The Chinese men's ice hockey team ushered in the third match of Group A of the 2022 World Men's Ice Hockey Championships in the early morning of April 30, Beijing time, against the host Croatia team. With the outstanding performance in the second quarter, the Chinese team won 5-1 against the opponent, won the championship in advance, and successfully achieved the goal of promotion.
Chinese player Jian'an (right) breaks through with the ball during a match on April 29. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Pixsell Photo/Luka Stanzl)
Before this game, China and Croatia ranked in the top two with 6 points and 5 points respectively. This was followed by the Netherlands, who lost 2-1, Spain, who lost 1-2, and Israel, who lost all three games. The result of this match is very important to the Chinese team: if China defeats Croatia, it will win the World Championship in advance; if Croatia wins, the Chinese team must defeat the last opponent, Spain, and determine its own ranking according to the results of the Netherlands against Croatia.
In the first quarter of the game, the Chinese team had the advantage in the scene, leading 14-9 in the number of shots, but unfortunately did not score, and the two teams fought 0-0 in the first quarter.
Chinese player Zheng Enlai (right) scrambles for a match on April 29. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Pixsell Photo/Luka Stanzl)
Five minutes into the start of the second quarter, Wang Taylor's shot caused the Croatian goalkeeper to save the ball, and Shen Jialei scored to break the deadlock. In the 9th minute, Jian'an scored from mid-range on the left to help China extend its lead. In the middle of the section, croatian players fouled, and the Chinese team seized the opportunity to rewrite the score to 3-0 by Fu. With 16 and a half minutes, Fu scored twice to help China end the quarter 4-0.
In the last four minutes of the quarter, Kylios scored at high speed on the left side, and the Chinese team had 5 goals in hand. By 12:30, Croatia was pulled back by Bruno Fokkur, but was unable to return. The Chinese team returned to the ranks of the First Division of the World Championships after a gap of 15 years.