penalty for 8-6. Shek converted extra and Isaac Cornford produced two quickfire goals to turn the tables at 9-8 in NZL’s favour with a counter at 0:14. Mayall stretched it to 10-8 a minute into the fourth period with Tesanovic and Anderson levelling at 10-10. Olly Jones converted the penalty that was enough for a Southern Hemisphere victory.
Match Heroes
Captain Mayal topped the scoring with three goals and the Kiwi goalkeepers combined with five saves each. Tesanovic ripped in five goals and Anderson three for CAN.
Stats Don’t Lie
NZL was clinical on extra with five from seven and stopping three of CAN’s six attempts. NZL missed one of its two penalty attempts while CAN scored one. CAN won the steals 13 to nine but NZL’s 57.9 shooting average to 32.3 was critical. Both teams scored once from outside but CAN took 12 shots to four.
Match 34. SLOVENIA 18 PUERTO RICO 1 (4-1, 3-0, 4-0, 7-0)
SLO made up for a first-day loss to AUS, but it was no contest against a team humbled by European heavyweight SRB the day before. The statistics favoured SLO and 10 players made the sheet for the victor. PUR worked hard to limit the shooting in the middle half but come the final quarter, found the pressure too much.
Match Heroes
Bine Stromajer buried five from five and Marko Rasljic three from three. PUR goalkeeper Jeremy Davila made a huge contribution with 10 saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
SLO managed four from seven on extra and stopped one of two. SLO made five from six on penalty; won the steals 12 to three and outshot PUR 35 to nine.
Match 25. AUSTRALIA 7 CROATIA 15 (3-6, 1-5, 2-1, 1-3)
CRO was too strong for AUS and now has two victories. AUS struggled to contain Ante Domazet who was having a field day. He had three of the first four goals with the last two on penalty. It moved 6-3 to Croatia by the first break. Phoenix Irvine converted extra for 6-4, the closest AUS was to come before the end of the match. SLO slammed home five straight goals with Domazet on penalty and extra as the scoreboard soared to 11-4 by the halftime turn. Nate Kell on counter and Irvine from the top, dragged it back to 12-6 down, which held until the final intermission. In the final quarter, goals were swapped, Domazet rifled one in from the top at 2:47 and another penalty strike at 0:43 for the final score.
Match Heroes
Domazet with a tournament-equal high of seven goals from eight shots. CRO Goalkeeper/captain Luko Vezilic grabbed nine saves. Thomas Gamble and captain Irvine scored twice for the Aussies.
Stats Don’t Lie
CRO went six from eight on extra and defended six from 10; scored four from four on penalty and won the steals 12-nine and the shooting percentage at 57.7 to 25.
Match 35. RUSSIA 23 MALAYSIA 3 (4-0, 7-2, 5-0, 7-1)
RUS achieved a second victory, this time against a much weaker opponent than GRE. MAS can be proud of the three goals against the Europeans, two better than against ITA on day one. RUS was 7-0 up before Cheok Low knocked in MAS’s first goal. The second came from Samuel Eng on extra at 10-2, just before halftime. Low used a penalty strike for 20-3, two minutes from full time for his team’s third goal. It was a warm-up match for RUS.
Match Heroes
Yaroslav Levin with four goals and triples to Aleksandr Baranets, captain Vladimir Koptsev and Nikita Semenov. All 12 fields players made the sheet. Low scored twice for MAS and the goalies supplied six saves between them.
Stats Don’t Lie
RUS amazingly missed its sole extra chance while MAS made one from four. Both scored a penalty goal with RUS taking the steals at 12 to two. RUS scored 16 goals on action, yet only one past six metres. Three more goals came on counter.
