Photo: Harriet Kallio
Friday marked the fifth day of competition at the Men’s Bandy World Championship, and it proved to be a decisive one as group standings and semifinal pairings were finalized in front of a sold-out Pori Artificial Ice Rink.
The day began at 12:00 with a crucial match between the Netherlands and USA, with a place in the top four at stake. The Netherlands got off to a flying start, taking a 1–0 lead at 1:48. USA responded quickly, as Kyle Osterberg found the net at 2:50 to level the score.
The first half developed into an evenly matched battle, with goals scored at both ends. At halftime, USA held a narrow 3–4 lead.
The second half remained tight, and the decisive moments came in the final ten minutes. USA took a 5–6 lead at 83:46, before Michael Fabie sealed the final score of 5–7 at 90+3:20. USA finished fourth in the group and advanced to Saturday’s semifinal against the group winner, while the Netherlands will play for fifth place.
In the next match, Norway faced Hungary in a game that followed a familiar pattern in the tournament. Norway claimed a 0–13 victory. Hungary managed to keep the scoreline clean for the first 11 minutes before Norway began to score. At halftime, the score stood at 0–5. Norway continued their strong performance in the second half as Hungary began to tire, although clear signs of development were visible in the Hungarian team compared to earlier matches.
Hungary’s Andre Berglönn stated after the match that the team had gained extremely valuable international experience during the week and expressed hope that their progress would continue in the future. Norway finished third in the group, while Hungary placed sixth.
One of the highlights of the entire tournament week took place in the evening, as the two pre-tournament favorites, Finland and Sweden, finally faced each other. The match welcomed special guests, including Porin Ässät legend Jesse Joensuu, who spoke in the VIP tent before the game. Joensuu began his ice sports career playing bandy at the age of six with Porin Narukerä.
The match was also attended by Finland’s Minister of Sport, Physical Activity and Youth, Mika Poutala, who was impressed by the size of the crowd. A former elite speed skater, Poutala is familiar with the Pori venue from his competitive career and emphasized the importance of hosting major championships of smaller sports in Finland.
Advance ticket sales were strong and VIP tickets for the day sold out well in advance. The stands were packed, setting a new tournament attendance record of 3,000 spectators — the full capacity of the arena.
On the ice, fans were treated to high-quality and entertaining bandy. Sweden raced into a 0–2 lead through goals by William Arvidsson (1:45) and Joel Broberg (3:48). Finland recovered well, with Niklas Holopainen scoring at 11:21 and again at 39:06 to level the score at 2–2 by halftime.
Arvidsson struck again early in the second half to restore Sweden’s lead, but fortune favored Finland at 59:24 when Sweden deflected the ball into their own net. The winning goal came at 85:06, when Emil Fedorov sent the sold-out arena into celebration. Sweden pushed hard for an equalizer in the final minutes, but Finland’s defense held firm and the match ended 4–3.
Sweden suffered their first loss of the tournament, while Finland claimed the group victory with an unbeaten record. As a result, Saturday’s matches will be: Netherlands vs Hungary (5th place), Sweden vs Norway, and Finland vs USA. The winners of the semifinals will meet in the final, while the losers will contest the bronze medal match.
