Watch it! Sweden storm into Bandy U19 Worlds semifinals

Test event at Yenisei Ice Stadium moves into final stages

KRASNOYARSK – Sweden, Russia, Finland and Norway booked their spots in the semi-finals of the Bandy Junior World Championship (U19), that is currently underway in Krasnoyarsk’s Yenisei Ice Stadium.

The round robin stages of the Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade test event concluded with a match between two title contenders: Sweden and Finland. The Swedish team beat their neighbours with surprising ease though, winning with a score of 9:1.

Earlier in the day, Norway won an equally one-sided match against Kazakhstan, with a score of 12:0. It was the final match of the competition for Kazakhstan who finished in fifth position.

Finland was also in action against home favourites Russia and the game turned out to be a captivating one. Throughout the match, the Russian players could barely stay ahead by more than one goal. It was the goal scored by Igor Kotlyarenko in the very last minute of the second half that sealed a 4:2 victory for Russia.

After the match, Russian coach Vladimir Kitkov looked ahead to the semi-finals against Sweden and also the finals. “Tomorrow is a big day for us. Our guys do look exhausted, though,” admitted the coach of the junior national team. “The semi-final is in the morning and I hope we will get through to the final in the evening. What’s our advantage over Sweden? It’s our functional preparation. All the coaching staff, physicians and masseurs will be working miracles to put the guys back to their fittest, so they step out onto the ice well rested for the final day.”

Watch! 

Bandy Final

Closing Ceremony