In the third minute of extra time, Harri Pesonen even managed to “lucky punch” for the Finns, who are first in their group in the quarter-finals. The Swedes, as the best runners-up in their group, are also safely in the round of the top eight teams.
Slovakia ends preliminary round with victory
Previously, the Slovaks had won their first win in the third preliminary round game. With a 5-2 (1-1, 2-0, 2-1) win over Latvia, the Slovaks climbed to third place in preliminary group C.
The 2002 World Champion is now the opponent of the German national team in qualifying for the quarter-finals on Tuesday. Martin Marincin (11th), Peter Cehlarik (27th), Juraj Slafkovsky (32nd), Peter Zuzin (50th) and Tomas Jurco (60th) scored the goals for the Slovaks. Ronalds Kenins (16′) and Miks Indrasis (43′) scored for the Latvians who were still without a win.
The three group winners and the best group runner-up make it directly to the knockout stages. All other teams play the remaining places in the top eight in four duels based on a seeding list.