Match 27. SPAIN 8 GREECE 9 (3-1, 2-2, 0-4, 3-2)
What a match this turned out to be! First GRE, then ESP for a long period, then GRE until the end. ESP relied on seven extra-man goals and one on counter, failing to score on action from the field. GRE was equally absent from the field, making four goals on extra, one on penalty, one on counter and two from centre forward. It was a tight encounter indeed. GRE started the scoring but ESP was in charge by 4:26 and went to 3-1 with Miguel Luengo scoring on extra for the third. Cesc Aguirre converted extra for the fourth goal early in the second quarter. Luengo was in a trade and Konstantinos Zafeiriou ended extra for 5-3 at 2:23, the final score of the half as ESP blew a penalty attempt. Konstantinos Spandagos on extra and Panagiotis Korakas on penalty levelled the match at 5-5. Panagiotis Karatzas took GRE in front on extra and Ioannis Filippidis scored from centre forward for 7-5. Karatzas went on counter a minute into the final quarter and GRE was suddenly 8-5 up. Two ESP goals in a minute with another from Aguirre on extra, narrowed the margin to one at 3:45. Xenofon Karalis was good on extra and Adri Lopez responded at 1:05 on extra for 9-8 down. Both teams gained a steal and Greece had the result it wanted.
Match Heroes
Karatzas scored twice and seven others once. For ESP, Aguirre and Luengo netted twice each and the goalkeepers combined for seven saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
GRE converted four from 11 on extra and Spain seven from 12. ESP missed a penalty shot and GRE one from two. GRE stole the ball eight to six and had 26 shots to 21 but with a poorer scoring average at 34.6 to ESP: 38.1. However, GRE won the match.
Match 36. GEORGIA 7 PORTUGAL 4 (2-1, 0-1, 3-2, 2-0)
GEO and POR arrived after first-day losses, so one had to go home with the victory. POR lost the lead and then levelled through Miguel Santos at centre late in the second quarter. Santos and Hugo Martin grabbed the 3-2 and 4-3 third-period leads with Luka Tuskia and Aleksandre Vasadze retaking the advantage at 5-4 by the final break. Vasadze netted his third for 6-4 and a minute later the final goal came from Luka Iobidze at 3:29. Five shots came to no effect in those dying minutes.
Match Heroes
Vasadze scored a hat-trick for GEO. Santos and Martin scored twice each for POR.
Stats Don’t Lie
GEO made two from four on extra and defended all three POR attempt. POR missed two of three penalty attempts and lost the steals nine to five. GEO had the better of the overall shots at 30.4 per cent to 21.1
Match 40. BRA 13 UKR 9 (3-1, 6-2, 2-3, 2-3)
BRA won the first half 9-3 and UKR won the second 6-4 — a match of two halves. It was a third win for BRA and a third loss for UKR. Ricardo Duarte started proceedings in BRA’s favour and Murilo Malardo brought up the 3-1 goal from the top at 3:25, with no further goal in the period as Duarte’s penalty attempt was swallowed. BRA scored on penalty and centre forward before UKR’s Kyrylo Boruta blasted from the top for 5-2. Matvii Savka went on counter for 5-3 but a four-goal haul for BRA set the scene at 9-3 by halftime. Duarte closed the scoring on counter. He opened the third period followed by Mathias Wulfhorst with his second from the field. Boruto, Savka and Boruta on penalty limited the damage at 11-6 before the buzzer. Malardo struck first on penalty for BRA in the fourth quarter and again on counter for 13-6. Boruta started a three-goal UKR flurry that narrowed the margin to four at the final whistle.
Match Heroes
Duarte and Malardo netted a hat-trick each for BRA while Boruta made four from 10 for UKR.
Stats Don’t Lie
BRA nailed three from six on extra and UKR three from five. BRA missed one of three penalty attempts to UKR’s successful one. UKR won the steals three to one and the shooting favoured BRA 46.4 per cent to 34.6. BRA scored twice on counter.
