'Hopefully it is the first of many major finals'

Written by:

Frank Smith

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Reaction to England Cerebral Palsy's 2023 IFCPF European Championship final against Ukraine

England Cerebral Palsy made history by reaching a first major final this weekend but head coach Andy Smith is hoping it will be the first of many.

The Para Lions become the first England CP team to ever reach a major final when they came runners-up to Ukraine at the 2023 IFCPF European Championship in Sardinia on Saturday.

But Smith does not want to settle for what was achieved this month and is looking for the Para Lions to continue to push for more success in the future.

England CP's starting seven against Ukraine in the final of the IFCPF EURO final

“We will look at this and hopefully it is the first of many,” Smith said.

“I’m disappointed for the lads but the best team won on the day, and you can see why they are world champions.

“The lads worked really hard but the quality of Ukraine, with their great players and their great movement, when we tried to step up, they stepped up and it was a struggle.

“We were disappointed with the goals they scored. If they had scored brilliant goals then we could understand it but we lost a couple of silly goals from our point of view which was disappointing.

“But the lads had a brilliant tournament and they deserve their silver medal.”

10 Jun 2023 1:27:00

Watch the IFCPF EURO Final

You can watch the full match between England CP and Ukraine at the IFCPF European Championship final

England CP benefited from several exceptional performances over the course of the tournament, with David Porcher being top goalscorer and Giles Moore receiving the award for the best goalkeeper, to name a couple.

Moore said: “I’m over the moon with the award. It was hard to get to the final but we did great to come second and I’m pleased to pick up the award personally.

“I always give my best in tournaments and there are lots of good goalkeepers out there but I do feel like I am one of the best goalkeepers in the world.”

“Getting to the final was always the goal and now we need to kick on and win that major trophy,” he added.

England CP's goalkeepers' union: coach Alex Molloy, Giles Moore and Reegan McMillan

Moore was speaking alongside fellow goalkeeper Reegan McMillan, who continues to push the number one in training and the Golden Glove winner believes his team-mate has ‘the best yet to come’.

McMillan said: “Giles is the best goalkeeper in the world and in this tournament, he has proved that.

“That is the aim for me. That is the level I need to get to. Every time I think I have reached that standard, Giles finds another level and he pushes me to get better.”