Gstaad's Hublot Gold Cup 2024 Final Results

It may not have been the most beautiful match of the week, but when the final is on the line the only appealing result is a win.

Hublot’s 2024 Gold Cup was a sport of strategy, combat, and patience: and Britain’s Max Charlton proved to be the strongest at this game. All the talent of Raul Laplacette could do nothing about it, despite being named best player of the match.

It was a defensive final which, naturally, concluded with a low score of 6-5. It was unbearable suspense until the end, with each team returning goals blow for blow. With only two minutes left on the clock, a remarkable individual play by Raul Laplacette leveled the score once again, and with mere seconds to go, Max Charlton took advantage of another 60-yard penalty. It was the goal that ultimately determined the match.

“Yes, it was a tough fight played out on penalties,” the Briton admitted. “We won today because we were a little bit luckier than Gstaad Palace since both teams were on equal footing. But I’m particularly pleased to have won here, for Phillipp [Müller, his captain]. It’s amazing!”

The opening match, the final for third place, was clinched by French captain François Okala’s team, donning the distinctive J.Safra Sarasin colors, after an action-packed second chukker. Argentinian handicap 6 Horacio Fernandez Llorente led the charge, capturing four goals. The “blues” dominated the match from start to finish, after measuring up the pitch they only discovered a few days prior.

“Actually…not quite,” Tete Fanelli was keen to point out. “This is the third time I’ve played here. I’ve been a finalist twice before but lost on both occasions. I thought this would be my year, so I’m not completely satisfied with third place. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying this tournament enormously—the organization, the environment, the atmosphere. So I’m looking forward to coming back here and leaving with the watch!”