Match 45. ESP 22 POL 4 (9-0, 6-1, 4-1, 3-2)
ESP was on top from the start and made amends for a one-goal slip up to GRE on day two that threatens its presence in the top eight. The reigning champion had five in the bag before the four-minute mark and plundered more as the clock ticked down. Samu Diaz scored four, including consecutive penalty strikes. Johnny Shinske countered and scored from the field for the third and fourth conversions. POL’s opening goal came from Rafal Agacinski on extra at 4:44 in the second quarter for 10-1. The margin slipped out to 14 by halftime. Adri Lopez started the third period with his second goal and Mikolaj Ksiezyk responded on extra for 16-2. ESP rolled to 19-2 by the last break. Jedrzej Miazek scored another for POL to start the fourth period as the score mounted to 21-3. Witold Babula converted a penalty for 21-4 and Cesc Aguirre rifled in his second on extra to close the scoring at 22-4.
Match Heroes
Diaz made five and Shinske three goals for ESP with the goalkeepers chipping in with 10 saves between them. POL’s best was goalkeeper Hubert Kepczynski with six saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
ESP converted five from nine on extra to POL’s two from five. ESP made sure of both penalty attempts and POL one. ESP went 10 to two on steals and overall shots at 71 per cent to 21.1. ESP scored four counter-attack goals.
Match 41. HUN 18 MAS 3 (6-0, 4-1, 5-1, 3-1)
HUN ripped apart MAS to maintain its unbeaten run, starting strongly and keeping the rage until the final quarter. Oliver Szaka scored the opening two goals as HUN surged to 6-0 at the first break. He started the second on extra with Cheok Low rifling one in from the top to begin MAS’s scoring at 3:52. Three HUN goals in the last 91 seconds of the half took the score to 10-1. HUN claimed two more before Low struck again, on extra. Oliver Frater scored on extra and counter and two minutes later from outside to make it 15-2 at the last break. There was resistance early in the final period and Szaka made the breakthrough at 2:25 followed by Low with his third. Two more HUN goals finished proceedings with Frater having the last say on counter at 0:24.
Match Heroes
HUN Captain Szako and Frater banged in four goals each. Low managed three goals for MAS.
Stats Don’t Lie
HUN scored all four extra chances and stopped four from five. HUN converted both penalty attempts; won the steals two-nil and the shots 69.2 per cent to 25. HUN made four goals from centre countered four times and snared one from the top.
Match 47. TUR 14 POR 4 (2-1, 5-1, 3-1, 4-1)
TUR lost to HUN by six goals on day two but collected its second victory while POR has yet to taste success in Zagreb. Omer Ozdemir started the match on counter and action in the first three minutes. Miguel Santos converted extra for 2-1. POR’s second goal came at 3-2 on penalty in the second quarter through Paulo Pinto. Cagan Kir, Efe Ilik and Ozdemir took it to 6-2 with Kir firing in a penalty goal in the last second for 7-2 at the long break. Kir nailed another penalty foul early in the third with Ilik scoring on extra three and a half minutes later. Pinto and Kir exchanged goals in the last 20 seconds for 10-3. Ozdemir brought up the 12th TUR goal on counter; Goncalo Lafuente responded from the top for 12-4. The last two TUR goals came from centre and extra for 14-4.
Match Heroes
Captain Kir and Ozdemir scored four each for TUR and goalie Ayhan Aydemir made a heroic 10 saves. Pinto was the only double scorer for POR but Goncalo Silva dragged down eight balls in goal.
Stats Don’t Lie
TUR converted three from five on extra and defended four from five. TUR made three and POR one on penalties. The steals favoured TUR nine-five and the shots 50 per cent to 16.
Match 42. ITA 16 SLO 6 (4-2, 3-1, 5-1, 4-2)
ITA suffered second-day heartache losing to MNE but bounced back today with a powerful message to future opponents. It was a mixed bag in the first quarter with SLO coming back to level twice as ITA put away the last two for 4-2 at the first break. Tommaso Galli at centre and Donato Cocozzello on counter pushed it out to 6-2 before the first minute of the second quarter was over. Francesco Putrino converted extra at 1:47 and Vuk Petrovic replied on extra at 1:13. ITA scored the first two of the third period before Bine Stromajer sent in an outside missile for 9-4. An ITA pair, including Putrino on action, lifted the score to 11-4. Fabio Testa countered for 12-4, 24 seconds from the third-quarter buzzer. Two trades boosted the scoreboard to 14-6 with Stromajer grabbing his second. Marco Camuto nailed his second of the period on counter and Cocozzello scored on extra for 16-6 at 3:01. A SLO timeout produced nothing and the match worked its way to the conclusion.
