The German under-20 team lost its opening match in the World Cup in Canada to favorites Finland after a respectable performance with a score of 1: 3.
Under the microscope: DEB goalkeeper Nikita Kwab is harassed by Finn Kasper Simonteval.
photo alliance
The German team got off to a good start, surprisingly putting the Finns under little pressure at first. But fortunately, the northernmost European favorite took the lead in the 13th minute. A long-range shot by talented Finnish Brad Lambert was successfully tampered with by Samuel Helenius against goalkeeper Nikita Kwab’s track to make Sumi 1-0.
Munzenberger’s luck and bad luck
At the beginning of the second section Finland increased the pressure significantly, but it was defender Luka Munzenberger who scored 1-1 with a hidden shot for Germany in the match of strength (24). However, the Finns responded – and in the 28th minute, they were lucky that a puck deviated from the Munzenberger skate fell in front of the blade of Joel Mata, who only had to shake off the dust from a short distance. Curious: Määttä is currently the Munzenberger Fellow at the University of Vermont.
DEB was good on defense, and Quapp presented himself with interest, but on offense, he always lacked the ultimate penetration. However, Markus Schweiger had a good chance of equalizing in the 48th minute, which, however, was followed by the initial decision in the direct return: Lambert this time sent Helenius in perfect fashion in front of goal – Kwap again had no chance. . In the end, after a very strong overall performance by the German team, which had twice more shots on goal than the Finns, it remained at 1:3.
In the second tournament match in Group A, the DEB selection will meet the Czech Republic on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday (1 am CET).
IIHF suspends landing again
No matter how the remaining three group matches end – Germany’s side in Canada do not have to fear relegation, because as the IIHF announced on Sunday in Edmonton, there will be no relegation to Group B this year due to the pandemic. After the rise of Belarus, the World Cup will be held in Novosibirsk and Omsk, Russia, with eleven teams per year, with two relegated teams in 2023.
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