Scotland Suffer First Defeat in Spain But Bag Spot in the Final

Game 4: Monday 15th April 2024

Federico Lovascio’s goal 15 minutes from time gave Italy a surprise win over Scotland, giving them a real chance to make the final.

Lovascio bundled home after two previous efforts were blocked on the goal line, leading to passionate celebrations on the Italy bench, as players and staff alike realised the enormity of the moment. 

Scotland coach William McAdam made six changes to his starting seven with only Barry Hunter keeping his place from the win over Chile, including a competitive debut for youngster James McAlpine.

After a scoreless first half, the game saw its first goal in the 35-minute, as after Lovascio and Mattia Vrech both saw shots stay up, it was third time lucky as the former sent the Italian contingent into raptures.

Though Scotland pushed for a leveller, they were kept out, partly thanks to a string of brilliant saves from Daniele Beccegato. A late curler from Jon McFarlane looked to have equalised, but the Italy goalkeeper clawed it out to preserve the points for his country. A video explaining what they would need to progress to the final is live across IFCPF’s Instagram and TikTok.

UPDATE – Tuesday 16th April 2024: Scotland bag themselves a spot in the IFCPF World Championship final. They will take on Northern Ireland and will hope to repeat their success from their opening game, when they beat them 3-0.