In front of a roaring crowd of 3,500 at Malmö Arena, Sweden battled past a determined German side to claim a 5-2 victory and advance to the semifinals of the World Floorball Championships 2024. The game was far from a walkover, as Germany pushed the title contenders to their limits, forcing Sweden to dig deep for the win.
The match began with Germany on the power play after just one minute due to an obstruction penalty against Sweden, but they failed to capitalize. Sweden quickly shifted momentum with Jesper Sankell opening the scoring at 6:08 with a powerful shot from distance. Germany responded just over a minute later when Janos Bröker fired home from a free hit near the corner, leveling the score at 1-1.
Sweden had a golden opportunity to regain the lead on a power play at 9:50 after a rough play penalty against Hannes Langenstrass, but Germany’s defense held strong. Despite Sweden outshooting Germany 7-3 in the first period, many of their attempts missed the target, leaving the game tied heading into the second.
Early in the second period, Sankell struck again, finishing a smooth pass from Filip Haglund to make it 2-1 just 49 seconds in. Sweden piled on the pressure, peppering Germany’s goal with shots, but goalkeeper Jan Lemke delivered a stellar performance, keeping his team within striking distance. No further goals were scored in the period.
Germany came out firing in the third, creating several chances in the opening minutes. At 5:51, a Swedish line change error allowed Jonathan Heins to capitalize, firing in the equalizer to make it 2-2. This goal energized the German side and left Sweden scrambling to regain control.
The turning point came at 13:08, when Gabriel Kohonen, surprisingly not part of Sweden’s starting lineup, scored the go-ahead goal to make it 3-2.
Germany responded by increasing their offensive pressure, but Sweden struck again on a counterattack at 16:02. Sakarias Ulriksson set up Malte Lundmark for the decisive 4-2 goal. In a last-ditch effort, Germany pulled their goalkeeper for an extra attacker, but the gamble backfired as Robin Nilsberth sealed the win with an empty-net volley from Sweden’s own half at 19:45, ending the game at 5-2.
Sweden’s relief was palpable at the final whistle, which showed how strong Germany’s fighting spirit was. While Sweden moves on to the semifinals, they’ll need to refine their finishing and avoid lapses if they hope to capture the championship. For Germany, their spirited performance was a testament to their growth on the international stage, despite the loss.
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