unstoppable. Las Leonas remained undefeated and entered the top four of the championship Women’s Field Hockey World Cup from Spain and the Netherlands. The Argentine national team, number two in the world ranking and recent champion of the pro-leaguewon from 1 to 0 a England in the quarter-finals and qualified for the tenth time in its history for the semifinals of a tournament of this level. On Saturday, at 16:30 in our country, they will face Germany and try to extend their positive record in that case, in which they have five wins and four losses.

The first time that the blue team was present in the semifinals of an ecumenical competition was in 1974, when the International Hockey Federation held the inaugural edition of the Women’s World Cup in Mandeleu, France. On that occasion, after finishing second in group B, behind West Germanywith three wins and one defeat, the national team has beaten India for 1 to 0 and moved on to the final, in which they lost by the same score Holland.

The national team was once again among the top four in the standings Munich 1976 It’s inside Madrid 1978, with varying results. On German soil, they also finished second behind the local team in the first phase, beat the Dutch 4-3 on penalties (0-0 in regulation time) and fell in the decisive 2-0 clash with the Germans.

In the Spanish race, however, he was unable to overcome the semifinal. After remaining as an escort for the Netherlands in his area, he fell to West Germany, which beat him 1-0 and left him, for the first time, out of the most important duel. He ended up sharing the bronze with Belgium.

It’s been 16 years without the Argentines returning to play a World Cup semi-final, a drought that has been halted Dublin 1994. With two Pan American golds on their boards and a squad that already had some of the players who would make history six years later in the Sydney OlympicsWhat Maddalena Aicega, Anabel GamberroVanina Oneto, Jorgelina Rimoldi Y Karina Massottathe team won Group A and then defeated 2-0 United States of America to enter the final.

The title eluded him, falling again in Australia 2-0, but the goal of returning to the elite of world hockey was achieved.

In Utrecht-1998, Argentina played a semifinal for the fifth time. Second in Group B, behind the local team, he remained on the brink of the final after falling 4-2 against Australia. He didn’t manage to get on the podium either, because he lost 3 to 2 with Germany at the crossroads for bronze. Beyond the disappointment, the Dutch tournament entered the great books of Hockey Hockey, because it marked the debut in the World Cup of Luciana Aymar, one of the best in the history of this sport.

The first title has finally arrived 2002, two years after winning that unforgettable silver in Sydney 2000 with which Les Leonas was born. In the Australian World Cup, a team that had thirteen of those Olympic medals won Group A, with seven wins in the same number of games, beat the local team 1-0 in the semi-finals and won 4-3 (1-1 ). for sanctions a Holland.

The Dutch took revenge Madrid 2006. In that event, they beat the Argentines – who had some of those world champions and several new talent in the squad (Rosario Luchetti, Carla Rebecchi, for example) – 3-1 in the semifinals and then raised the trophy. The national team won bronze after beating Spain 5-0 in the duel for third place.

Four years later, in Rosary 2010, Argentina returned to successfully overcome some semi-finals and claim the title. With a group that mixed experience with young people (they already were Belen SucciDelfina Merino e Noel Barrionuevojust to name a few), finished unbeaten in zone B (5-0 record), won 2-1 against Germany and made it to the final and in that case beat the Netherlands 3-1.

It was the last time Las Leonas was in the top 4 of a World Cup The Hague 2014, a tournament that left a bad taste in the mouth. Because the team arrived enthusiastic and eager to repeat the celebration of the previous edition. But in the semifinals, a ruthless Dutch team inflicted a hard 4-0, the bronze, which they won by beating 2-1 United States of America, it was certainly not a consolation in a tournament where the final result was not as expected. And which, moreover, was the last Struggle Aymar, who retired at the end of that year.

After the disappointment of seventh place in London 2018, the selected team has reached the current world championship with a sporty and mentally strong team, which has not yet lost any official match in this 2022 and has just won the Pro League undefeated. . So he got to the semifinals. And, thirsty for glory, this Saturday he will try to enter the final for the sixth time.