The Latvian national hockey team defeated the Italian national team 3: 0 in the world championship on Monday and won the second victory in the group tournament in three games. The hosts of the field “Arena Riga” attacked almost the whole game, however, the gain of three points was strengthened only at the end of the match with two hits in the empty goal.
Mārtiņš Karsums nominated the Latvian national team eight minutes before the end of the second period. At the end of the match, Lauris Dārziņš and Karsums sent the puck to the empty goal from time to time, which was recognized as the best winner in the team. Ivars Punnenovs defended the goal untouched for the winners, who did not count the only puck allowed due to the successful work of the Latvian coaches.
The hosts had a number of good chances to score in the first third, and the game mostly took place in or near the Italian defense zone. Ronald Ķēniņš and Rodrigo Ābol had excellent opportunities to reveal the result, as well as Andris Džeriņš, but the southerners stayed. Punnenova’s goalkeeper’s goal was threatened a few times in the first minutes of the match and at the end of the period, with Italy playing in the majority.
Does not include Edgars Kuldas goal gain
Ripa’s Edgara Kuldas’s long shot really ought to have found the net 12 minutes into the match, but it fell just wide of the target. The scorer was Kaspars Daugaviņš.
Interview with Ronald the King
Latvian national team striker Ronalds Ķēniņš after the first third said that it is necessary to throw more at the goal, as well as someone must be active in front of the goal. The king acknowledged that Latvia has an advantage and must realize it by throwing a goal, but it must also be careful.
Mārtiņš Karsums reveals the result
In the second third, Italy was saved by the construction of the goal after Karsums and Indrašs’ shots, but in the end, the dominance of the Latvian team was turned into a goal gain. The heat made it a terrible day for Facio, who seemed unable to keep up with the other players.
Mika Indrašs’ goal gain is not included
Three and a half minutes before the break, Indrašis almost doubled the lead of Latvia, but his goal was not scored, because the attacker sent the puck with a skate. At the end of the third, the pressure of the Latvian national team eased, because Ķēniņš earned a 2 + 10 minute penalty for pushing the opponent to the edge and the team remained in the minority.
Interview with Mārtiņš Karsums
Karsums during the last break on Latvian Television said that the team is too easy to deal with the opportunities to score. The winner of Latvia’s first goal emphasized that it is necessary to go to the goal rather than just throw from a distance.
Excludes Italian goal gains
At the beginning of the third period, the Italian national team was among the first non-counted goals. Most of the Italians played the puck to the perfect shot by Aleksa Petana in the upper corner of the goal, but the Latvian coaches successfully challenged the episode, because at the beginning of the attack the referees had not recorded the back position.
Lauris Dārziņš throws the puck into the empty goal
The Italian national team in the last third was able to threaten Punnenova’s goal more often, but the result did not change. The Italians replaced Facio with a field player in the penultimate minute, but the pressure on the Latvian goal was not so great as to prevent Dārziņš from sliding close to the empty goal and reaching 2: 0.
Mārtiņš Karsums scores his second goal of the game
Another attempt to replace the goalkeeper with a field player cost the Italian national team another goal loss as Karsuma broke out in the match for the second time.
Interview with Lauri Dārziņš before the game
Forward Lauris Dārziņš told Latvian Television before the match that the team had rested and prepared for the game. Dārziņš estimated that Italy will play very energetically and aggressively, so they must be ready to support each other and attack at speed from their zone.
Interview with Luke Frigo
Before the game, the Italian national hockey player Luka Frigo said in an interview on Latvian Television that the team is missing several important players, but will have to try to control the puck and play physical hockey.
Interview with Harijs Vītoliņš
In his face-to-face interview before the match, Harijs Vītoliņš, a former national team player and coach, said that Latvia must win unequivocally, but in order to achieve this, it must play very actively and closely, which is typical for teams led by Bob Hartley. The Italians are throwing a lot at the goal, and this should be kept in mind, but the leaders of the Latvian national team must take the game for themselves, said Vītoliņš. He also acknowledged that a large number of teams have been more lenient with the World Cup during the pandemic, and this is reflected in the results, but at the same time strengthened the intrigue by leveling the balance of team strength.
In the first two games, Latvian hockey players defeated Canada (2: 0) and conceded to Kazakhstan (2: 3) in the post-match throws, while the Italian national team failed against the group leader Germany (4: 9) and Norway (1: 4). The Italian and Canadian samples in subgroup B are the only ones that have not yet scored any points.
In the first game in the second subgroup on Monday, the team of the Russian Olympic Committee suffered the first failure, losing to the Slovaks 1: 3.
In the continuation of the group round, the Latvian national team will still have to play on Thursday against the USA, as well as later against Norway, Finland and Germany. The group’s four strongest teams will qualify for the quarterfinals.
The World Championship in Riga will last until June 6.
