Switzerland and their surprising World Championship semi-final opponents Denmark have similar qualities: a family atmosphere and team spirit. But the Swiss are clearly the better field hockey players.
24.05.2025, 13:30
SDA
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- The Swiss ice hockey team will face Denmark in the semi-finals on Saturday evening.
- Striker Kevin Fiala explains the fact that Switzerland is in the semi-finals for the second time in a row with a maturing process.
- Goalie Leonardo Genoni said before the game: "I don't really care about the result, but I'm really happy with the way we're playing as a team."
It is one of the biggest sensations of the new World Cup era. The highly rated Canadians led by superstars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon are defeated in the quarter-finals by the blatant outsiders Denmark. "Unbelievable!" is the first thing that comes to mind for the only Danish NHL player Nikolaj Ehlers.
The former EHC Biel junior and son of coach Heinz Ehlers (champion with Visp) had only traveled to Herning for the last group game - like (but not together with) Nino Niederreiter, his teammate on the Winnipeg Jets. Despite jet lag, he managed to tie the game 1-1 against Germany in the final third, as he did in the quarter-final against Canada 2:17 minutes before the end. One and a half minutes later, Nick Olesen made the sensation perfect.
A semi-final is a semi-final
That's why Switzerland is now the clear favorite in their second World Championship semi-final in a row on Saturday (18:20) in Stockholm. Nobody expected the Danes. After the 6:0 win against Austria, players and coaches were only asked about possible opponents Sweden or the USA. The starting position is therefore not without danger, but should not deter the Swiss from their path.
"Yes, a semi-final against Sweden would be even more special," said former Sweden legionnaire Kevin Fiala, who also met his wife there. "But that doesn't matter anyway. A semi-final is a semi-final. I'm sure we'll all be very motivated, no matter who we're up against." Despite his past in Sweden, the Los Angeles Kings super-technician and MVP of the last World Championship revealed that he had never played in the impressive Globen before. This ended with a silver medal, the third in twelve years, after losing to hosts the Czech Republic in the final.
Now they want to go one step further, and everyone in the Swiss team, from players to coaches, radiates this with every fiber of their being. The mood is relaxed and easy-going, yet highly focused. The fact that they have won two quarter-finals in a row for the first time, after this hurdle had often caused great disappointment, takes a huge weight off their shoulders.
Confidence in teammates
"We listen to you (the media) less now," says Fiala with a grin. "To be honest, it was all in our heads. We've certainly matured. Last year we passed this test in the quarter-final (against Germany), that gave us confidence." He never looks at the media himself, especially not during the playoffs. "The most important thing is that we have confidence in ourselves in our room," says Fiala. "That's the only thing that matters."
There is a sense that this bond in the team is top notch. The players like to give each other every success, every scoring point. Even if one of the players is surplus to requirements or has to take on a smaller role, there is no discord whatsoever. Goalie Leonardo Genoni, who has celebrated three shutouts in the last four games and only conceded one goal, puts it this way: "I don't really care about the result, but I'm really happy with how we're playing as a team," enthuses the experienced Zug player. "The way our forwards block shots in the defensive zone - that's what it takes in the last four days of the tournament."
And the highly paid NHL stars are moving heaven and earth to join the national team. Like Fiala after his wife lost their unborn second child. Or Niederreiter after being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Looking forward to a fun duel
But also like Nikolaj Ehlers. "This is a very special team, we're a family, that's why I came home," says the 29-year-old forward about the Danish team, which reached the semi-finals at a World Championship for the first time ever, in an interview with SRF television in his best Swiss German. "I'm very, very proud." He is naturally looking forward to the duel with his former home country, where he took his first steps in field hockey.
"It will be fun," he is sure. But also: "We know how good Switzerland is. But anything can happen in field hockey. Even a good team can have a bad day." The Swiss don't want to do the Danes any such favors. Patrick Fischer's team has the necessary self-confidence, as the Austrians painfully discovered in the quarter-finals. And they are exactly the same family as the Danes, but with the greater quality.
