Kloten faces a Herculean task to avoid losing a playoff series 4-0 for the third time in a row. Now they need solutions against the very good defending ZSC Lions.
18.03.2025, 05:00
18.03.2025, 06:43
SDA
Kloten's goal differential after losing the first three quarterfinal games against the defending champions is 1:11. This shows where the problems lie for the Zurich lowlanders: they are not able to penetrate the dangerous zone enough. "They play very well and are very structured, which is why we don't get many top-class chances," said Axel Simic, who returned to the team after two suspensions, paying tribute to the Lions. "We have to spread the game out and try to score dirty goals."
One such goal was the 1:0 by ZSC captain Patrick Geering (48'), the only goal of the game. For Simic, this goal should not have counted, and he was not the only one with this opinion. Because it was not clear whether the puck was behind the line, as Kloten's Nolan Diem had previously pushed Zurich's Joel Henry into the goal. Kloten head coach Lauri Marjamäki described Diem's action as "our mistake", which is why he did not issue a coaching challenge. The Finn was extremely fair, saying that he had to trust the referees.
However, Kloten demanded everything from the favorites this time, which had an effect on some Zurich players. "We saw that they were screaming on the bench," said Simic. "They want to play fair-weather field hockey, so we have to get under their skin. This is our chance. I'm sure we'll score more than one goal in the next game (Wednesday in Kloten)."
The fact that the seventh-place qualifier has four play-in games under its belt, unlike ZSC, is not a factor for Simic. "You can see in the last ten minutes that they're still fresh. But we're in rhythm, and in the playoffs you have energy anyway. It would help if we could take the lead."
For Marjamäki, the problem lies in the fact that his team has so far been unable to deliver its performance for 60 minutes. That was necessary against the best team in Europe. Either way, he is proud of his team. They have overcome some problems during the season. Now he hopes they can take the necessary step again. Marjamäki knows how to turn around a 0:3. He did it in 2012 as coach of the Espoo Blues against the qualifying winners KalPa Kuopio. A good omen?
