WMXCC2016: day 2 results

Norway's comeback win and Poland's overwhelming leadership headlined the second day of the World Mixed Curling Championship in Kazan.

England-Slovakia, 3-8

Team England had to face quite a challenge today - two matches in one day. And if the first match was an easy win, the second one ended with a bitter defeat. Team Slovakia are closing the gap on the curling powerhouses and are committed to perform well in Kazan.

"Our key goal is to win the tournament in Kazan; we've come here to take medals. Although curling is not so popular in Slovakia yet, we try to develop it, improve our skills and even rival ice hockey and football. For now, for most of us it's just a hobby. I play curling during my study-free time; I major in mathematics. I'm young but I plan to stay in the sport, to gain more experience. I believe that one day Team Slovakia will play against Russia or Canada in Bratislava, at the Slovnaft Arena," said the Slovakian curler, Jakub Polak.

Scotland-Italy, 8-3

Italy faced off with one of the top contenders for the tournament's title. They took the lead from the outset but later on the Scottish curlers, who are more experienced, managed to turn the tide to eventually win the game.

"We did our best to win but the lack of experience took a toll on us. We started to develop curling in our country only a short time ago, after the Olympic Games in Torino. We have a winter sports training centre there. Right now, we are not skilled enough to compete against Scotland but the day will come when we will be able to challenge them, as well as Canada and Russia," Italy's vice skip, Fabio Sola, shared his thoughts.

Romania-Norway, 4-7

The Romania-Norway match was the longest and most dramatic meet of the second competition day. The Romanian curlers started off well, then surrendered the lead but managed to level the score and to practically push the other team to an extra end. Just a small mistake enabled the Scandinavians to have a narrow escape and to win the match.

"We will win. We have a small secret - lucky socks! And today I didn't put them on. It's true, curling is a young sport in Romania; we don't have such a great number of ice rinks and facilities to conduct practices. But ice sports have been developed for over 70 years in our country; the time will come for curling as well. We count on getting into the playoffs and if we do, we will see what comes of it. But today we can be proud of ourselves, that's for sure," said the Romanian team's skip, Allen Coliban.

Poland-Denmark, 5-2

Team Poland won its second match at the tournament and topped Group C, edging out Russia. On Sunday, the Russian team will play against Poland in the evening session.

"All teams competing at the Kazan championship are quite strong. There are few games in sub-groups that's why every point matters. Only the first place in the group will lead to an easier opponent in playoffs. We cannot afford to relax. Team Poland are less experienced than the Czech Republic but they are young and strive for victories. Their skill level is lower but it's a competition, everything is possible," said the Russian team's coach, Vasily Gudin.

Spain-Australia, 2-7

Russia's another future opponent, Team Australia, defeated Spain who are having a hard time finding their feet at the Kazan tournament. It's their second loss in a row.

"I'm an experienced curler, but we also have younger athletes in our team; they rely on my experience and I lead the way. Curling is not so popular in Australia yet, but I believe in its future. We set ambitious tasks but there's no alternative. There's a problem with ice in Australia; we train in Canada, which has many venues and teams for warm-up matches. I think that in a few years curling in Australia will be more developed that it is today," said Australia's skip, Hugh Millikn.