Match Heroes
Putrino and Camuto netted three apiece for ITA with the goalies notching seven saves. Petrovic and Stromajer scored twice each for SLO.
Stats Don’t Lie
ITA converted four from five on extra and blocked seven of nine. ITA took the steals six to two and the shots 64 per cent to 25. ITA countered four times successfully and scored three from centre forward.
Match 50. MNE 11 RUS 12 (1-3, 4-1, 0-2, 3-2)
RUS needed a penalty shootout to defeat MNE, probably its closest rival here. However, the points system gave MNE just 38 points for the loss — the poorest effort of all 36 teams today. Similarly, in MNE’s first match, against ZIM, it won 34.2 and was adjudged as only earning 76.2 points — the largest winning margin and only 18th best of the day — meaning MNE is now languishing in 18th position after three days. Go figure. RUS scored the first two goals before Vuk Rackovic scored on extra for 2-1. With two seconds left on the clock, Aleksandr Baranets countered for 3-1. Lazar Stepanov and Vukasin Gojkovic banged one in on extra for 3-3. Matija Franeta score on penalty and the top for a 5-3 MNE advantage at 1:18. Baranets beat the buzzer from the top for 5-4 at halftime. Baranets opened the third period on penalty and Fedor Krylov gave RUS the lead again at 6-5. The next three minutes were scoreless. Baranets converted extra to begin the fourth period at 4:50 and 7-5. Stepanov and Dimitrije Milic, both on extra, levelled the match at 1:31. Baranets scored on penalty and Milic sharply replied at 0:53 for 8-8. Both teams took a timeout to no avail, sending the match to penalties. MNE shot first, and its third shot hit the wood and fifth was saved. RUS’s third shot was saved but Vladimir Koptsev made sure of his chance on the last shot of the rotation and helped win the match at 12-11.
Match Heroes
Baranets smashed five goals and goalkeeper Ivan Kosarev took in seven saves. MNE goalkeeper Jaksa Milanovic made seven saves while Stepanov, Franeta and Milic scored twice each.
Stats Don’t Lie
RUS converted two from four on extra and restricted MNE six from 10. RUS made both penalty attempts and MNE missed one of two. MNE took the steals 10 to five but lost the shooting percentage — 32-38.1.
Match 43. AUS 10 ROU 6 (2-3, 2-1, 3-2, 3-0)
AUS shot back from the loss to CRO on day two for a second victory in Zagreb. This was ROU’s first loss after beating CAN and PER and they now sit mid-table with AUS one place up the ladder. ROU went two up and 3-1 with a Vlad Nistor penalty goal. Jack Putter shot from the top to bring the match to within one by the first break. Bogdan-Andrei Nica converted the penalty to start the second quarter with Patrick Bonser responding from close in. Luka Trbojevic Cabrera equalised with 12 seconds remaining in the half for his second. Bonser and Putter took AUS to 6-4 after Thomas Gamble hit the wood on penalty. Both teams took a timeout for no result on the board. However, Putter fired in an arrow from the top for 7-4 at 1:51. Nica replied twice, on penalty and from outside in the last second, for 7-6. AUS captain Phoenix Irvine opened the fourth on action and Putter converted extra for 9-6 at 1:55. Bonser made a penalty shot inside the final minute for the last goal at 10-6.
Match Heroes
Putter put away four goals and Bonser three for the Aussies. Nica buried three for ROU.
Stats Don’t Lie
Both struggled on extra with AUS doing one from four and ROU one from two. AUS missed one of three on penalty and ROU went three straight. AUS took the steals three to one and shot 43.5 per cent to 37.5 — 23-16.
