Contents
- Switzerland defeats Germany 3-1 in the World Cup quarter-finals in Ostrava.
- Christoph Bertschy with a brace and Nico Hischier lead the Nati with their goals into the first semi-final since 2018.
- The decision in a hard-fought match was only made in the final minute with the empty-netter.
- In the semi-finals, Switzerland will face defending champions Canada on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. (live on SRF two).
In the 58th minute, one or two Swiss fans’ hearts might have sunk into their pants again. After a cross pass from JJ Peterka, Lukas Reichel suddenly appeared in front of Leonardo Genoni. The NHL striker from the Chicago Blackhawks was unable to beat the Swiss goalkeeper from a promising position. It was to be the Germans’ last good chance to equalize.
Coach Harold Kreis’s team managed to get back into the Swiss zone after a timeout with 6 field players and no goalie. But with just under a minute to go, the national team managed to break free and Christoph Bertschy scored the redeeming 3:1 into the empty net.
Penalties throw Nati off course
Before Reichel’s great chance, Switzerland had everything under control in the final third. Coach Patrick Fischer’s team hardly had any dangerous moves up front due to the risk dosage, but the national team allowed little to nothing at the back. Also because they remained disciplined and did not take any more penalties.
This discipline was sometimes lacking in the middle period. The Germans took advantage of the second power play situation to get back into the game. Dominik Kahun shot in the 32nd minute immediately after winning a face-off and caught Genoni under his catching hand.
Andrea Glauser caused the penalty with a hard check against Peterka on open ice. The referees even briefly discussed a major penalty, but after studying the video, it remained at 2 minutes.
Shorthander paves the way
While the game was fairly evenly distributed in the 2nd and 3rd periods, Switzerland dominated the first period at will. Fischer’s team constantly disrupted the Germans in their own zone, and the game was played almost exclusively in the third of last year’s vice world champions.
The opening goal was nevertheless a surprise. Andres Ambühl was sitting in the penalty box when Bertschy escaped in the 8th minute while the team was outnumbered and, lacking alternatives, shot at the German goal. Bertschy caught Philipp Grubauer with a wrist shot in the near top corner to make it 1-0.
With the lead behind them, the national team became even more dominant and reaped the rewards before the first break. In the 17th minute, a deflected direct shot from Jonas Siegenthaler fell in front of Nico Hischier’s shovel, who did not miss the half-empty goal.
Now the defending champion is waiting
Although Switzerland had to worry a little about winning at the end, the national team more than deserved to advance to the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time since 2018 with a fighting performance. Especially in the final phase, every blocked shot was celebrated on the Swiss bench as if it were a goal of their own.
This means that the Fischer team has two opportunities to win a medal this weekend. On the way to the final, the national team will face defending champion Canada on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. The “Maple Leafs” beat Slovakia 6:3.