Published 23.04.2015 17:25 GMT+2 | Author Martin Merk

Japan upset Italy with a late comeback. In the last five minutes of the game the Asians changed fortunes to beat Italy 3-2 on fast counter goals.

It would be the first time since 2004 that Italy doesn’t earn promotion when playing in a Division I tournament and most probably for the first time since 2009 a team other than Austria, Kazakhstan, Italy and Slovenia will earn promotion.

Italy has only very slim chances if it beats Kazakhstan in regulation time and Poland beats Hungary in overtime or shootout on Saturday while both teams lose their games today in regulation time.

With Italy virtually out, three teams are mainly in the race for the two spots for the 2016 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Undefeated Kazakhstan can earn promotion straight back to the top division already tonight against Poland while Saturday’s Hungary-Poland game will likely decide which of these two teams will go up.

The last time Japan beat Italy in a men’s World Championship event was in the 1978 World Championship B-Pool in Belgrade, the same event Hungary had its last win against Italy until yesterday.

“In the first three games it didn’t go as we wanted it to be so we are happy that we won and now we have one game left,” said Japanese goalkeeper Yutaka Fukufuji, who was back in the net after being pulled against Kazakhstan.

“Everyone stayed focus, we didn’t make so many individual mistakes anymore like against Kazakhstan when they were able to score goals on us so easily.”

After the first period it looked like Italy reached another level after the disappointing loss to Hungary. The Japanese were lucky Italy only led 1-0 after the first period.