Philippine floorball has reached a historic milestone.
The men’s national team advanced to its first-ever knockout round at the IFF Men’s World Floorball Championships after a thrilling 4-3 victory over Canada on Tuesday at the Baltic Hall in Malmö, Sweden.
In front of a passionate crowd of 216 – mostly consisting of friends and families of the Nationals based in Sweden – Patrik Nessbo and the Philippine defense rose to the occasion in this crucial match-up against the North Americans.
With less than a minute remaining and Canada using an extra attacker, the 23-year-old Nessbo made a crucial save. He denied Steven Friedli’s long-range shot to secure the win and the team’s first-ever playoff berth.
This victory marks a significant achievement for the Philippines, which earned a silver medal at the 32nd SEA Games.
Having finished 14th in their first appearance at the 2020 edition of the tournament, the Philippines will face Latvia on Wednesday at 7:30 PM at the larger Malmö Arena, with a spot in the quarterfinals at stake.
“Obviously, clinching the playoff berth is just unbelievable. We knew we had a good chance at it, but you won’t even dare to dream until the buzzer rings,” said Nessbo, who hails from Karlstad, located 538 km from Malmö.
The first period saw both teams aggressively pushing for the lead, resulting in penalties for the Philippines’ Simon Andersson and Canada’s Patrick Mahoney.
The Nationals capitalized on a power-play opportunity when Simon Sicat Laraño, a defender on the first line, broke the deadlock with a shot off an assist from Kim Varga.
His younger brother, Noah – also a defender – doubled the lead just under two minutes into the second period, finishing a pass from Lucas Werelius.
In the 24th minute, Andersson was called for a second penalty, which Canada exploited with a power-play goal from Alex Jette, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
With a playoff berth on the line, Rhodell Esguerra and Werelius extended the Philippines’ lead to 4-1, a cushion that proved vital as Canada rallied with two late goals from Valtteri Viitakoski and Friedli.
Desperate to add two more goals, the North Americans had a prime opportunity after a penalty was called on Ludvig Hemmingberg Porral with less than three minutes remaining.
However, the Philippine defense held strong in a six-on-four situation late in the match, culminating in a key save from Nessbo to secure the win.
“Our defense really had to step it up this game. Both in 5-on-5 and in 4-on-5 box play. Canada played with a lot of body checks and tackling. We knew it would be tough, but we managed to find a way to win, even though Team Canada came close at the end,” said the Skoghalls IBK goalkeeper.
Nessbo stopped 14 of the 17 shots on target from the Canadians.
Simon Sicat Laraño contributed with two points – one goal and an assist to Werelius in the third period – alongside his solid all-around defensive performance.
This victory not only improves the Philippines’ best finish at the World Championships but also secures the team’s first-ever World Games appearance in Chengdu, China, next year.