With the two teams locked at 5-5 when regulation time ended, the London 2012 Paralympic hosts broke the deadlock to secure a superb victory.

Portugal secured third place with a 9-4 win over Italy, building on a 5-4 halfway lead, with the result a surprise considering the Portuguese are ranked 41st in the world in comparison with their 32nd-ranked opponents.  

All three podium finishes will now be promoted to the men's B-division competition in 2016.

Great Britain clashing with Russia during the final of the third tier European event ©Twitter



Russia's Sergey Avdoshkin was the tournament's leading player with a total of 23 goals, one ahead of Croatia's Kristijan Dodig, despite the fact the Croats finished last in the seven-team event, with Greece fifth and Bulgaria sixth.

A B-division Championships in Budapest will be followed by an A-tier event in Kaunas, Lithuania in July. 

The hosts will be joined by teams from Spain, Turkey, Germany, Czech Republic, World Championship runners-up Finland, Belgium, Sweden, Ukraine and last year's B-division winners Slovenia, with Rio 2016 Paralympic qualification opportunities a major incentive. 

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