Hosts Singapore have secured at least a top 12 finish at the Women’s World Floorball Championships (WFC) 2023 on Sunday (Dec 3) as the second day of the tournament saw closer score lines and tantalising floorball action at the OCBC Arena.

World No. 13 Singapore came from behind again to secure a 4-2 win over world No. 11 Australia, courtesy of goals from Amanda Yeap, Siti Nurhaliza Khairul Anuar, Yee Yun Shawn and Mindy Lim. With their second win in as many games, the home team are guaranteed a top-two finish in Group C, alongside Germany who recorded another dominant 10-1 win over France, and a spot in the quarterfinals play-offs. Singapore and Germany will face off on Tuesday to determine the group winners.

In the Group D opener, Japan recorded their first win over Denmark as captain Yui Goto inspired her side to a narrow 3-2 victory to the delight of the Japanese fans in the crowd, who were donning colourful costumes in support of their team. In Group A, WFC 2021 runners-up Finland put themselves in prime position to advance to the quarter-finals with a 9-5 win over closest group rivals Switzerland. The top two of the group progress to the next stage and Finland are now top with four points, followed by the Swiss and Norway (two points each) while Latvia (0 points) are bottom.

The results from Dec 3 are as follows:

Germany 10-1 France

After trouncing Australia 10-0 in their Group C opener, Germany continued their high-scoring momentum, racking up another 10 goals in their second match to beat France 10-1 and secure their quarter-finals play-off spot. Germany’s Player Of The Match Anna-Lena Best opened the scoring in the 6th minute before Marine Klopfenstein equalised just two minutes later. But Germany remained unfazed as Best scored two more goals in quick succession to restore her side’s lead. Germany then ran riot, making 39 shots to France’s 5 and sealing yet another dominant victory at the Women’s World Floorball Championships 2023. The Germans next face hosts Singapore in their final group stage match on Tuesday.

Randi Kleerbaum, Germany captain: “At the beginning, you could feel that we were a little bit nervous and there weren’t too many goals. France did a very good job and they defended very well. We had quite a few chances but the goalkeeper was quite good. We (won) but in the next game, we have to improve. We have some free time tomorrow but we’ll practise and prepare for Singapore by watching some videos, relaxing and refreshing ourselves. It’s very nice that even 12 hours away in Singapore we have so many fans from home. It’s very nice to have them here and those watching from home — it is very early. It’s so nice to get a lot of messages, of course it helps us when we know that people are getting up at 6am in the morning and watching our games, so it’s great.”

Says Marine Klopfenstein, France: “The game today was pretty hard. I am happy we scored a goal, but the game was a complicated game and to have ten goals against you… But overall, it is okay. For tomorrow, I do not think that we will have the time to explore Singapore. I think we will focus on resting because we have an important game against Australia on Tuesday. It is really crazy to have the fans here in Singapore. We are really happy and thankful that they came because it is a long way from home so we are really thankful.”

Denmark 2-3 Japan

It was a thrilling start to Group D action as the group opener between Denmark and Japan went to the wire, with Japan narrowly clinching the win. Denmark drew first blood after 14 minutes to lead while maintaining a solid defence that made it difficult for the East Asian side to find a breakthrough. Japan’s patient gameplay finally paid off when defender Rei Goto levelled the score late in the second period. Captain Yui Goto gave her side the lead seconds into the third period but Japan’s happiness was shortlived as Denmark’s Frida Josefine Keller equalised just two minutes later. Neither side could find the spark they needed but with five minutes to go, a moment of brilliance from Goto saw her intercept a pass from the Danish defence and she made no mistake this time, coolly slotting in as the Japanese bench and fans in the stands erupted. Goto had missed a similar opportunity just minutes before but made amends as Japan held on for the win, even as Denmark opted to substitute their goalkeeper for a sixth outfield player for the last two minutes.

Says Sille Larsen, Denmark: “Of course we would like to have won the game but unfortunately we didn’t. It was a good game, but we just have to play 10 per cent extra then maybe it would have turned out another way. Our mindset throughout the whole match was that we wanted to win and we wanted to do our best but it wasn’t meant to be this time. It’s disappointing but we will move on and come back stronger.”

Says Yui Goto, Japan captain: “I’m so happy, I’ve been in the national team for a really long time (since 2011) and this is our first time beating Denmark. Even after missing that attempt halfway through the third period, all I saw was just the goal and I was just thinking “goal, goal, goal” only. We were doing our best and just never gave up; we had a strong heart and that helped us.”

Norway 4-3 Latvia

Norway emerged triumphant in a seven-goal thriller against Latvia for their first win of the tournament on Sunday. The Norwegians led after just three minutes but soon found themselves trailing 2-1 after Latvia scored two goals in five minutes. Still, Norway pressed on and their efforts were repaid when they scored two quick goals to regain their lead. But barely a minute later, Latvia equalised again as the second period ended 3-3. Both sides put on tantalising end-to-end floorball action in the final period to the delight of the crowd. Five minutes from time, Eriksen turned provider after forward Line Terjesen smashed home her cross into the far post from the left flank. Latvia threw everything they had in the dying minutes of the match, including playing with six outfield players, but to no avail.

Says Line Terjesen, Norway: “It was a really chaotic match, the game switched all the time. But when I scored that last goal it was a really good feeling and the only thought I had was that we need to keep going until the last minute. (Going into the third period), we talked a lot about the need to just keep going and fight till the end. The fans in the stands were really important in the win and they gave us a lot of energy. The audience was very active so that kept us going. We have to go back to the hotel and just prepare for the next game, have a good recovery and give everything we can tomorrow (against Finland).”

