The Finnish latkä fan group was glowing with the atmosphere created by the Latvians.
The Lions were not seen in the semi-finals of the World Cup this year. Instead, Finns dressed in Lions jerseys could be seen in the stands of the Nokia Arena.
Naturally, the mood was not dead. After all, they had traveled to Tampere from the capital region in the belief that Finland would participate in the medal games.
– We have been touring the games since 2010. Only Belarus and Russia have missed out. Primarily, we are at the games because of hockey.
– We bought tickets for these semi-finals pretty sure, so in that sense this was a disappointment, Sami Malinen told.
The weekend from Friday to Sunday cost around 500–600 euros per man.
Matti Karimäki, Sami Malinen, Mikko Rämö, Mika Laukkanen and Tomi Holmela cheered for the underdog Latvia. Anssi Karjalainen
However, the group of friends was in a good mood when Latvia organized a jymypaku and got the Latvians to go en masse to the semi-finals in Tampere. A great match against Canada even saved the weekend for lion fans.
– It definitely lifted the mood! On our previous race trips, we have been to a bar and celebrated together with Latvians. The Finns still have a lot to learn about their charm, Malenen beamed.
Underdog competitions
According to Viisiko, the Leijoni’s playing looked dull from the beginning of the tournament, even though there were small flashes of light.
– There is even too much skill on the field for a straight puck, in my opinion. The straight game that Latvia and Germany are playing seems to be doing well, Malinen joked.
– Perhaps even the pre-favorite position does not always suit Finland. Even in the semi-finals, however, Germany and Latvia, who were not favourites, Tomi Holmela pondered beside.
– Jukka Jalonen’s style of play does suit Leijon. I would summarize it so that less stars and more basic ice. It could be a recipe, Malinen continued.
Eetu Naukkarinen and Miro Tauriainen had arrived from Imatra.
They already participated in the ticket lottery half of last year and received the right of first refusal.
Miro Tauriainen and Eetu Naukkarinen arrived in Tampere from Imatra to watch the final climax of the games.
– It’s always a little disappointing, Finland is not participating, but Latvia was a positive thing for the weekend. It healed the wounds, the two said about the giant surprise of the Games.
The two have been staying at the hotel since Thursday.
– We paid about 450 euros per person for the tickets, but that also included the quarter-finals. So a total of four matches.
They couldn’t articulate the reasons for the collapse of the Lions.
– It would be, for example From Mikko Rantase couldn’t expect goals, Tauriainen regretted the superstar’s goallessness.
– He still played well, even though there was no goal. However, he won the team’s point exchange, Naukkarinen softened.