Hungary vs Great Britain

The second period brought the defining moment of the game. With Hungary killing a penalty, Istvan Terbocs pounced on a loose puck, broke clear of the GB defence, and slid a forehand past Bowns on the breakaway at 23:31. The short-handed strike forced GB head coach Pete Russell to pull Bowns in favour of Mat Robson in a bid to stem the tide.

Robson made an immediate impression, stopping Csanad Erdely with a skate save before Joe Hazeldine cleared the puck off the goal line. Great Britain pushed back — Cade Neilson fired just over from the slot, Liam Kirk went close twice on successive powerplays, and Waller's shot pinged off the crossbar — but the puck would not cross the line. Hungary carried a 3-0 lead into the final period.

Great Britain killed off a penalty straddling the second and third periods and Robson made a solid pad save on Janos Hari, offering a glimmer of hope. Johnny Curran was denied on a breakaway, but Hungary's powerplay soon pinned GB back in their own zone.

Then came the knockout blow. At 53:24, Terbocs raced onto a two-on-one break and fired across Robson for his second of the night. Just 41 seconds later at 54:05, Nagy added his second, finishing from the slot to round off a comprehensive 5-0 victory.

While Hungary's forwards did the damage at one end, Bence Balizs was immovable at the other. The Hungarian netminder stopped all 26 British shots — including several high-danger chances — to post a memorable shutout in what was his country's most complete performance of the tournament so far.

"We were so disciplined tonight," Balizs said post-game. "Everybody bought into the system. The guys in front of me blocked shots, cleared rebounds, and made my job easier. It's a huge win for us."

For Hungary, the result provides a vital three points in Group A and breathes life into their quarter-final aspirations after a difficult start to the tournament. For Great Britain, the defeat leaves them winless through three games, following losses to Austria (5-2) and the United States (5-1).

Head-to-head, Hungary narrowed Great Britain's historical lead. The sides have now met eight times since 2010, with Great Britain still holding a 5-3 edge. This was Hungary's largest margin of victory in the rivalry, surpassing their 4-1 win at the 2020 Olympic qualifiers.

Great Britain have two days off before facing a daunting test against tournament hosts Switzerland on Thursday (19:20 BST). Hungary, meanwhile, will look to build on this performance when they return to action later in the week.

The 2026 Men's World Championship runs through May in Switzerland, with all Group A games taking place at the Swiss Life Arena in Zurich.