Czechia Remains Undefeated! One Goal Enough To Beat USA

Goals and assists

42. Kucharčík (Vaněk, Fanderlik)

Referees

Peter Hriško, Michal Laczko

Spectators

2762

Czechia

Mokry - Fanderlik, Hrabár, Hudec, Kastner, Kubíček, Laurinc, Vaniš, Školoudík, Šlehofer - Bláha, Bílý, Jágr, Kohout, Kucharčík, Langr, Lhota, Pavlíček, Rozlílek, Vaněk, Wrobel, Zvonek, Čejka

USA

Mangini - Andes, Caron, N. Carter, Dutney, Melillo, Nikolajski, Smith - Battista, Biagetti, Bruno, Callahan, Fornaris, Kleckner, Malloy, Manning Almeida, McStravick, Phillips, Tumminello, Wilson, Wood

COACHES´ REACTIONS

Milan Jelen (CZE): "It was a demanding game. In the first period, we weren't as productive as we wanted to be and our pace wasn't at the level we expected. From the second period onwards, however, our performance improved, we controlled more of the play and created a number of scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, we lacked efficiency in front of goal, so in the end the game was decided by a single goal. As the tournament progresses, the games becomes more balanced because the teams know each other much better. At the same time, the schedule is extremely demanding, with five tough games in a row, and that inevitably has an impact. We now have a day off, which will allow us to recover and focus on preparing for the quarterfinals."

James Mentis (USA): "It was a very good game by both teams. We were up against an excellent opponent, and losing 1–0 to a team of that quality is certainly not a bad result. I thought we played a solid game and gained valuable experience from it. For us, the group stage is mainly about preparing for the quarterfinals, and I believe games like this have helped get us ready for the next stage of the tournament. We expect another tight contest against Switzerland. It will probably be a low-scoring game where the smallest details can make the difference. In the end, the team that works harder, competes harder and makes fewer mistakes will give itself the best chance to win."