Published 15 May 2022 4 min read
England Para Teams
Para Lions seal sixth spot in IFCPF World Cup
England's cerebral palsy squad suffer penalty shootout defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in their final game of IFCPF World Cup
England’s cerebral palsy team had to settle for a sixth-place finish in the IFCPF World Cup, after a 3-2 penalty shootout defeat against the Netherlands.
The Para Lions played their final game of the tournament in Salou, Spain on Sunday morning when they took on the Dutch in the fifth-sixth place play-off match.
After a tightly contested 0-0 draw following the regular 60 minutes, the teams couldn’t be separated after a further 30 minutes of extra time.
And with the game duly settled from the penalty spot, it was the Netherlands who ran out as eventual winners after Dutch keeper Stefan Boersma saved the efforts from Liam Irons and Harry Baker meaning Giles Moore's stunning solitary save on the third kick wasn't quite enough.
Andy Smith’s squad will return home proud of their efforts though, with some memorable displays to reflect on, such as big group stage scorelines against Canada (8-1) and Venezuela (9-0), as well as a thrilling victory over Argentina.
England: 1 Giles Moore, 2 Liam Irons, 3 David Porcher, 4 Harry Baker, 6 Matt Crossen (C), 9 Mason Dunbar, 11 James Blackwell
Substitutes: 8 Sam Dewhirst for Blackwell 34
Substitutes not used: 5 Matthew Robinson, 10 Aaron Lucas, 12 Cameron Osburn, 13 Reegan McMillan, 14 Ryan Kay
Head coach: Andy Smith
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