"My penalty cost us the game" - Batņa. How do other players and the coach justify themselves? 0 11

As previously reported, in the third match of the 2026 World Cup, the Latvian national team lost to Austria with a score of 1:3 (0:0, 0:1, 1:2), with the winning goal scored by the opponents during Batņa's penalty.

Batņa: This penalty cost us the game

"At moments like this, in a game like this, especially when we had seized the initiative, you cannot take a penalty," Batņa expressed his dissatisfaction with his actions. "This penalty cost us the game. Of course, we did not capitalize on our chances, but there is no excuse for my penalty."

In a conversation with journalists, Batņa explained that it was a game incident and that the rule violation was not intentional, but he could have avoided the collision.

"We knew that the game would not be easy, and we knew what they were capable of," noted the forward. "They took advantage of their only moments, while we did not. That's all."

Batņa also stated that this defeat means nothing yet, as the tournament is not over, and the team will fight until the end. "I think we can definitely beat the Americans," said Batņa.

Vitolīnš: We did not play aggressively enough

The Latvian national team played not aggressively enough against the Austrian team, stated head coach Harijs Vitolīnš after the defeat in the third match of the World Cup, according to LETA.

"There was too little aggression, especially in the first period. It was as if we were trying to control the puck beautifully, but the opponent's actions in front of the goal were too simple," said Vitolīnš after the match. "In such games, you need to score working goals. Playing beautifully is not our game."

The coach admitted that one more scored goal — one that is earned through battling in front of the net and hard work — was missing for a better result. "This also reflected in the penalties — if we had been attacking the net more, battling in front of the goal, we would have provoked the opponent into penalties."

Vitolīnš also noted that the Austrians played very smartly, occupied good positions, and the Latvian team could not shoot from the blue line to then battle for the puck in front of the goal.

"The championship is only in the middle, and if we cannot 'beat' teams of our level, then we will have to fight against the strong ones," added the head coach of the national team.

On the bench, Oliver Murnieks spent the last two periods, Oskars Lapinskis played only 28 seconds, and Filips Buncis — less than one and a half minutes.

The transition to a three-line game during the match was explained by Vitolīnš as due to injuries and the unwillingness to put 'cold' players in critical moments. As the coach noted, Tom Anderson had his ankle cut and stitches applied, while Renars Krastenbergs sustained a finger injury.

Tumans: It’s hard to win a match with one scored goal

It’s hard to win a hockey match with only one scored goal, even if you play well defensively, said Latvian national team defender Miks Tumans after the defeat in the World Cup match in a conversation with LETA.

"We were set on winning. It’s hard to win a match with one scored goal, even if you defend well. Perhaps we lacked aggressive play towards the net," said Tumans.

"Against such teams, it is important to score first. The first goal we conceded was a silly mistake on my part. This allowed them to sit back defensively, and then it was difficult to break through," continued the hockey player.

Tumans also named the main prerequisites that will help to win in the upcoming matches.

"Boldness, attacking the net, and simple play. It was precisely through simple play that we defeated Germany, but today we strayed a bit from that," emphasized Tumans.

Šmits: We expected the game to be tough

The Latvian hockey team understood that their opponent in Tuesday's match — Austria — would create significant difficulties, stated defender Alberts Šmits after the defeat in a conversation with LETA.

"There were shots, but we could not send the puck into the net — that cost us the victory. Austria is not a weak team; they also know how to play hockey. We expected the game to be tough, but if we want to win, we need to score goals," said Šmits.

World Championship debutant Šmits also noted that this defeat should not affect the team, and they need to keep fighting.

"That's hockey. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. There are still several games ahead, so we will prepare for them. There’s no need to worry," stated Šmits.

At least 3 more games ahead

On Wednesday, the Latvian team does not play, and in the fourth match of the tournament on Thursday at 17:20, they will meet Finland, then on Saturday at 13:20 — the USA, on Sunday at 17:20 — Great Britain, and in the final group match on May 26 at 13:20, the Latvians will play against Hungary.

In Group A, Finland, Switzerland, and Austria each have nine points from three matches, while the USA and Latvia have three points from two and three games, respectively, and Hungary, Great Britain, and Germany remain without points.

In another group in Fribourg, Canada, Sweden, Czech Republic, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia, and Italy are playing.

The 89th World Championship in Switzerland will last until May 31.