Gibraltar beats hosts Finland in first group match

Not for the first time, Gibraltar faced Finland in a EuroHockey competition, and their past record would have provided some confidence as they prepared to take on the EuroHockey Championship Qualifier II hosts.
Back in 2017, Gibraltar had beaten Finland 8-1 in the EuroHockey Championship IV tournament. However, much had changed for both sides since then. The nine years between that victory and this week's tournament had seen a new generation of players emerge within the Gibraltar senior squad, with expectations very much tempered.
The first quarter saw both sides keep a clean sheet.
Led by coach Eric Abudarham and manager Ivan Massetti, the Gibraltar team, who had earlier watched the women's side defeat Hungary, had their sights set on replicating their counterparts' performance.
With the expansion of the top tier of the EuroHockey Championships to 12 teams, there was now an opportunity for every nation competing in the tournament to make history by qualifying for Championship II in 2027.
For Greece, Luxembourg and Lithuania, it would be a first appearance at that level, while for hosts Finland, Gibraltar, Hungary and Malta, their only previous appearances had come in the 1970s when the European Championships were contested as a single division.
Although the smallest of the competing nations, Gibraltar hockey had already demonstrated that it was more than capable of challenging for the top places.
The competition sees the teams initially contest a round-robin phase, with the group winners guaranteed a place in Sunday's final and, with it, qualification for Championship II.
Described as "a lively presence" after finishing third in Championship III in Skierniewice in 2023, Gibraltar showed that the description was well deserved.
A 20th-minute penalty corner from Julian Lopez set the tone as Gibraltar took the lead in the second quarter.
Just two minutes later, Gibraltar doubled their advantage through Julian Hernandez.
Gibraltar went into the half-time break with a deserved lead over the hosts.
Finland started the third quarter with Lahtinen-Kalsi receiving a green card.
Gibraltar added to Finland's woes in the 38th minute when youngster Leigh Dobinson scored their third goal, giving Gibraltar a comfortable cushion with more than a quarter of the match still to play.
Although Finland created chances of their own, including a penalty corner in the 40th minute, Gibraltar headed into the final break with their clean sheet intact and a three-goal advantage.
Finland applied early pressure in the fourth quarter, earning another penalty corner, but once again failed to make it count.
Gibraltar defended resolutely and secured their first victory of the tournament, underlining their intent. Maintaining their clean sheet throughout, they claimed a deserved 3-0 win. They will next face Greece on Friday before taking on Malta on Saturday. Malta had earlier beaten Greece 3-2 on Thursday.