A country is upside down: Switzerland, acting as if unleashed, is reaching for the longed-for first title at an ice hockey World Cup at home. The host gave the surprise team from Norway no chance when they won 6-0 (1-0, 3-0, 2-0) in the semi-finals in Zurich.
In the final there will now be a duel with Olympic third place Finland, who defeated record winners Canada and superstar Sidney Crosby 4:2 (1:2, 3:0, 0:0).
Christoph Bertschy (18th), Denis Malgin (25th), Ken Jäger (33rd), Damien Riat (37th), NHL striker Nico Hischier (45th) and Theo Rochette (58th) shot the Swiss to their third final appearance in a row.
After the defeats against the Czech Republic in 2024 and the USA last year, this time the gold medal should work in their own country. The second duel with the Finns, against whom the Swiss won 4-2 in the preliminary round, will take place on Sunday evening (8:20 p.m./ProSieben and MagentaSport).
Patrik Puistola (4th) gave Finland an early lead, then the Canadians turned the game around: Robert Thomas (9th) and Dylan Holloway (15th) scored. In the middle section the Northern Europeans played furiously. NHL star Aleksander Barkov (21st), Konsta Helenius (32nd) and Aatu Räty (33rd) turned the game on its head.
The Maple Leafs, who last won the title against Germany in 2023, no longer found an answer against the strong defensive Finns. After losing the Olympic final against arch-rivals USA, it was the next disappointment for the ice hockey motherland.
Ice Hockey World Cup: Swiss are hungry for the title
The euphoria in Switzerland knows no bounds. The fans are longing for the title premiere after the Swiss recently suffered two bitter final defeats in a row.
NHL professional Timo Meier will be joining the team again in the final, having been suspended after a knee check in the quarter-finals against the brave Norwegians.
Switzerland left few doubts against Norway, but the Scandinavians can still complete their fairytale with third place. The bronze match will take place before the final on Sunday (3:30 p.m.).
In the group stage, underdogs Canada were already on the verge of defeat at 5:6 after extra time.
The Norwegians then made it to the semi-finals for the first time; their best placement at a World Cup is fourth place in 1951.
DEL goalkeeper Henrik Haukeland in particular has shown outstanding performances so far, but Straubinger couldn’t prevent the defeat against Switzerland either.
