Hello and welcome to the LIVE commentary of Pool A match between Spain and Argentina Hockey World Cup 2018 at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
FULL-TIME: Argentina 4-3 Spain
Fourth Quarter
59' Gonzalez misses a shot at the Argentinian goal at the final second of the game. The youngster looks extremely disappointed after a failed trapping by Argentina on the edge of the circle seemed like there was more drama in this seven-goal thriller.
56' Tomas Bettaglio gets an yellow card and Argentina is reduced to 10 men until the 59th minute. Spain coach Federic Soyez sends in another outfield player who can act as the goalkeeper inside the penalty area.
49' GOAL ARGENTINA! It's Peillat to the rescue again! After being denied once, the drag flicker places his shot through two defenders to the right corner and scores. That might not be winner for Argentina as Spain has enough firepower to come back into the game.
48' Spain's Pau Quemada, 35 years of age, goes on a superb run on the right flank and beats Peillat but Vivaldi is off his line quickly to thwart the attempt.
46' Spain wins its third penalty corner of the match, but Juan Vivaldi manages to get a tip of his stick to keep out Josep Romeu's dragflick directed at the right top corner.
Third Quarter
45' Argentina wins a penalty corner at the end of the third quarter. This time Quico Cortes makes a good save to keep out Peillat's powerful drag-flick.
45' The third quarter hasn't seen much of Gonzalez who has been a livewire in the first half with his runs on the right flank.
41' The game has gone into a slumber yet again, with Spain's poorly executed penalty corner being the only goalmouth action after Ruiz's equaliser.
35' GOAL SPAIN! There is the equaliser! After a dull second quarter, the match springs into life with Vincenc Ruiz's goal, who smashes into the roof of the net after Argentina's goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi makes a couple of good saves.
HALF-TIME: Argentina 3-2 Spain
Gonzalo Peillat once again showed why he is the go-to man for difficult situations, Click on the link to know how the ace drag-flicker deals with pressure situations.
Second Quarter
27' Green card for Argentina's Tomas Bettaglio.
23' Enrique Gonzalez is running the Argentinian defence ragged with his pace on the right flank. He gets once again gets to the baseline with a dizzying run, but fails to control the ball from going marginally out of play.
19' The game's pace has not slowed down a bit and after a whirlwind first quarter, more goals could come at any minute.
First Quarter
15' PEILLAT SCORES FOR ARGENTINA! Argentina wins a corner at the end of the first quarter and who else, but Gonzalo Peillat. Its a beauty of a drag-flick as the 26-year old shoots through the legs of a Spanish runner and the goalkeeper.
15' ARGENTINA SCORES! What a breathtaking game it has been. Within 45 seconds of conceding the second goal, the South Americans come up with a reply and its Agustin Mazzilli again, who makes 2-2 after a Lucas Vila pass on the left side.
14' GOAL SPAIN! A beautifully executed penalty corner from the Red Sticks sees Josep Romeu beat the goal keeper with a shot at the far post.
13' Gonzalez goes from the right side and wins a penalty corner for his side, showing why he is one of the most sought-after young players in the recent years.
10' There is little to separate these sides as open midfields show the way for attacks to show their prowess. Enrique Gonzalez takes on the Argentinian backline, displaying some breathtaking stick work, but is unable to pull the trigger.
4' ARGENTINA EQUALISES! Los Leones reply with a goal immediately. Agustin Mazzilli deflects a right wing cross towards the far post giving no chance for Spain's goalkeeper Quico Cortes.
3' GOAL SPAIN! The Red Sticks open the scoring and it is Enrique Gonzalez, who opens the scoring after Argentina loses the ball inside the penalty area.
All eyes will be on this man - Gonzalo Peillat, the drag-flicker who smashed an astonishing 131 international goals in the past four years
The teams take to the pitch for the national anthems in a packed Kalinga Stadium.
Match Trivia
- Argentina begins its campaign as one of the tournament favorite, having finished second runners-up in the 2014 World Cup and winning the gold medal at 2016 Rio Olympics.
- Argentina, ranked No.2 in the world, features one of the most experienced players in Matias Paredes—who is playing his fifth World Cup after making his debut at the 2002 edition in Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia.
- World No. 8 Spain has a good history at the World Cups, finishing in the top five in nine editions, including two runners-up finishes in 1971 and 1998.
- Spain also hosted the inaugural World Cup 1971 in Barcelona after the initial host city of Lahore caused concern over security.
- Head-to-Head at the World Cups: Total Matches: 7| Argentina 2 | Draw: 2 | Spain: 3
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