Winter Olympics 2018: Team GB 5-10 Sweden - women's curling semi-final as it happened

Follow stone-by-stone coverage from this morning's semi-final

What is curling? The Winter Olympics sport explained

Eve Muirhead's trigger finger deserted her as Great Britain's curling team were beaten 10-5 by Sweden in their Olympic semi-final at the Gangneung Ice Arena.

Muirhead had deployed her 'pistol' to sink favourites Canada on Wednesday but two days later it was more a case of shooting herself in the foot as a calamitous seventh end signalled an emphatic defeat.

For the second consecutive Games the 27-year-old Muirhead will now face the tough task of raising spirits ahead of Saturday's bronze medal match against their fellow last-four losers Japan.

Here is the action, as it happened:

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Key Points

• Semi-final begins at 11am GMT
• Follow live coverage below

[23 February 2018 10:15 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Forget the Fifa World Cup final. The Super Bowl? Meh. And the 100m at the Summer Olympics? Never heard of it, mate. 

Nope, everybody knows that curling is the biggest and best sport in the land, and this morning's match between Team GB and Sweden will decide who wins a place in the Winter Olympics final - the biggest stage in the world. 

Team GB has made the women's final just once before, winning a gold at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. Can they do it again? To find out, join the Independent curling expert Ed Malyon - a man who very much knows his buttons from his Briers - for expert live coverage and analysis.

[23 February 2018 10:29 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

Want to know more about Eve Muirhead, who is leading Team GB's bid for curling glory? We've got you covered:

[23 February 2018 10:43 · Vithushan Ehantharajah]

It was a shot that rocked the world.

In Team GB’s final round robin match, our very own Eve Muirhead pulled the trigger on a sensational pistol shot which guaranteed Team GB a crack at a medal and broke Canadian hearts.

To read the full report, check the link below.

[23 February 2018 10:56 · Ed Malyon]

"CURLING'S COMING HOME, IT'S COMING HOME, IT'S COMING HOME, IT'S COMING!"

Face paint? Check

Broom? Check

Beating heart? Check

THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF A NATION? You better believe it.

[23 February 2018 11:01 · Ed Malyon]

Right so here we are - your Team GB titans to take on the evil Swedes:

Skip: Eve Muirhead - the skip has shown incredible composure throughout and dreams of an Olympic gold. If GB win it, she will play a huge part.

Her role model is Jessica Ennis-Hill and she is also a keen golfer with a handicap of 2.

[23 February 2018 11:05 · Ed Malyon]

Lead: Lauren Gray of Balfron Curling Club. 

Second: Vicki Adams, a bronze medallist in 2014

Third: Anna Sloan, a 2013 world champion

and the skip, Eve Muirhead. 

[23 February 2018 11:10 · Ed Malyon]

End 1: GB leading off which means, obviously, that the Swedes will have the hammer.

The first few stones here are just a series of take outs.

[23 February 2018 11:13 · Ed Malyon]

To the conclusion of End 1 we head: 

GB look sit a stone nice and centrally, short weighted, but that gets taken out as well with the Swedes' keeping a stone to Eve Muirhead's left. 

Eve is up then, and she is looking for a bump-and-run take out which she executes perfectly. Sweden now charged with knocking away the Perth native's well-positioned stone and they have little issue in doing so. 

This is looking like the Swedes will take a 1-0 lead into the second end. Nothing to worry about considering they had the hammer anyway.

[23 February 2018 11:16 · Ed Malyon]

END 1: GB 0-0 Sweden

Anna Hassleborg overcooks the final stone, clearing everything 'oot the hoos' and blanking the end. 

Glossary: 'Blank End' - An end in which no points have been scored.

[23 February 2018 11:23 · Ed Malyon]

And we move onto End 2, where we're at least getting some stones in the house. 

A burned stone causes a little controversy as GB look to get off to a good start. Sweden let that one live as it's only a biter anyway - a stone that just touches the outer edge of the circles.

Guard comes in from GB on the right, short of the house. Leaving us with the situation below: