CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — World champions Nice Britain nabbed a steal of two within the closing finish to beat Switzerland 8-5 in an exhilarating semifinal conflict on Thursday within the males’s curling competitors on the Winter Olympics, organising a closing towards Canada.
Switzerland appeared to have the higher hand within the early phases, however the decisive second of the competition got here within the seventh finish, when an excellent takeout from Bruce Mouat cleared away 4 stones and compelled the Swiss to relinquish the hammer for only a level.
From then on, Britain did properly to limit its opponents and although Switzerland had the final stone of the sport, Benoit Schwarz-van Berkel was not capable of get the connection he wanted.
For Switzerland, the primary males’s workforce to go unbeaten of their round-robin marketing campaign on the Olympics since Kevin Martin’s Canada in 2010, it was a crushing defeat after what had been a superb week.
Britain and Switzerland additionally met within the closing of the world championships final 12 months, when Crew Mouat took a 5-4 victory.
“We weren’t having our greatest within the first 5 ends after which actually flipped it round within the final 5. So simply actually happy with us for sticking collectively, supporting one another and believing in one another,” Mouat mentioned.
CANADA BEATS NORWAY IN IMMEDIATE REMATCH
Two sheets over, Canada’s Brad Jacobs, who gained gold on the 2014 Video games in Sochi, navigated his workforce via a defensive battle to prevail 5-4 over Norway.
The sport went to an additional finish after Jacobs’ try for a double takeout solely removed one stone, however when Norway handed over the hammer with their two-pointer, it was simple sufficient for Canada to inch forward and get the win.
The 2 groups had met simply hours earlier than within the closing round-robin session of the boys’s competitors, during which Magnus Ramsfjell’s Norwegians have been 8-6 victors, although it was not towards a full-strength Canada line-up with Ben Hebert rested.
“They have been robust all day. Magnus made a ton of nice photographs, beginning in that first sport. These guys have been nearly lights out,” Jacobs mentioned.
“They gave us every thing we might deal with. I used to be simply grateful that we had hammer in that sport, and we received off to a superb begin. We have been capable of handle the scoreboard, as a result of they weren’t going away simple.
“They performed superior. Simply completely happy to have the ability to get via them in that semifinal.”
Britain will meet Canada within the gold medal sport on Saturday, whereas Switzerland and Norway will face off for bronze on Friday.
–Reuters, particular to Area Degree Media
