Austria will defend their title tomorrow in Geneva and will face hosts Switzerland!
The first semi-final kicked off with Champions Austria facing Croatia. Austria defeated Croatia 6-3, securing their place in the final. Adrian Fink opened the scoring early for Austria, but Andrej Zidanić equalized with a penalty corner. Julian Kaiser’s penalty corner restored Austria’s lead before Ivan Šoić leveled again for Croatia. In the second half, Kaiser converted another penalty corner, followed by two goals from captain Mateusz Nyckowiak—a penalty corner and a penalty stroke. Jakob Bauer added a field goal to extend Austria’s lead, while Luka Mesarić scored Croatia’s late consolation. Tomasz Szmidt’s Austria displayed clinical finishing and composure and took full advantage of Croatia’s powerplays.
In the second semi-final the host Switzerland faced Italy. Switzerland edged Italy 4-3 in a dramatic second semi-final. Switzerland took a 3-0 lead with Jonathan Baumbach’s two penalty corners and Max Fischbach’s field goal. Italy staged a thrilling comeback, starting with Jonas Carelli’s field goal, followed by Matteo Frizzi’s strike, and a penalty stroke by captain Alessandro Calzolari leveling the score at 3-3 in the 37th minute. However, Baumbach completed his hat-trick with a decisive penalty corner in the final minute to secure the win. Jair Levie’s Swiss side showed resilience to book their place in the final against Austria.
Earlier in the day Pool C got underway as the battle commenced to see which of these 8 teams would be relegated.
Türkiye secured a decisive 5-2 victory over Denmark in the first Pool C game. Cihan Korkmaz opened the scoring for Türkiye in the 14th minute, but Denmark equalized through Oliver Sørensen’s penalty corner in the 20th minute. Türkiye regained the lead with goals from Ali Kızılırmak and Zeynel Öz before Hector Nørgaard brought Denmark closer with another penalty corner in the 30th minute. However, Türkiye sealed the game with goals in the 37th and 40th minutes. Serdar Celasun’s side displayed sharp attacking prowess to take control of their Pool C campaign and get 3 points on the board.
Poland claimed a 4-1 victory over Czechia in the second Pool C match. Jakub Marcinkowski opened the scoring with a penalty corner in the 13th minute. Czechia responded with a penalty corner from Lukáš Stibor to level the score. However, Marcinkowski quickly restored Poland’s lead with a field goal. Emil Witczak added another field goal in the 23rd minute, while Marcinkowski completed his standout performance with a second penalty corner in the 34th minute. Poland’s clinical finishing secured a strong result, while Czechia showed determination but struggled to contain their opponents’ attacks.
Ranking Pool C:
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