The Philippine men’s floorball team didn’t just salvage seventh place—they lit up Chengdu like a Roman candle, bulldozing host China in a 14-0 beatdown that said, loud and clear: Asia runs through Manila now.
After a tournament full of European smackdowns—falling to Sweden (11-1), Latvia (12-2), and Switzerland (18-0)—the Filipinos found their fire and turned the Xindu Xiangcheng Sports Center into their own private redemption party.
Kim Varga Rosello kicked it off in the 10th minute, sliding the ball past China’s hapless keeper to score the first of his five-point masterpiece, and from there, it was a tropical storm in rubber soles.
Simon Sicat Larano followed suit with three goals, Melvin Alm Mendoza also poured in three goals, and the Sellegren Ponce brothers—Richard and Reymon—along with Simon Magistrado, joined the scoring parade.
Rosello, named Best Player for the Philippines, was everywhere—scoring, setting up, and likely haunting China’s backline in their sleep.
Ahezhuoil Serekehan took top honors for China, but it was cold comfort in a game that was over by the second period.
Floorball, for the uninitiated, is ice hockey without the ice—three 15-minute periods of fast breaks, flying sticks, and bad intentions with a plastic ball for the World Games version. The standard in three, 20-minute periods.
The match stats told the tale: 36 shots from the Philippines to China’s 14, none of which ever found the back of the net.
In an eight-team tournament where European teams were dominant—Canada was the only other country from outside Europe, the Philippines made sure it will at least keep the title as Asia’s best—and they did it with swagger, sweat, and one very sweet shutout.
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