Cardiff & Met will meet Lisnagarvey in the final of the men’s EuroHockey Club Trophy in Lousada following fireworks in the final action of Pool A in Lousada.
In a direct battle for top spot, Cardiff fell behind against Slavia Prague with less than a minute on the clock to a David Vacek goal.
Tom Wood equalised but Martin Hanus – another vastly experienced campaigner – restored the Slavia lead early in the second quarter.
But the game turned in the minute before half-time when Scott Rawlings netted after a series of corners and Jack Pritchard put the Welsh side in front, 3-2, at half-time.
Sion Goldsmith added another after the break; Martin Babický cut the gap back to 4-3 but that was how it remained and Cardiff had the win they needed.
SV Arminen jumped up to second spot and a bronze medal match thanks to Patrick Schmidt’s final minute winner against HC Olten in a 4-3 game.
The Swiss side started brilliantly with Quentin Studemann and Basil Eugster building a 2-0 lead. Robert Campe and Max Kelner (two) swapped the lead only for Lukas Eismann to level at 3-3 before Schmidt got the winner.
Pool B was more clear-cut with Lisnagarvey winning 8-0 against Ukraine’s OKS-SHVSM Vinnitsa to complete a perfect set of group stage results. Andrew Williamson got two goals with six other scorers hitting the backboard.
Grange took second spot with a 5-2 win over hosts AD Lousada who endured five yellow cards in the closing 20 minutes.
Robert Croll scored a hat trick for the Scottish side to keep up their chances of winning a bronze medal.
On Monday, the seventh place playoff begins the day at 9am with Olten facing Lousada; the fifth place match is at 11.15am between Slavia and Vinnitsa.
Then the medal games hit the turf with Arminen playing Grange at 1.30pm and then the final takes place at 3.45pm between reigning champions Cardiff and Irish side Lisnagarvey.
