Day 1 is all wrapped up for the WFC 2024. Check below for the full list of match reports from a thrilling day of action in Malmö.
Estonia – Australia
The first match of WFC 2024 is now behind us, and what an intense and dramatic opening it was. The thrilling encounter between Australia and Estonia set the bar high for the entire tournament. The match took place in front of a passionate crowd in the Baltic Hall, where the fans’ enthusiasm gave a taste of what’s to come in what promises to be an intense and fast-paced tournament. The action has officially begun!
Estonia started strong, quickly taking a 2-0 lead. But Australia didn’t give up and fought their way back, managing to equalize at 2-2 after an impressive performance. It was a close and exciting battle, with the match hanging in the balance until the final seconds of the second period. With just 10 seconds left, Australia’s Liam Perry scored to make it 2-3, giving his team a valuable lead heading into the third period. The crowd responded with cheers: “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!”
But Estonia quickly answered back. In the third period, Ken Pähn stepped up and calmly leveled the score at 3-3, and shortly after, he was there again, scoring to make it 4-3. Pänh was also chosen to Estonias Player of the match. Despite his own performance, he wants to highlight the team effort as the key to their success. “It is always nice to score. But in the end, everything I do is for this team“, says Pähn.
Estonia sealed the deal by increasing their lead to 5-3, securing an impressive victory in the very first match of the tournament. Despite the result, Australia looks back on the match as a strong performance with a lot of determination. “It was a tough game, Estonia is a good team. But I’m happy with the team performance and unfortunately it didn’t go our way today“, says goalkeeper Edwin Perry.
Latvia – Finland
The first game in Malmö Arena was played between Finland and Latvia during Saturday. A game that would turn out to be a very even one. Although Finland started with high pressure, Latvia was the team that eventually took the lead. After that, the Latvians kept creating good opportunities, but the score remained unchanged.
In the second period Latvia came out strong and looked to increase their lead to 2-0 but due to a high stick the situation was instead called off by the referee. Finland took this to their advantage and could through a quick counter-attack instead score 1-1. Finland finished the last part of the second period on strong note but Latvia defended good and score remained 1-1.
Almost immediately in the third period Finland scored a goal and therefore took the lead. Latvia was not satisfied and eight minutes into the period they scored and the score was even. Finland later scored for the lead again but through a penalty with five minutes left on the clock Krisjanis Tiltins made no mistakes and the score was once again even, 3-3. Eventually Finland turned out to be the stronger team and Justus Kainulainen scored the final goal for the win, 3-4. “I think we worked hard and had several opportunities to score a lot more goals than that, but luckily we got one more goal than the opponent and winning is the main part here”, says Justus Kainulainen.
Poland – Thailand
It was two energetic teams playing their first match in the championships. Both Poland and Thailand were fired up, and the match in Baltic Hall was a close one. With a passionate crowd behind them, the atmosphere was electric and full of energy.
The game remained tight between the two nations for a long time. Both Poland and Thailand showcased strong offensive play, delivering a pace that had the crowd holding its breath. But it was Poland that ultimately came out on top in the first period. In the 10th minute, they scored the opening goal, taking a narrow lead into the break. But anything could happen – there were still two periods to go.
In the fourth minute of the second period, Thailand’s number 24 delivered a laser-like pass through Poland’s defense, and Simon Johansson was there to put the ball in the net with precision. The game’s pulse was high, and the score was now 1-1. With the fans cheering wildly, Thailand later took a 1-2 lead, sending the crowd into a wild roar. Five minutes later, Poland seized their opportunity with a power play and made the most of it, first scoring 2-2, and then later taking a 3-2 lead. But the match continued to heat up as Thailand fought back to make it 3-3, keeping the game tightly contested heading into the final period. The crowd was a factor that Thailand mentioned as the last burst of energy on the field.
– “I get goosebumps when I think about the support. A lot of family from Sweden and Thailand and people from around the world are here and I am very thankful for that support when we are far from home”, says Pheeraphong Khambanlue.
The deadlock was broken when Poland struck again, regaining the lead. With ten minutes remaining, they extended it to 5-3. But a determined Thailand, who never stopping fighting, reduced to 5-4 and kept the drama alive. As the final whistle blew, it was clear that another thrilling and closely contested match in Baltiska Hallen had come to an end, with a Polish victory. Poland player, Kacper Szalanski, is excited for what lies ahead in the WFC. “The atmosphere here is really, really good. I think this will be the best championship experience for me“.
