"Drink from it!"

The Russian national team retained the World Champions Cup for the first world championship with the ball was held exactly 50 years ago. At first, the world title was played every fourth season, then every second, and since 2003 it has passed from hand to hand annually. More precisely, crossed. The Russian team, having beaten the Swedes in the final of the 27th championship with a score of 3: 1, interrupted the tradition of changing the champion and withheld the title of the best team of the planet.

A half -century anniversary is serious. As a reminder of the long -standing times around the perimeter of the Kemerovo stadium, Chemist, throughout the championship, stood soldier field kitchens - in front of matches and breaks of fans were fed porridge with bread, beat tea. Notice for free. An extra sign of attention, an extra manifestation of Kuzbass hospitality.

Everything else related to the championship is already from the 21st century. First of all, the covered ice palace built next to the “chemist”: there the participants of the tournament trained. Not too much, however, stubbornly - the leading teams spent seven matches in eight days, and there was simply no time left for training.

It was difficult to draw some conclusions about the real strength of the teams in the group stage games. There were enough passing games when the difference in the class of two teams was too obvious. The Swedes, for example, scored 20 goals to the Norwegians, and the Russian team already played out a 3: 0 beaten-white neighbors. In the second half, the head coach Sergei Lomanov Sr. removed all the leaders of the national team from the game, gave the installation to score only Kuzbass players (Pavel Ryazantsev and Denis Kriushenkov), changed his defense and attack, and then completely left his own team in the minority. It did not help - by the 90th minute the score grew to 23: 0, and in order to allow the opponents to score at least once - apparently, in commemoration of the friendship of peoples - the Russians themselves had to make fair efforts.

Having beaten the next day of the Americans, the team of Belarus has retained its place in group A. Most likely, in order to lose again in a two-digit score in a year. Indeed, two -thirds of the team consists of “shaibists” and has no large ice for training at home. To get at least some practice, Belarusians arrived in Kemerovo a few days before the championship. Played control matches. We lost, for example, 0: 5 “Chernihiv” - an amateur team of a local coal mining enterprise, which, however, became the champion of Russia among physical education teams this year.

At the Congress of the International Federation of Bendy (FIB), four new members were adopted: Australia, Austria, Serbia and Croatia. Now Fib unites 25 countries. But the teams of 20 of them are unlikely to have chances in the near future against the “Chernihiv”.

Even the fourth place of Kazakhstan at the World Cup is not a competitor to the leading team. Russia coped with him in the semifinals a little less easily than with Belarus, but still without serious efforts - 16: 3. But in the dispute for another ticket to the final, it came to overtime.

The traditional favorites of the Scandinavian derby of the Swedes came to the championship not in the strongest composition. The reason for this is the internal troubles in the team: after the invitation of Magnus Muren, four hockey players at once refused to play for the national team. Yes, and Muren himself is now not the one that was two or three years ago when he was recognized as the best player in the world. Even by Swedish standards, the current team of Anders Jacobsson looked too slow, although quite skim. In the semifinals against the Finns, the Swedes had to recoup twice, and they scored the “golden” goal in the eighth minute of overtime. At the same time, they could never hit the gate from the game - all three of their goals came from the corners.

According to the coach of the national team Suomi Serena Persson, after such an insulting defeat, his players had no moral or physical strength. Nevertheless, the next morning, the Finns squeezed the national team of Kazakhstan in the match for third place. Also in extra time.

The coach of the Swedes Anders Jacobsson, apparently, did not have the strength or emotions left - he even stopped diving with journalists, which was diligently engaged in the entire tournament. He was not satisfied with questions about the absence of Patrick Nilsson in the team, about refereeing, about the weak physical training of his team. However, Jacobsson dispelled the impression of the complete indifference with the next act. Accompanied by members of the Swedish delegation, he went to a nearby restaurant, and after 15 minutes the correspondent of the Gazeta "Anders" who was dancing in the "Kalinka" dancing. By the way, he danced at the level of a professional dancer or circus artist.

In the same way, his team was transformed when she went on the ice in the decisive match of the championship against the Russian national team. The astringent mobile defending Swedes nullified the advantage of Russians in speed. Moreover, they themselves began quite actively, and already in the 11th minute, Marcus Bergwall opened the score - of course, from the corner. Limanov-father had to break the Swedish wall for a long time, but still under the curtain of the first half they used the second confusion of the Trekhnur defense. Ivan Maksimov struck the goalkeeper into the anti -income - 1: 1.

After the break, the game, if it became less closed, then just a little. The goalkeepers had few work, while Kirill Kirill Khlulko, and Andreas Bergwall with honor came out of difficult situations. The corners decided to make the case, which, at which the Russian team, played better better. Evgeny Ivanushkin scored a second ball, and the result of the match and the championship was summed up by Sergey Obukhov, who, with 19 goals, became the best sniper of the tournament.

According to the decision of the FIB Congress in a year, the best teams will meet in Moscow. It is doubtful that at least a tenth of those fans who attended matches in Kemerovo (this is not only about the finale) will gather in the Krylatskoye Palace. But for the first time, the World Cup will be entirely under the roof. And the championship cup will remain in Russia until next February.

The trophy, by the way, quickly found application. After the final whistle, the correspondent of the local television channel, managing to drag several players of the Russian team with a cup into the frame at once, asked: “What will you do with it?” - “What to do? Drink from it! ”

27th World Hockey Championship (Kemerovo)

Group a

5th round

Sweden - Norway - 20: 7 Finland - Kazakhstan - 5: 4 Russia - Belarus - 23: 1

The final position: Russia - 9 points, Finland - 8, Sweden - 7, Kazakhstan - 4, Norway - 2, Belarus - 0

Match for the right to play in group A

Belarus - USA - 9: 1

1/2 finals

Russia - Kazakhstan - 16: 3 Finland - Sweden - 2: 3, from

Match for 3rd place

Finland - Kazakhstan - 5: 4, from

Final

Russia - Sweden - 3: 1

02.02.2007 / Mikhail Melnikov / Kemerovo, the material was published in the "newspaper" No. 20 dated 05.02.2007.