Hockey World Cup: Las Leonas debuted with a win

Not even the oppressive heat of Tarrasa, the Spanish city near Barcelona that hosts the Women’s Hockey World Cup, could beat Las Leonas. On their debut, Fernando Ferrara’s team beat South Korea 4-0 in the first round of group C.

At the Olympic Stadium in Tarrasa, the Pro League champions had great effectiveness on corner kicks and did not suffer against the Asian team, which they defeated at the start of the match. It was when, in the first fixed play of the match, the driver of Agustina Gorzelany, a player from the Canary Islands Taburiente, opened the scoring and started writing a comfortable script.

The Korean team woke up from a bad start and in the second quarter began to endanger the goal of Belen Succi, who with a great intervention avoided the draw. But then Argentina pressed in the last three minutes of the second quarter to close the game.

With 3 minutes left in the second quarter, Argentina reached their second short and a clear new chance that Gorzelany changed once again for a goal, shooting in the same spot: the corner of the left post that the South Korean goalkeeper did not has ever reached.

With only four seconds left in that first round, the judge prevailed over the video referee because the cameras couldn’t contradict his decision to give Las Leonas the penalty corner. This time it wasn’t Gorzelany who scored the goal, but Victoria Granatto, who deflected what appeared to be her sister Majo’s goal to secure the third.

Fernando Ferrara’s players continued with their road map in the third period. After the middle of the third quarter, a new short corner, the fourth of the match and without the scorer Gorzelany in the field, led to a change of game but not the outcome: the goalkeeper’s rebound after the drag was left to Julieta Jankunas who did not fail for the final 4-0.

The incredible statistic of the Argentines with four goals in the first four corners they took, however, was not complete because with 35 seconds left Gorzelany was unable to complete 100% effectiveness with his drag or in the Argentine detour.

South Korea, meanwhile, gave a very poor picture although at least they prevented the defeat from being wider by going goalless in the fourth quarter.

Las Leonas, world champion in Perth 2002 and Rosario 2010, will attempt the third title in this World Cup shared between Spain and the Netherlands. Although first they will have to face the locals this Sunday.