Argentina down NZ, Spain given scare by France
BHUBANESWAR: Olympic champions Argentina all but sealed a direct quarterfinal berth by defeating New Zealand 3-0 for their second straight win in Pool A in the World Cup on Monday. Argentina, the world No 2, didn’t find much resistance in overcoming their ninth ranked opponents.
For Argentina, Agustin Mazzilli, who scored twice in the first game, scored in the 23rd minute with a reverse hit. Lucas Vila scored in the 41st minute and Lucas Martinez converted off a 55th minute penalty corner
However, their next group opponents France gave a fine account of themselves by holding higher-ranked Spain 1-1. The result keeps alive the hopes of both teams making it to the crossover games to vie for quarterfinal berths. Spain (1 point) next play New Zealand (3) while France (1) meet Argentina (6).
France’s lion-hearted performance was the highlight of the day. For the last two years, France have prepared hard, hoping that a decent performance in Bhubaneswar might lead to change in fortunes for the sport in the country.
Hockey is not a professional sport in France, and hence the players have to prepare for life beyond their playing career. That meant even shifting to one place for a camp was not possible for most players. With many playing for Belgium clubs and some studying in Paris, two separate camps were held.
They were conducted at Brussels and Paris thrice a week with the players travelling by rotation and training together. But on Monday, playing against the higher-ranked Spain, it never appeared France, the lowestranked team (World No 20) in the tournament, had not always trained as a unit.
France dominated Spain for most of the 60 minutes. Timothee Clement put France ahead in the sixth minute and till the third quarter they held the advantage. Spain finally equalised in the 48th minute through a deflection by Alvaro Iglesias. France got some good chances, including a penalty stroke in the final quarter that was saved.
“It is true many of our players play in Belgium and the rest in France. But the integration does not take time. We are playing a World Cup after a long time. I am a little disappointed as we had a chance to win and upset a team that is ranked much above us. I also missed a penalty stroke, which is disappointing. We played well, and we had the chance of winning,” said France’s Hugo Genestet. “Spain is a tough opponent and we are proud of what we did. They always give us a tough time.”
› Spain is a tough opponent and we are proud of what we did. They always give us a tough time whenever we play against them. We are playing a World Cup after a long time HUGO GENESTET, France player