A strong looking London team entered its first Mundiavocat in Malta not knowing what the tournament held in store for it. The first day of the tournament began with the opening ceremony in Valetta. The captain Matthew Smith attended a private audience with the President of Malta, while the rest of the squad lined up in the square outside along with the other 41 teams taking part.
London’s start to the tournament was very encouraging with a 3-0 win over an experienced German team from Hanover. A 1-1 draw in their second group game against Foro di Roma saw London qualify for the knock-out stages of the tournament.
London’s opening game of the knock-out stages saw them defeat a spirited Vancouver side 4-3 on penalties after the game had finished 0-0 after normal time. However, the following day, London saw a reversal of fortune as they lost the penalty shoot-out lottery against Cordoba by the same scoreline. More heartache was to follow for the London boys as they lost their second consecutive penalty shoot-out (5-4) after drawing 2-2 with Marseille in a game which they should have wrapped up in normal time. Two more wins against Istanbul (3-1) and Rosario (2-1) saw London finish the tournament unbeaten in normal time and placed 13th out of 42 in their first Mundiavocat.
Group Stage
|
London 3 v 0 Hanover |
|
London 1 v 1 Foro di Roma |
Round 1 – 32
|
London 0 v 0 Vancouver (London win 4-3 on penalties) |
Round 1 – 16
|
London 0 v 0 Cordoba (London lose 4-3 on penalties) |
Round 9 – 16
|
London 2 v 2 Marseille (London lose 5-4 on penalties) |
Round 13 - 16
|
London 3 v 1 Istanbul |
Round 13 - 14
|
London 2 v 1 Rosario |
Final Position: 13th