Match 51. GRE 23 PUR 3 (7-0, 7-2, 4-0, 5-1)
GRE did not secure many points for this victory — it’s second and sits well down the table. However, it showed a high standard today and had the match sewn up early. For PUR, it was another large loss but did gain 59.8 points to GRE’s 75. GRE had three counters in the bag by quarter time, along with two penalty goals. Alejandro Roman from the top and Lexiel Morales at centre forward, brought PUR to the table early in the second quarter. Three more GRE counters lifted the score to 14-2 at halftime. Three counters and a penalty strike boosted it to 18-2 by the last break. Two more counters helped the score to 22-2 and in the final minute, Konstantinos Misentzis finished extra and closed his impressive performance for a sixth goal and PUR’s Yanmanuel Diaz scored on extra three seconds from time for 23-3.
Match Heroes
For GRE, Misentzis scored six and Angelos Almpertis five. Panagiotis Karatzas plugged in three more.
Stats Don’t Lie
GRE was perfect on extra with four conversions while stopping three from four. GRE stumbled a little on penalties with three from five. The steals favoured GRE 22 to one and the shots 69.7 per cent to 33.3. GRE netted 11 goals on counter from 13 attempts.
Match 53. CRO 16 MLT 5 (5-1, 3-1, 5-1, 3-2)
CRO scored a third consecutive victory and sits third on the points ladder. MLT lost for the first time and is positioned ninth, in the quarterfinal drop zone. Deni Sappe and Ante Domazet began the charge for CRO, on extra and penalty. At 0:59, Hayden Brincat countered for MLT’s first goal and 3-1. Two more CRO results made it 5-1, Domazet finishing extra with a second to spare by quarter time. Domazet led a three-goal charge at the start of the second and Benjamin Lewis replied for 8-2. Sappe and Domazet began the second half with Luca Schiavone converting extra for MLT. Patrik Kundid grabbed a second and Sappe was in the mix as the score hit 13-3 at the last break. Two minutes into the final period, goals were swapped and Benji Schranz fired from the top for 14-5. Toni Cvitan scored his second extra-player goal and Domazet made sure of a penalty conversion inside the final minute for 16-5.
Match Heroes
Domazet with five and Sappe scoring three were the best CRO shooters. The goalkeepers combined for 11 saves. MLT goalkeeper Luigi Gatt took in six saves.
Stats Don’t Lie
CRO made a huge nine from 12 on extra and kept MLT to one from two. CRO made all three penalty shots, lost the steal two-one but took the shooting statistic 59.3 to 21.7.
Match 52. SRB 15 GEO 2 (1-2, 5-0, 4-0, 5-0)
SRB made it three wins in a row but only 11th on the points table! GEO was fresh from its first win against POR but is well adrift in the percentages. It looked good for GEO against the stronger Serbs, going 2-1 ahead through Saba Abuladze on extra at 3:39. It was good enough to hold the advantage until the first break Maksim Kreckovic, already with plenty of goals in two matches, began the resurgence in the first attack of the second quarter. Uros Muncan converted a penalty and three more added to the haul with Andrej Lazic on counter and Kreckovic on penalty shutting GEO out of the frame. Kreckovic and Muncan bookended the third period for 10-2 and in the fourth, three newcomers to scoring made the sheet before Muncan ripped in another penalty goal for 14.2. Strahinja Milutinovic countered for his second of the quarter, which, at 0:25, proved to be the final nail in the coffin.
Match Heroes
Kreckovic and captain Muncan scored a hat-trick each. Goalkeeper Nemanja Palezevic took in seven saves. GEO goalkeeper Nikolozi Gelashvili made seven saves, as well.
Stats Don’t Lie
SRB hit three from six on extra and GEO two from five. SRB made all four penalty attempts, took the steals 10 to three and the over all shots 26-15 — 57.7 to 13.3. SRB scored three counter-attack goals to none.
