Comeback Kings Wales Into EuroHockey Semis

Wales confirmed their status as the comeback kings as they wiped out a 2-1 deficit to beat the Czech Republic 3-2 at the EuroHockey Youth Championships II to reach the semi-finals.

It means Wales U18 head coach Lee Ible’s side will be battling for promotion to the top tier when they meet the Russians in the final four at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on Friday – a big change from fighting to avoid relegation last time out.

“We’ve just got to go for it now. It is a shot to nothing and we need to make the most of what is a great opportunity for these boys,” said Ible.

“Having looked at all the teams in the tournament there is nothing for us to be afraid of. We can have a real good crack at the Russians and then whoever we meet after that,

“The good thing is we are in the right side of the draw and not fighting to avoid relegation. We reached the semi-finals in 2015 and now we have the chance to do even better.”

Rising star Rhys Bradshaw took his goal tally this week to four as he hammered home two penalty flicks to steer the Welsh youngsters into second place in their pool behind Scotland on goal difference.

Wales drew with the Scots in their opening game, but the boys in blue took top spot after beating Switzerland 6-1 in their final pool outing.

The first quarter against the Czechs saw both teams create chances to opening the scoring, with the closest opportunity coming from Wales who saw a chance rebound off the post in the dying seconds. First blood went to the visitors in the early stages of the second quarter when Jiří Kulička struck.

Bradshaw then stepped up to hit the mark with the first of his a penalty flicks that flashed by Vojtěch Pažitka in the Czech goal, although five minutes later Kulička put away his second goal of the game to make it 2-1 to crafty Czechs.

With qualification for the semi-finals now hanging in the balance for both teams, the third quarter was an intense affair that saw no more goals despite a stream of short.

The resolute Welsh defence stood firm and in much the same way as they hit back from a three goal deficit against Scotland, the Welsh side came storming back in the final quarter.

Some lovely link-up play on the counter-attack between Oliver Wheeler and Jonathan Fleck ended with Wheeler lifting the ball over the Czech keeper to make it 2-2. With eight minutes left to play the temp increased and Wales finally got the breakthrough.

A second penalty flick was awarded to them and senior international Bradshaw kept his cool and hit the back of the net once again to hoist Wales into a 3-2 lead and clinch a semi-final slot.

The Czech Republic fought hard to find their equalising goal and made the decision to substitute their goalkeeper for a kicking back, but Wales held strong despite the extra man, going to a zonal marking outside the defensive third, and confidently saw out the last few minutes.

“We left it late, but we showed great patience to wait for our moments and when they came we executed our counter attacks perfectly. On top of that, we showed great resilience and character to see out the game,” added Ible.

“The boys have performed superbly well so far in this tournament and I’m confident we have more in the tank for the game against Russia on Friday.”

Wales meet the Russians in the semi-finals on Friday, 27 July (2.00pm). A winning result will see them progress into the Finals and secure promotion into Championship I.

EuroHockey Youth Championship II (U18 Boys) – Cardiff, 22-28 July, 2018
Pool A: Italy, Austria, Russia, Belarus
Pool B: Czech Republic, Scotland, Switzerland, Wales
Sunday, 22 July
11.15: Italy 1-4 Russia
13.30: Austria 4-2 Belarus
15.45: Czech Republic 5-2 Switzerland
18.00: Scotland 3-3 Wales
Monday, 23 July
15.45: Russia 3-2 Belarus
18.00: Austria 4-3 Italy
Tuesday, 24 July
15.45: Scotland 3-1 Czech Republic
18.00: Switzerland 0-2 Wales
Wednesday, 25 July
11.15: Italy 7-2 Belarus
13.30: Russia 4-0 Austria
15.45: Switzerland 1-6 Scotland
18.00: Czech Republic 2-3 Wales
Thursday, 26 July
Rest Day
Friday, 27 July
09.30: 4th Pool A (Belarus) v 4th Pool B (Switzerland)
11.45: 3rd Pool A (Italy) v 3rd Pool B (Czech Republic)
14.00: SF1 1st Pool A (Russia) v 2nd Pool B (Wales)
16.30: SF2 1st Pool B (Scotland) v 2nd Pool A (Austria)
Saturday, 28 July
09.00: 3rd Pool A (Italy) v 4th Pool B (Switzerland)
11.15: 3rd Pool B (Czech Republic) v 4th Pool A (Belarus)
13.30: 3/4 – Loser SF1 v Loser SF2
16.00: Final – Winner SF1 v Winner SF2