Finland end Quarter-final hoodoo by defeating Czech Republic in Zurich

[p]Winning their opening six matches wasn't enough for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/finland/rRWMzYQu/"]Finland[/a] to top Group A, as their narrow loss to hosts [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/buO3jBAo/"]Switzerland[/a] last time out saw them finish second, setting up a meeting in Zurich with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/czech-republic/OdY4GUuO/"]Czech Republic[/a], whose defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/dSsR389c/"]Canada[/a] in their final Group B match confirmed a third-place finish.[/p][p]Only the side who could get back to winning ways the quicker would be heading to the last four, and it was Finland who drew first blood in the eighth minute, when [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/puljujarvi-jesse/MwEaYVEO/"]Jesse Puljujarvi[/a] won possession at centre ice before attacking down the right and squaring for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/manninen-sakari/nirlBvj2/"]Sakari Manninen[/a][/b] to score.[/p][embed guid="bf766ec5-9522-447c-9db7-4b11aba7938e" url="https://x.com/IIHFHockey/status/2060008517126250585" social-type="twitter" /][p]Seven minutes later, the [i]Leijonat [/i]were two goals ahead after they again had some joy down the right, where [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hameenaho-leni/MJ21EIIA/"]Leni Hameenaho[/a] collected [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vaakanainen-urho/EH4fomA1/"]Urho Vaakanainen[/a]'s pass and took a shot on, which [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/korenar-josef/MFmvwrpf/"]Josef Korenar[/a] saved, but [b]he couldn't prevent [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lundell-anton/zTGkWBJP/"]Anton Lundell[/a] tapping home the rebound.[/b][/p][p]Tempers began to flare late in the period, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lehtonen-mikko/GU8BUg7n/"]Mikko Lehtonen[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tomasek-david/xtkW4fH5/"]David Tomasek[/a] were sent to the box for fighting, but Finland reached the 20-minute mark with their lead unblemished, and then then put one foot in the Semi-finals by adding a third goal with under two minutes played in the second period.[/p][p]This time it was [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/granlund-mikael/lUeWxpf3/"]Mikael Granlund[/a] setting [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/barkov-aleksander/KCA1r9X3/"]Aleksander Barkov[/a] away and into Czech territory, before the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/florida-panthers/fc1eq8Pp/"]Florida Panthers[/a] man selflessly [b]played the puck across for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/helenius-konsta/CCkpmIQp/"]Konsta Helenius[/a] to fire into the net.[/b][/p][p]For all their good work, Finland allowed the Czechs a route back in, when Puljujarvi was called for charging and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maatta-olli/dQmqxaSf/"]Olli Maatta[/a] for roughing either side of the halfway mark, giving their opponents a 5-on-3 which they utilised 30 seconds later, [b]moving the puck unchallenged before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hronek-filip/xztP4JN0/"]Filip Hronek[/a] struck.[/b][/p][p]Tomasek was back in th penalty box for high sticking soon after, and though the Finns couldn't profit from their first powerplay, they ended another 20 minutes with the two-goal lead still intact, despite having fewer shots on goal in both periods.[/p][embed guid="7b3ad995-66b0-468c-8b29-fd5eb2aa9fe7" url="https://x.com/ViaplayUrheilu/status/2060037278307684601" social-type="twitter" /][p]The third period was even in terms of shooting, until [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sedlak-lukas/E3ZQz5j2/"]Lukas Sedlak[/a] was also guilty of high sticking with under eight minutes to play. Czech Republic survived the Finnish enslaught on the powerplay, only to allow [b]Hameenaho to secure the win a minute later[/b], after Manninen's assist saw him race away to score.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/czech-republic-OdY4GUuO/finland-rRWMzYQu/?mid=joMhQuwp"]A 4-1 win for Finland[/a] sees them join Canada in the Semi-finals, for which teams will be re-seeded once all four teams are known. Both Semi-final matches will be played on 30th May.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/hockey/world/world-championship-2026/"]Follow the 2026 World Ice Hockey Championship on Flashscore.[/a][/b][/p]