Match 44. CAN 11 RSA 10 (3-3, 2-5, 3-2, 3-0)
CAN came home with an avalanche of goals, surpassing RSA in a shutout final period. It was CAN’s first win and another narrow cider after losing to NZL by one. RSA has yet to know victory in Zagreb and will be ruing the loss considering it held a three-goal margin at 10-7. Chris Davidson slammed in the first two goals for RSA with Nelson King gaining his first for CAN at 3-2 down. Mateo Quijano-Beaulieu converted extra to level at 1:41. Morgan Erasmus regained the lead for RSA two minutes into the second quarter. Goals were traded with Erasmus scoring on penalty. Nikola Tesanovic who equalised at four on extra, scored from centre forward for 5-5. An Erasmus penalty goal and a Davidson missile from the top took it to 7-5 by 1:54. Josh Watson cemented the lead at 8-5, nine seconds from halftime. Quijano-Beaulieu and Casey Marks and Quijano-Beaulieu and Watson exchanged for 10-7 at 3:38. King made it 10-8 for the last score of the third period. AN RSA timeout led to a blocked shot. A CAN timeout yielded an extra-man goal to Samuel Pires on extra at 2:46. One behind. Dragos Pirusca scored at 1:50 for 10-10 and King converted an extra play at 0:56 for the 11-10 advantage. An RSA timeout led to a blocked shot then CAN kept control until the final buzzer.
Match Heroes
CAN’s Quijano-Beaulieu and captain King scored a hat-trick each. Erasmus and captain Davidson scored three each for the Africans.
Stats Don’t Lie
CAN made it five from eight on extra while not giving up a defensive foul for RSA to have a chance — a rarity in any match. CAN made one from two on penalty and CAN three from four. CAN took the steals four-two and the shooting by the squeakiest of margins — 47.8 to 47.6 — 23 shots to 21.
Match 54. CHN 6 EGY 8 (1-3, 1-3, 2-1, 2-1)
EGY maintains its grip on a top-three position but the two-goal victory belies the fact that it is ranked 31 places ahead of China under this percentage system. EGY will play another lower-ranked side on Thursday — ZIM, sitting 25 on the ladder. CHN made it hard for EGY but the first quarter set the tone. Hesham Hassan and Haroun Moustafa with his second penalty strike, took the score to 5-1. Hossam Islam scored his second from centre for 6-1. CHN struck back through Luo Zijin on extra for the halftime score of 6-2. Luo converted two penalty shots and Hassan replied for 7-4 by the end of the period. Zhou Letian and Moustafa exchanged goals midway through the fourth with Qian Yushun scoring on extra for 8-6 down, 22 seconds from time. CHN needed to pick up its game much earlier if it wanted a first victory.
Match Heroes
Moustafa scored three goals and goalkeeper Abdallah Ahmed made nine saves for EGY. Luo notched a hat-trick for CHN.
Stats Don’t Lie
EGY nailed three from five on extra and CHN two from five. Both scored two penalty goals but EGY miss one of three. EGY won the steals nine to five and the shots at 42.1 per cent to 30 — 19-20.
Progress Percentage Points
RUS 97.1
BRA 95.4
NZL 92.2
MLT 90.7
HUN 90.6
CRO 89.3
EGY 87.5
ROU 86.8
MNE 83.9
USA 83.2
ESP 82.1
SRB 80.8
ITA 76.5
GER 75.1
GEO 74.7
NED 74.6
TUR 72.7
AUS 72.1
SGP 70.8
POL 67.9
GRE 65.7
SLO 63.4
KAZ 63
ISR 55.2
CZE 54
ZIM 53.8
PER 53.7
CHN 53.4
RSA 52.9
CAN 52.8
UKR 47.8
PUR 44.8
MEX 41.2
MAS 40.7
POR 37.6
Day 3 Schedule
08:00: KAZ v URU
08:35: NZL v PER
10:00: GER v CZE
10:05: SGP v MEX
11.30: NED v ISR
11:35 USA v ZIM
13:00: BRA v UKR
13:05: ESP v POL
14:30: HUN v MAS
14:35: TUR v POR
16:00: ITA v SLO
16:05: MNE v RUS
17:30: AUS v ROU
17:35: GRE v PUR
19:00: CRO v MLT
19:05: SRB v GEO
20:30: CAN v RSA
20:35: CHN v EGY