Says Simona Grapena, Latvia: “We fought well. Even though we lost, it was okay because we fought hard. It felt very good to have won Player of the Match. I am very happy that I scored. It could have been a hat-trick if I had scored at the last second but I am still happy. To prepare for the next match, we will come together as a team and analyse previous videos of the other team and prepare tactics for different situations and we hope we can score some goals. The support from the fans has been very good and we’re happy that they made this long journey here.”

Finland 9-5 Switzerland

WFC 2021 runners-up Finland survived a late comeback from world No. 3 Switzerland to remain unbeaten and top of Group A after two games. The Finns came out with their guns blazing with 13 shots in the first period while Switzerland only managed six. After racking up an 8-1 lead with one period left, it looked like Finland were going to run the scoreboards yet again following Saturday’s dominant 14-1 victory over Latvia. But the young Switzerland team, with nine debutantes, shook things up. They opted for six outfield players in the final period, and their tactical change paid off as they scored four goals in the final period. But they ran out of time to complete their comeback as Finland (four points) remain in prime position to secure a quarter-finals spot. With the top two of Group B automatically advancing to the last eight, Switzerland (two points) now face a must-win clash against third-place Norway (two points) in the final group stage match on Monday.

Says My Kippila, Finland Player Of The Match: “I feel really good, we played a good game. The first two periods were quite good from us but in the third, Switzerland was good in their five-versus-six strategy, but it’s a good game from us. They took off their goalkeeper and played six against five, that’s something we have to watch now and train a little bit for our next games so that we are better in that situation.”

Says Corin Ruttimann, Switzerland: “Unfortunately, the reaction came too late. We could just react in the last period and switched to six (outfield) players. We had a lot of possession but the time was running out to score more goals. I’m very proud of our players, they performed very well, but we have much potential left. Yesterday, our efficiency was not good and today it seems like we’re sleeping for two periods so I hope we can show a reaction tomorrow.”

Czech Republic 9-3 Poland

Czech Republic opened their WFC 2023 campaign with a convincing win over Poland, taking advantage of their whopping 49 attempts, and limiting Poland to just 27. The match started out as a tight one with the Czechs leading by just two goals after the first period, but they extended their lead in the second period and never looked back. The Czech Republic’s higher save percentage of 88.89 per cent also helped them start their campaign on the front foot, which will give them confidence going into their upcoming match against defending champions and world No. 1 Sweden on Monday. Meanwhile, world No. 5 Poland will look to bounce back with a win against world No. 6 Slovakia.

Says Denisa Ratajova, Czech Republic Player Of The Match: “I’m feeling pretty good. I am just happy that we won. There were some struggles in the beginning of the game, but it’s nothing too unusual. It’s our first game, we were a bit nervous but we were happy to play. I’m really glad that since the second period, our game kind of calmed down. We started to add goals and we conceded fewer goals so it just went well for us. Overall, we need to be ready for Monday. Sweden is really a strong team with many individually strong players. If we play like we did today in the first period, we will concede a lot of goals, but I believe that we will be ready and I believe it will be a really tight game and I’m just looking forward to it. We would like to go through to the semi-finals. We’ll go game to game, step by step and just enjoy the time together, improve every game and hopefully play in the final.”

Says Zuzanna Abramczyk, Poland Player Of The Match: “Today’s game was tiring because there is still a big gap between our skills and Czech Republic’s but overall, I felt that we did our best and I feel good about the game. I hope with each game we play here, we will be better and eventually, we can fight on a more equal level with the stronger teams. Our goal for WFC 2023 would be that since we are not part of the top four teams, our goal is to exceed people’s expectations and be in the top four.”

Australia 2-4 Singapore

After a nervy comeback win in their WFC 2023 opener on Saturday, hosts and world No. 13 Singapore came from behind again to beat world No. 11 Australia on Sunday. It was a lively start in front of a raucous crowd at the OCBC Arena with the first three goals coming in quick succession. Australia’s Melissa Creagh opened the scoring after eight minutes but Singaporean forward Amanda Yeap levelled the score just 30 seconds later before teammate Siti Nurhaliza Khairul Anuar gave her side the lead. Yee Yun Shawn extended Singapore’s lead just before the final period but forward Amanda Bartrim pulled one back to give her side a glimmer of hope at snatching a draw. Singapore’s Mindy Lim then sealed the victory with her goal in the third period. Australia are still seeking their first win at the WFC 2023 and will have a day to find their footing before taking on world No. 27 France on Tuesday. In their final Group C match, Singapore will face the high-scoring Germany on Tuesday in a top-of-the-table clash.

Says Melissa Creagh, Australia Player Of The Match: “I’m feeling absolutely incredible and disappointed in the same way because we didn’t end up getting the win. But to score the opening goal during this opening match was just absolutely fantastic. The team is really happy and disappointed in the same moment (about not making it to the play-offs). It does feel really weird because we came here with ambition to be in the top eight and unfortunately, we’re not going to get there. But we’re not done yet. We have the Aussie spirit, so we’re going to go out to the next game, just as we did today, with a lot of fight. Hopefully we get the win over France.”

Says Siti Nurhaliza Khairul Anuar, Singapore: “The team and I definitely feel very happy to secure our play-off spot. Going into the last group stage game, even though we feel a bit relieved that we’ve won two games, we can’t feel complacent because our third group game is a tough one (against Germany). The team has always believed in this quote: more passion, more energy. So I believe if we stick by this, the third game will be great. Individually, I would like to work on composure because when we play against tough teams, composure is important. A lot of patience is needed. As a team, we need a lot of communication and that has to be better. We need to take more shots if possible too.”

Photo Credit: Women’s World Floorball Championships 2023

The Women’s World Floorball Championship 2023 will take place from 2nd to 10th December at the OCBC Arena and the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Full schedule, more information and event updates available here