In group A, no more is clear. Because the German team beat the Americans and confused all the cards. Now one of the three main contenders for gold, as luckily gathered in this five, risks not even qualifying for the quarter-finals. And this “one of”, perhaps, will be determined in the meeting between the USA and Sweden several hours before the New Year.
I would like to conclude that only Canadians can safely wait for the semifinals. After all, the two main rivals in the group are defeated by them. But they still have to play with the Germans. And those have some fabulously chic first link. Everyone knew that these guys even managed to play for the first team. But that they were so good ?! And indeed, the team in Germany, as it turned out, was very personal. USA and Slovakia will confirm. So everything is just beginning - it is necessary, how interesting ...
And the Russian team in the second match of the tournament beat the Swiss beautifully - 6: 0. But what kind of conclusions can one draw from such a game? Unless one, somewhat paradoxical: the Swiss team has a really cool goalkeeper. Reto Berra - remember this name, if you haven’t. In the match, which his team lost so obviously, he managed to make a very good impression. Not to blame for any of the missed washers, and pulled out no less.
By the way, the organizing committee recognized the best players of Yurai Shimek among the Swiss, and Semyon Varlamov among the Russians. Shimek - forward. Varlamov is the goalkeeper. The game, recall, ended 6-0 in favor of the Russian team ...
Varlamov played very well, although the rivals did not set him insoluble tasks. Do not freeze in such a match - it is necessary to try. Semyon showed that he knows how to maintain concentration. Wonderful. But this is unlikely to be useful to him in the future. Unless Yevgeny Popikhin will put him up against the Belarusians, not the understudy Nikita Bespalov. But what Shimek deserved is a gift not to understand. Neither the Swiss in general nor their Slovak repatriate in particular created anything interesting in the attack. Being the most active in the team that lost 0-6 is not an achievement.
And it’s a pity that the Swiss team turned out to be no match that evening. Just because I really want to make sure that she is not at all as modest as it seemed before the World Cup. But neither the Czechs nor the Swiss played so as to establish themselves in this.
The Russian team has an excellent goalkeeper - we have known this for a long time. Some good defenders and strong forwards. Already seen as a very successful find the first three. In order Igor Makarov. But this was noticed in a match with the Czechs. Absolutely no game against the Swiss added any new impressions.
Unless such an observation: the 16-year-old defender from Tractor Vyacheslav Voinov, who scored the sixth goal for the unfortunate Berra, is, of course, handsome. They even say that this Chelyabinsk guy should grow into a very big player. Maybe. But the Canadians themselves did not bring the 16-year-old Tavares. As did not take to Sweden and the 17-year-old Esposito. And the prospects for these guys are no worse. It's just that Russia has a completely different level of competition. And the presence of Voinov in the composition is only secondarily evidence of his talent. The first is a lack of choice ...
That's strange: three teams leave the group, Russia has already won two matches, and has the same chances to stay behind the playoffs, like the Czechs, at the start, two losers ...