After the victory over the hosts of the tournament, the Russian team rightly began to be considered one of the main favorites of the Karjala Cup. The wards of Ilya Vorobiev were not only able to defeat the Finns, but also did not allow their rivals to print their gates - for the most part it was Ilya Sorokin’s merit. CSKA hockey player became the first athlete in the history of the country, who twice defended “to zero” in matches with Suomi in the Euro Hockey Tour. The performance of the field players made an excellent impression. The Russians moved from great defense to attack, which ultimately led to three abandoned washers.
In the second round, they were waited by a no less serious rival, and according to some experts, even more formidable. The Swedish team also started their performance at the Finnish stage with a victory, having outplayed the Czech Republic in a tense match. “Tre Kronur” led throughout the meeting, and seven minutes before the final whistle had a comfortable advantage in two goals - 3: 1. The goal of Jan Kolář helped the wards of Milos Riha to reduce the difference in the score, but they didn’t have enough for more.
Recently, the Swedes have become for Russians not the most convenient opponents. In the last two stages of the Euro Hockey Tour, the Scandinavians invariably won, losing only in the First Channel Cup. Then the wards of Oleg Znarka broke the resistance of the opponent with a score of 3: 1 thanks to the goals of Vyacheslav Voinov, Nikita Gusev and Sergey Kalinin. But at the World Championships revenge won the “Tre Kronor”, which eventually won the gold medal championship.
In a match with Sweden, Vorobyov decided to resort to rotation and slightly shaken up the squad. Igor Shesterkin took the place at the gate, Anton Slepyshev, Maxim Shalunov and Viktor Antipin were in the third five, and Denis Zernov moved into the fourth link. At the same time, Anatoly Golyshev and Denis Barantsev were completely transferred to the reserve.
❗️The composition of the national team on the game with the Swedes.
Karjala Cup, today. We start at 14:00 Moscow time, you can look at https://t.co/hVuJjUSFTb and @MatchTV
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The starting minutes of Saturday's match, the Russians spent much less confident than two days ago. Ricard Grönborg's wards managed to impose their power hockey on their rivals, and the beginning of the meeting proceeded without any special moments, but with an abundance of struggle and violations. Already in the third minute, Maxim Shalunov was punished with a small fine, but Vorobyov's team again flawlessly played in unequal compositions. Toward the middle of the period, they managed to seize the initiative and disturb Magnus Hellberg several times, but the throws of Ivan Telegin and Andrei Loktionov did not reach the goal.
The Russian national team continued to increase the advantage and in the middle of the second period managed to turn it into abandoned washers. Wards Vorobyov more than once conducted a massive positional attack, one of which ended in a goal. Alexander Barabanov left the gate and gave a filigree program to his partner in the SKA Andrey Kuzmenko. The 22-year-old striker took advantage of his chance and sent the first puck into Hellberg's goal. By the way, Magnus is also his mate.
The second goal could have sent the Swedes to the knockout. The inaccurate game of Artem Blazhievsky gave the Scandinavians two minutes in unequal compositions, but they not only could not take advantage of their chance, but also missed. Inconsistent actions of Jonathan Davidsson and Michael Wikstrand led to the fact that Yevgeny Ketov was one on one with Hellberg and effortlessly dealt with the goalkeeper.
Leaving their gates intact and extend the “dry” series at the Karjala Cup to two matches with the Russians did not work. Shesterkin repeatedly saved his team, but at a certain point the goalkeeper let his partners down. The Russians were fined for going through the numerical strength, which the opponents immediately took advantage of. The Swedes played a beautiful multi-path, which Jacob Lilja locked with an accurate throw. But five minutes later, the reigning Olympic champions returned the favor, having also realized the majority. Kuzmenko scored a double, and two minutes before the final siren, the empty gate “Tre kurnur” hit Loktionov.
After the match, Vorobiev praised his players for good teamwork, and also noted that they had demonstrated the will to win.
“Everyone completed the task. The guys fought, blocked a lot of shots. They did everything we asked for. Andrey Kuzmenko yesterday became the champion of our hotel in table tennis, and today he made a double - it turns out, he continued his series. But seriously, I don’t want to single them out with Sasha Barabanov, ”RIA Novosti quotes Vorobiev.
He also replied that at the moment he is not making far-reaching plans.
“Do Kuzmenko and Barabanov play under the Olympics?” Listen to Beijing for four years, if I think correctly. With the Swedes it would be very good without a penalty bench (busting players on the ice. - RT ), of course, during which we were abandoned. But this is a game, everything is very fast here. There are such situations, ”the head coach concluded.
The Russian national team won its second victory in the Karjala Cup and is now one step away from winning the Finnish Euro Hockey Tour. For this, it is enough for them that the tournament hosts beat the Czechs.