Match № 2

The match № 2, group stage, first tournament day

SLOVAKIA – FINLAND 3:2 (1:1)

January 3rd, 2014, St. Petersburg, Peterburgsky SCC, 150 spectators

Referees: Artyom Lyubimov, Roman Milyuchenko, Aleksandr Kuznetsov

Slovakia: Semanko, Vavro, Kotrik, Vodezcky, Kacher (Slaninka, 77), Gric, Vestenicky (Lovas, 71), Shpalek (Rajnik, 88), Siplak, Kupec,Haraslin (c)

Head coach: Milan Malatinsky

Finland: Aalto, Ojanepra A.(Salmela, 73), Lehtinen, Friberg (Antikainen, 46), Karlsson, Jouini (Pietola, 79), Nurmela (Jarvinen, 70), Savolainen, Peiponen (Blomqvist, 83), Lassas (c), Ojanpera R. (Jaaskelainen, 70)

Head coach: Jarkko Wiss

Goals: Vestenicky (20, pen.), Peiponen (25), Shpalek (61), Haraslin (78, pen.), Lassas (88, pen.)

Yellow cards: Friberg (20), OjanperraA. (30), Lehtinen (77)

Best players: Nicolas Shpalek, Roni Peiponen

Photos >>> 

After match comments

Head coach of the team Slovakia Milan Malatinsky:

– The emotions after the match are really good – we won. It was the first match for me with this team, it is quiet a new national team.

– You have said, that it is not the strongest staff of your team, but how far it is from the strongest variant?

– We didn't take 6 players that are now playing in England and Italy, 2 players are injured. Only 4 players from the main staff were on the pitch today.

– Have you analyze your opponentzs before the match?

– Yes. We had a CD with the match Belgium – Finland. Finland won it. We analyze the style of play according to it.

– What is the aim for your team on this tournament?

– As I already said, we couldn't take 6 players on this tournament, but the other players, that do not have the regular places in national team get the chance to show their best. It is a good opportunity to check our players with good skilled teams, professional players. So playing here is a great honour for us. It's our first competition here, and it's very important for Slovakia to show its best.

– Have you seen the match of your next opponents and what do you think of favorites in your group?

– We could watch a short period of the match Belarus – Iran. I think Iran has a very skilled players, many of them played on the World Cup. To my mind there is no team on this tournament that can be called unskilled or unprepared, or some team that is ready to be outsider.

Head coach of the team Finland Jarkko Wiss:

– It is always pity to lose. We had a good start, but we are not in a perfect physical form now and couldn't hold the attack for the 90 minutes. Everybody could see it in the second half, but there are some positive moments in our play.

– Have you analyze your opponent before the match?

– I have seen several minutes of the train session of Slovakia team, but it is not because of impoliteness or something. We knew the basic of their play, but we should improve our own play and concentrate on it.

– What goals do you have for this tournament?

– It's not so long since I became the coach of this team, it counts in days. Yet, we had a tournament in Belgium, and here. It is in fact the second match for me as the head coach. In Belgium we had 4 debutants, here we tried two more new players, so our main goal is to frame the team, to establish partnership inside the team and to create the atmosphere. Perhaps, considering all these, the results are not so important, though we care about it as well.

– Have you managed to watch the game of your group opponents and what impression do you have of them?

– Yes, we watched the play of Belarus and Iran, and though we didn't concentrate on single players we concentrated on the team of Iran, for we consider them the strongest in both the group and the whole tournament.