Great Britain has secured a spot in the semi-finals of The World Games in Chengdu, triumphing over France, a team currently ranked just above them.
The game started dramatically with a green card issued to France’s Baptiste Cotta in the first sprint, following a collision with British captain Suryan McCutcheon. Fortunately, Suryan sustained only a minor arm scrape, giving Great Britain a two-minute man advantage.
A close shot from Suryan was blocked, leading to France gaining possession. Santanam McCutcheon then took his first shot, a powerful toss that rebounded off the bottom bar.
France received another green card, this time for Leo Dehainault due to illegal use of his paddle. With only 3:41 left on the clock, this incident once again put GB in a strong position.
Another powerful attempt from Santanam went wide of the net. Caleb Bowden’s subsequent toss was slightly too low, bouncing off the bottom bar.
A late opening goal came from Frenchman Emeric Richard.
Half time: France 1 – 0 Great Britain
France secured the second sprint, with Suryan narrowly missing out.
A turnover created an opportunity for both teams to race towards the opposite side of the pool. Suryan capitalised, scoring Great Britain’s first goal of the match.
Richard of France then scored after an attacking play. Britain attempted a quick long shot to equalise, though it was off target.
A great block then came from Santanam, who crossed paddles with Alex Lowthorpe, delaying the French attack.
Suryan received a green card as France pressed for a fast-break goal, but Shivan McCutcheon saved the subsequent shot.
Santanam responded to France’s third goal with one of his own, narrowing the score to 3-2.
Guillaume Lemarchand of France was given a two-minute exclusion after receiving a green card, keeping the game within reach.
Fergal McConvey successfully converted his penalty shot, levelling the score.
A strong British defence, marked by intense battles for space under the net, held France at bay.
End of regulation time: France 3 – 3 Great Britain
Five minutes of overtime was added to the match to determine the winner.
With France winning the sprint, Great Britain started off on the defensive, with Shivan making a brilliant save.
A shove on a British player turned the ball over, both teams fighting hard for possession and chances at a goal.
An incredible long shot goal from Shivan, ending the game and giving Great Britain the win.
Overtime: France 3 – 4 Great Britain
Coach Alan Vessey commented on the team’s performance so far:
“A fantastic result today, the lads put in their best performance of the week, showing great character defending and working as a team to come back from 3-1, taking the game to extra time.
“It was a very tense start under pressure, before we went on the fast break and Shiv McCutcheon scored the golden goal with a brilliant 20m long shot.”
The British team will be back in action tomorrow as they face Germany for the second time during the competition, this time in the semi-finals.
GBR vs GER – 6:40am (BST)
If you want to catch the action yourself, the livestream is available here.
Team:
1 – Kartik McCutcheon
2 – Suryan McCutcheon
3 – Caleb Bowden
4 – Alex Lowthorpe
5 – Angus Boyle
6 – Shivan McCutcheon
8 – Fergal McConvey
9 – Santanam McCutcheon