SINGAPORE, 7 December 2023 – Floorball powerhouses Sweden and Finland booked their spots in the last four of the Women’s World Floorball Championships (WFC) 2023 in style, beating Latvia and Poland respectively in the quarter-finals on Thursday (7 December). Hosts Singapore were on the verge of a courageous comeback but eventually went down fighting to Japan in the 9th-12th placement match at the OCBC Arena.

WFC debutantes France recorded their first win at the tournament in a spectacular battle that had everything, showing their grit and fighting spirit to come from two goals down to score a last-minute winner and finish 15th. Germany too left it late secure a 3-2 victory against Norway after trailing by a goal in the early stages.

The quarter-finals continue on 8 December, with Switzerland facing Slovakia and Czech Republic taking on Denmark.

The results from Dec 7 are as follows.

Australia v France

WFC debutantes France clinched their first win of the tournament in style, putting up an inspiring display of grit and courage at the OCBC Arena for a remarkable 5-4 victory over Australia in the play-off for 15th place. Both teams had played against each other during the group stage, which was a close contest that ended in a draw. But their second showdown in Singapore turned out differently. After the first period ended goalless, Australia scored first through Melissa Creagh, and Marine Klopfenstein equalised for France. Australia captain Blaise Hodges recovered quickly from a missed attempt at goal to regain control of the ball and, darting around the back of the goalpost, swiftly flicked the ball in for her team to lead 2-1. Tiffany Mackintosh made it 3-1 for Australia at the end of the second period. Klopfenstein scored again to narrow the gap with a stunning goal from just before the halfway line, and team-mate Sandie Masi levelled the score. Creagh scored her second goal of the match for Australia to edge ahead with just over two minutes of play left, but France kept cool and continued to attack. Klopfenstein produced a flash of brilliance to score two goals within seconds of each other, and raised her arms in triumph as the final whistle made France’s victory official.

Estonia v USA

Both teams took their time finding their rhythm but Estonia settled down quicker and scored two goals in three minutes to go 2-0 up with four minutes left in the first period. The USA halved the deficit just seconds later through Selma Johansson but Estonia kept up persistent attacks as they enjoyed more possession than their opponents. Johanna Siling then slammed a screamer from the right flank into the far top corner to help her side regain a two-goal lead and there was no way back for the Americans after that. Estonia kept a tight control on the game to ensure they finished 13th, while the USA settled for 14th.

Norway v Germany

Germany came from behind to grind out a 3-2 win over Norway on Thursday, recovering well from the heartbreak of relinquishing a 3-1 lead in their last match the day before. Norway drew first blood with Rikke Ingebrigtsli Hansen striking first, and Germany responded through Theresa Beppler-Alt. The latter then made an assist for teammate Winona Jurgens to score, giving Germany the 2-1 advantage at the end of the first period. Neither side relented with the second period ending goalless. Germany did well to hold their opponents back until the 51st minute, when Norway’s Johanna Ragnarsson equalised. As the clock ticked down to the end of the game and overtime seemed likely, Germany forward Ellen Kunigk extricated herself from the two Norway players marking her to slam home the winning goal in the last five minutes. Germany will face Japan for 9th place on Friday, while Norway will play against Singapore for 11th on Saturday.

Finland v Poland

A dominant performance in the first period in their quarter-final match against Poland was all Finland needed to keep them on track for a 13th consecutive top-three finish at the WFC. Polish goalkeeper Klaudia Jachymiak made 17 saves in the first 20 minutes but was powerless to stop the relentless Finnish attacks that were executed to perfection as Finland took a 7-2 lead. Following an action-packed first period, an uneventful second period saw Finland and Poland registering just nine and four shots respectively, all of which were saved by the respective goalkeepers. Finland rediscovered their groove in the final 20 minutes, adding four more goals to seal their spot in Saturday’s semi-finals. Meanwhile, Poland will look to match their best finish of fifth at the WFC in the first 5th-8th placement match also on Saturday.

Sweden v Latvia

Defending champions Sweden continued their charge towards an eighth consecutive world title with a resounding victory over world No. 8 Latvia in the quarter-finals on Thursday. Top-ranked Sweden needed just less than two minutes to get going at the OCBC Arena. Lisa Carlsson whipped in a beautiful mid-range shot past Latvia custodian Allana Kolosova to open the scoring. Sweden enjoyed most of the possession and kept up with their indefatigable attacks but Latvia did well to shut them down, even if only for a while. Sweden finally broke down a stubborn Latvian defence again through defender Moa Tschop. Tschop added her second of the night minutes later, before Moa Gustafsson found space outside the box and sent the ball flying past Kolosova to add a fourth for Sweden before the break. Sweden carried their momentum into the second period, adding three more goals in the first five minutes. But Latvia never gave up, continuously labouring even as the goals against them kept coming. They finally pulled one back in the 43rd minute through forward Anna Ankudinova whose air-hook went sailing past Sweden goalkeeper Matilda Ostlund Visen, sending the Latvian bench and supporters to their feet. Latvia would eventually score two more goals to give themselves confidence ahead of their 5th-8th placement match on Saturday. Sweden will face either Switzerland or Slovakia in Saturday’s semi-finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Singapore v Japan

Misfirings and mistakes turned out to be Singapore’s undoing in the hosts’ 3-4 defeat to Japan on Thursday in the play-off match for 9th to 12th place. Both sides were on attacking mode from the starting whistle, though neither scored in a goalless first half as Singapore goalkeeper Shermaine Goh made seven saves while her Japanese counterpart Miko Yamanaka made nine. With Singapore down a player early in the second period after Yee Yun Shawn was handed a penalty for an incorrect hit, Japan scored to lead 1-0 with Natsumi Yokota’s shot landing home. Japan doubled their lead just 10 seconds later through captain Yui Goto. Forward Amanda Yeap scored Singapore’s first goal of the match to narrow the deficit to one goal, but Japan pulled ahead to lead 3-1 after a long pass from Rei Goto found its way to Mahiro Shimizu, who tapped the ball in from just outside the box. Singapore defender Yee then scored a remarkable goal from the centre line, bringing the score to 3-2 after the second period. Jerelee Ong then equalised, with the roars of the home crowd echoing throughout the OCBC Arena as the spectators sensed a comeback. But their hopes were thwarted in the 48th minute, when Yu Abe scored to give Japan the lead again. The hosts were unable to pull off a comeback after multiple missed attempts, and will play against Norway for 11th place on Saturday. Japan will face Germany for 9th place on Friday.

Tickets are available at https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/wfc2023. More match updates are available at https://app.floorball.sport/leagueorganizer/Magazine/92#/leagueorganizersite/92/start.

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