Sweden – Slovakia
Sweden started the game with high pressure looking to score a quick goal but no real chances were created. Instead, Slovakia capitalizes on a counterattack and scores, 0-1 Slovakia. After the goal it looked like the nerves that comes with the first game of the tournament eased out a bit but soon Swedens captain, Tobias Gustafsson, evens out the score. Soon after Sweden uses the momentum from their first goal and takes the lead. The game continues to go back and forth and just a few minutes later it’s Slovakia’s turn to even out the score. Number 38, Matus Gajdos puts the ball in the net and the score is once again even. It continues to be an eventful first period and Sweden yet again takes the lead. The first period ends with Sweden in the lead, 3-2.
In the second period Sweden takes the command and increases their lead to 4-2 and a bit over a minute later they score again. Sweden continues to dictate the ball possession but Slovakia continues to keep a tight defense as well as creating good opportunities. The second period ends with Sweden in the lead 6-3.
The third period starts just like the second and Sweden scores within the first minute. The Slovaks continues to fight with a tough defense, but Sweden has a majority in possession and are throughout the game more effective in front of the goal. Eventually Sweden extends their lead to 12-4 which will turn out to be the final score as well.
– “Sometimes we were a bit stressed and nervous, but overall I think it was an okey start of the tournament“, says Sweden’s Albin Sjögren.
Denmark – Slovenia
The last two teams of the day to light up the Baltic Hall were none other than Slovenia and Denmark. The meeting was special for the teams in several ways. Denmark, feeling almost at home with just a 20-minute train ride to Malmö, and Slovenia, playing their first-ever match in the championship after the format change in 2010, having previously played in the B-division of the WFC.
The match started with Denmark taking the lead 1-0 after just one minute. Both fan sections could loudly be heard in the arena, adding to the incredible atmosphere. In the 14th minute, a fired-up Slovenia responded with the equalizer, making it 1-1. But the first half wasn’t done yet, as Denmark confidently placed the ball in the far post with three minutes remaining in the period. It seemed like those would be the final scores for the first period, but with only 2 seconds left, Lukas Eldholm once again got the ball. As the bench and the crowd shouted “shoot,” he did just that, securing a 3-1 lead as the teams headed for the break.
The second period started much like the first, with Denmark scoring early—this time after 26 seconds. But Slovenia kept fighting, and the crowd kept cheering loudly. They got even louder when Slovenia stepped up in the fourth minute of the second period, shooting 4-2. However, Denmark showed their strength, adding two more goals before the period ended. The score at the start of the third period was 6-2.
The engaged crowd sang along to “We just can’t get enough” as the third period was about to begin. And we couldn’t agree more! The third period kicked off with Denmark scoring the 7-2 goal through an impressive volley finish. But they weren’t done, quickly adding another to make it 8-2. In a power play, Slovenia’s Tomc stepped up and scored 8-3 for Slovenia. After an intense third period, the final score on the board was 10-3 for the Danes.
– “We are kind of used to this amazing support now from all the championships. But I am still always thankful to have this support with us, it is very important” says Tomc.
The hottest moment of the match came in the final seconds, as Denmark’s Lukas Eldholm finished the game with a phenomenal backhand shot straight into the top corner. Despite the supporters being impressed, Eldholm remains humble after the goal.
– “I have not been practicing for that one, let’s say it was a lucky one”, says Eldholm and smiles.
Even the third match of the day in the Baltic Hall was entertaining, with both teams’ goalkeepers making a series of top-class saves. We’re already excited to see what the second day of WFC action will bring. Check out more of today’s matches and highlights in the IFF app. Maybe take a look at the impressive backhand goal by Lukas Eldholm while you’re at it?
Norway – Czechia
During the first minutes of the first period both teams fought hard to try and control the match, but Czechia seemed more comfortable with their possession. In the third minute Czechia managed to take the lead. They then kept on increasing the intensity to gain more control and possession of the ball, though Norway still pressed hard defensively and did not offer any obvious goalscoring opportunities for the opponent. Czechia kept on pushing closer to a second goal and challenged the Norwegian goalkeeper multiple times and eventually Czechia’s number 31, Josef Rypar, could increase the lead following a breakthrough pass from number 16, Dominik Benes. Czechia kept on making it difficult for the Norwegian players and by the end of the first period the scoreboard showed 0-4.
In the second period Czechia scored an early goal to extend the lead. The intensity of the game slowed down a bit compared to the first period. Although it seemed like Czechia kept on controlling the match, Norway managed to reduce the score to 1-5 in the 17th minute. Czechia then went back to controlling the game and the period ended in a 1-6 lead.
The third period followed the theme of the second with Czechia dominating the play, though Norway managed to push their defensive line a bit further up the court. Norway also managed from time to time to break through with counterattacks but did not seem able to finish their offensive tries until the 11th minute where they could once again reduce the score. In the 55th minute Czechia scores once again and the game ends with the score 2-7, the Czechs taking the victory.
– “It was a great win, we played really well“, said Josef Rypar, Czechia, after the game.
