After a 17:17 stalemate against Switzerland in their opening match, Czechia again shared spoils in a low-scoring match, these time against Poland. The Czechs now have two points, while Poland took their maiden point, with both teams staying in fight for a main round berth. 

GROUP A
Czechia vs Poland 19:19 (12:9)

The Czech side took the game under their control in the opening minutes, as solid defence and counterattacks powered them to a 4:2 lead, which they extended to 6:3 in the 12th minute. 

However, then Czechia lost their momentum, making a few turnovers, and Poland capitalized on their rivals’ mistakes. Between the 17th and the 22 minutes, they enjoyed a 4:0 run, which allowed them to get in front for the first and only time before the interval 8:7.

Czechia seemed to get back on track late in the first half, ending it with a 5:1 run, but a three-goal gap at the break left Poland with a chance for a comeback. And the team coached by Marcin Lijewski improved after the restart, putting even more pressure on their rivals.

The goalkeeping certainly played a role – Adam Morawski did not have much impact in the first half, but Marcel Jastrzebski, the hummel Player of the Match who replaced him, did an excellent job, recording eight saves for a 50% save efficiency. Meanwhile Czechia’s Tomas Mrkva, who had done so well in their opening match versus Switzerland, could not repeat his heroics, as he was restricted to a below-par 26% efficiency.

Thanks to Jastrzebski’s effort, Poland conceded only seven goals in the second half, and after they drew level at 15:15 with 12 minutes left, the match became particularly tense. Neither side could pull clear by more than one goal in the remaining time, but it was Czechia who scored the last goal of the match, as Vit Reichl netted for the first time 13 seconds from full-time.

Czechia’s Jakub Hrstka stood out as the top scorer of the match, converting all his five shots, while no player could find the net more than three times at Poland. Both sides will play their decisive games on Sunday, as Poland will face Switzerland, and Czechia will have a tough test against Germany. 

hummel Player of the Match: Marcel Jastrzebski (Poland)