mens curling table: GB curlers on brink of early exit after Canada defeat
Team GB's medal hopes in the men's curling tournament have been dealt a significant blow after a 9-5 defeat by Canada in Cortina. The loss leaves Bruce Mouat's world champions hanging on: they must beat the United States in their final round-robin match and rely on other results to reach the semifinals.
How the match unfolded in the Dolomites
Canada established control early, opening a 3-1 lead after three ends. The British rink responded, capitalising on lapses from their opponents to take two in the fourth and another two in the sixth, turning the contest and holding the lead with four ends left to play.
Momentum shifted in the seventh when an unlucky bounce on a delivering stone allowed Canada the chance for three points, a swing the visitors seized. The British side then conceded a steal, leaving them trailing by three with two ends remaining — a deficit they could not overturn.
The final scoreboard, 9-5 to Canada, reflected a game of narrow margins where a couple of mistakes proved decisive. Vice-skip Grant Hardie said: "That wasn't a game where we played well. We made too many mistakes and we're running out of time to put it right. I think we can deliver the right result tomorrow and hopefully get into the semis. "
What Team GB must do to survive
Arriving in Italy as one of the favourites, Mouat's quartet have now lost four of their eight round-robin matches and sit with a record that leaves their fate out of their own hands. Their scenario is straightforward but unforgiving: beat the United States in their final round-robin fixture on Wednesday at 8: 05 AM ET, then hope that Italy or Norway fail to win both of their remaining games — Italy face Canada and Norway face the unbeaten Swiss.
If both Italy and Norway pick up the wins they need, the British side will be eliminated regardless of their result against the United States. The tight mathematics puts extra pressure on a team that has repeatedly said it has been playing well but not converting in key moments.
Mouat's rink historically match up strongly against Brad Jacobs' Canadian squad, having beaten them at major events last year, but the Canadians executed better in the critical ends in Cortina and will take confidence from the victory into their remaining matches.
Broader picture: women's side and podium chances
The men's setback is mirrored by precarious situations elsewhere in the GB curling programme. The women's team also face a must-win run to have any chance of progressing: they must defeat the United States on Wednesday at 3: 05 AM ET, then take on Japan at 1: 05 PM ET the same day, and finally meet Italy on Thursday at 8: 05 AM ET to keep hopes alive.
With the semifinals scheduled for Thursday, the coming 24 hours are decisive. For Mouat and his teammates, a win over the United States would at least keep the dream alive and hand a final test to the permutations beyond their control. Failure on Wednesday would end their campaign and leave GB without a realistic path to upgrade the Beijing silver.
In short, the mens curling table now shows a narrow route to survival for Team GB: a must-win in their last match and favourable results elsewhere. The rink has the pedigree and the fight, but the clock — and the standings — are running out.
