2021 World Junior Championship. Finland - Russia

The under 18 Russian national team will take on Finland in the semi-finals of the 2021 IIHF World U18 Championship in the USA.

In the quarter-final phase of the competition, Russia managed to defeat Belarus 5:2 in a tough encounter, while Finland shut Switzerland out 2:0.

The Finns managed to finish in first place of Group A, beating the Russians (4:3 OT), the Czech Republic (6:5) and Germany (10:0), while conceding the one loss to the US (4:5 OT). For their part, out players took second spot of the group as a consequence of beating America (7:6 OT), the Germans (6:1) and the Czechs (11:1).

"All of us are happy to win today, but this is only the start of our journey," stated Russian forward Vsevolod Gaidamak after scoring in the quarter-final victory over the Belarusians. "Belarus were difficult opponents, but it will only get tougher for us. My goal? I followed our game plan by positioning myself in the right place in the right time, I pounced on a wayward pass."

Puck-drop is scheduled for 04:00 Moscow time. Match TV will provide a live television broadcast in Russia.