2021 World Junior Championship. Semi-final. Canada U20 - Russia U20

The junior Russian national team will face Canada in the semi-finals of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton.

In Group B, Russia finished in second place by beating the USA (5:3), Austria (7:1) and Sweden (4:3 OT), while losing the one game to the Czech Republic by a score of 0:2. In the quarter-finals, our players were given a really tough test by a gritty German team, however goals from Vasily Ponomaryov - shorthanded - and Danil Bashkirov were enough to secure progression with a slender 2:1 triumph.

Canada boast a perfect record so far in the competition. In Group A, the host nation earned comfortable wins against Germany (16:2), Slovakia (3:1), Switzerland (10:0) and Finland (4:1), and they subsequently breezed past the Czechs (3:0) in the quarter-finals.

The Canadians did manage to beat Russia 1:0 in a friendly match ahead of the tournament.

"Legends are born in matches between Russia and Canada, players who make the difference in the most important games," said Russian head coach Igor Larionov on Sunday. "Everyone understands the importance of this semi-final. We have a really strong team, but in order to win, we need to keep control of our emotions, play with intelligence, compete without panic in defence and protect possession."

Puck-drop is scheduled for 02:00 Moscow time on January 5. Channel One will provide a live television broadcast in Russia.