Beijing 2022 - Bruce Mouat leads Scots in European Curling Champs final
BySportsbeat
Updated 27/11/2021 at 00:05 GMT
"We're very excited for tomorrow now," said Mouat. "It's a rematch from 2018, and the world final but we're feeling really good. Two European finals, two golds! I think that'd be a good record. We're excited to play Sweden again. It'll be a good game, I'm sure." Both the men's and women's gold medal matches on Saturday will see Scotland take on Sweden in Lillehammer.
Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan of Great Britain poses for a photo to mark the official announcement of the curling team selected for Team GB for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at on October 14, 2021 in Stirling, Scotlan
Image credit: Getty Images
Bruce Mouat's rink produced a sterling performance to beat Norway in style and book Scotland's men a place in the European Curling Championship final.
They overcame Norway 9-3 in their semi-final and after Niklas Edin's rink had beaten Italy in the other last-four contest in the day, it's means Saturday's gold medal matches in both the men's and women's events will see Scotland face Sweden.
The Scottish men were unbeaten in qualifying from the round robin phase and backed that up against home favourites Norway in their knockout clash in Lillehammer.
A double take-out across the house in the first end for three by skip Mouat set the tone and their advantage had been extended to 6-1 by the fourth end.
They moved 8-2 ahead a couple of ends later and although Norway scored one in the seventh, Scotland hit back in the next to move ahead 9-3 and prompt a concession from their opponents, setting up a mouth-watering gold medal contest.
"We're very excited for tomorrow now," said Mouat.
It's a rematch from 2018, and the world final but we're feeling really good.
"Two European finals, two golds! I think that'd be a good record. We're excited to play Sweden again. It'll be a good game, I'm sure."
Sweden booked their place in the gold medal game by battling to a 6-3 win over Italy thanks to a late charge.
Scoring was slow in the early ends, although Italy skip Joel Retonaz scored two in the fourth end for a 2-1 lead and the Italians notched another in the seventh to move back ahead 3-2.
A blanked eighth end started to ramp up the pressure on the Swedes but Edin had an open draw for two points in the ninth that put them 4-3 up and Retornaz's draw in the tenth came up short to give Sweden a steal of two and a 6-3 triumph.
"That was a battle, an enjoyable one," said Edin. "They played great the whole game and hardly missed a shot.
We knew it was going to be a tough and difficult game. I'm super happy we didn't have to play the extra end †it was nervy. We're super thrilled to be in the final now.
The women's bronze medal match finished Friday's action in Lillehammer and Germany ensured their place on the podium with a 9-6 victory over Russia.
Russia led 6-5 with just two ends remaining but German skip Daniela Jentsch showed her class when it mattered most as a double take-out in the ninth scored two and put them ahead for the first time.
Her Russian counterpart Alina Kovaleva then missed a similar shot in the final end for a German steal of two to seal bronze.
Saturday's final day of action will see Italy and Norway contest the men's bronze medal game before a Scotland v Sweden double-header to decide both the men's and women's European Championship titles.
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