Zurich Lions failed by a whisker to pull off a sensational victory in Wednesday's first leg of the ice hockey Champions League final.
This content was published on
1 minute
The Swiss team started well, scoring twice in the first 13 minutes, but in the end managed only a 2-2 draw with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of Russia.
Magnitogorsk’s first goal did not come until the 52nd minute, but that was the turning point. A superb save by their goalkeeper prevented the Swiss from widening the gap again just five minutes later.
But it was only 43 seconds before the end of the game that the Russians equalised – a great disappointment for the Swiss goalkeeper in particular, who had previously deflected a number of difficult shots.
If the Lions win the return match in Rapperswil on January 28 they will secure the championship. A draw will still give them a chance of victory since the title will then be decided by penalty shoot-out.
The Champions League involves the national champion teams playing club hockey in Europe. 2008/2009 is its first season.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
2009: the year of the puck
This content was published on
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Hockey Championship will be played out from April 24 until May 10 in Bern and Zurich. But will it be as big a hit with the public as Euro 08? Four months before the teams hit the ice, there is little public interest in Switzerland in what has…
This content was published on
But there have been dissenting voices among some Swiss hockey clubs who are unhappy that the long-time hosts, HC Davos, are benefitting from such a profitable event. Between Christmas and New Year the normally tranquil town of Davos was home to ongoing celebrations by ice hockey supporters. They came in the thousands from around Switzerland…
This content was published on
But if enthusiasm counted for anything, the 16,000 fans filling the PostFinance Arena in the Swiss capital would have enjoyed a much closer result. That thousands of Bernese would show up for a hockey game at Europe’s largest rink might have been no surprise to the locals, but perhaps few outside Switzerland would have guessed…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.