Portugal thrashed France 5-1, while Italy beat Chile 8-3, in the two Group A matches of the first day of the Senior Men’s Roller Hockey World Championship at the Aldo Cantoni Stadium in San Juan.
Portugal, current world champion, before six minutes into the game had already won 2-0 against France: Gonçalo Alves opened the scoring at 4’12” and Joao Rodrigues at 5’58”.
France adjusted the marks, took better the spaces that Portugal had used to reach Baptiste Bonneau’s goal, and managed to stop Portugal’s infernal offensive train. There were even some chances in the Lusitanian goal, but their goalkeeper, Ángelo Girão, was relentless and left us cracks in his goal.
Despite the French lift, Joao Rodrigues again at 14’14”, scored a new conquest and the third goal for Portugal was present at the Aldo Cantoni, to stretch the difference. From then until the end of the first half, the actions between the Lusitanians and the French were balanced and the 3-0 was the result of the first half.
In the second half, it was expected that France would propose another alternative, since Portugal without too much wear and tear, and thinking about the rest of the tournament, was doing its business. In this way Renato Garrido, the Lusitanian Head Coach, was rotating all his players and moving the ball, hoping that France would do the wear. Thus, the first nine minutes of the second half passed practically unnoticed, and even with some weariness, but the scoreboard moved again on this Tuesday night at the Cantoni.
An individual play by Helder Nunes (No. 78), who started on the left flank of his attack, went behind Bonneau’s goal, and when everyone expected him to download a pass over the zone, the player noticed the lack of marking and He turned on the goalkeeper’s left post, to hit a bochazo and get the fourth goal at 9’39” of play.
Already with the match practically defined, with a command of the game, with marks taken and almost without risk of scoring on their own fence, Portugal was rotating the ball almost nonchalantly. The only risky play was a counterattack that France could not define, since with numerical superiority (two against one), Bruno Di Benedetto, the French No. 3, shot wide when they exceeded 11’30” of play.
In this way, managing the threads of the game comes the fifth goal, taking advantage of a counterattack at 21’38” the Lusitanian No. 4, Diogo Rafael, places the fifth of his team, the finishing touch for a solid performance.
However, the match had not yet closed his scoring account. The goal of French honor came at 23’42” from the hand of Anthony Da Costa (N° 5), taking advantage of a quick exit from the right of his attack to hit the ball with great violence and put it in the left corner of Girão, conquest that gave definitive figures to this match: Portugal 5, France 1.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, on the second day of this group A, at 3:15 p.m., France will face Chile, while the clash between Portugal and Italy, current leaders in the area, will be played at 7:45 p.m.
Summary PORTUGAL 5 – FRANCE 1
First time
1 – 0: 4´12” – Gonçalo Alves (POR)
2 – 0: 5´58” – Joao Rodrigues (POR)
3 – 0: 14´14” – Joao Rodrigues (POR)
Second time
4 – 0: 9´39” – Helder Nunes (POR)
5 – 0: 21´38” – Diogo Rafael (POR)
5 – 1: 23´42” – Anthony DaCosta (FRA)
Italy-Chile
In the first match of Group A, Italy made the difference from the start in 8-3 against Italy. Totally dominating the game, he quickly scored a penalty at minute and twenty-three seconds into the game over Alessandro Verona (N°9). Federico Ambrosio (No. 5) was the executor, who before the initial shot, saved by the trans-Andean goalkeeper, Diego García Valenzuela, took advantage of the rebound to raise the ball and place it in the left corner of the goalkeeper, placing the first goal of the game.
The second Italian goal came at the worst moment for Chile. When the trans-Andeans tried to gain a foothold in the game and control Italy, the Azzurros, today dressed entirely in white, made a quick counterattack and Federico Ambrosio, again on the right of the European attack, positioned himself to execute a very strong shot that could not be saved by García Valenzuela, and the Azzurros were quickly placed 2 to 0 at 6:21”.
From there Chile tried to level the game, and although it was managing to improve in the game, it could not specify the situations it had, either due to inaccuracies on goal or due to the action of the good Italian goalkeeper Riccardo Gnata, and gradually it was Italy that ended up specifying and stretching the difference. The third goal came at 17’57” through the penalty executed by his No. 6 Andrea Malagoli. Little less than a minute later at 18’43” came the fourth goal by Francesco Campagno (N° 3) who received a pass from behind the goal, and connected entering the trans-Andean zone, while the fifth Italian conquest, reached 20’43” through Alessandro Verona (N°9) for the 5-0.
Before the end of the first half, an individual action by Felipe Márquez (N°7), gave Chile the discount with 3’12” remaining. In this way, the first half ended 5 to 1 for Italy.
In the second half, Italy again came out to define the match. The match had Chile attacking with enormous effort, while Italy made it easier. So the Italian goals came quickly. Again Alessandro Verona for sixth, Davide Gavioli for seventh. With the score 7 to 1, the Chilean discount arrived through the direct free kick of Nicolás Fernández (No. 8) for 7 to 2.
Italy immediately went on the offensive and found the eighth goal at 16’35” through Davide Gavioli. Chile continued to search and shortly before the end of the game, at 22:35”, Felipe Márquez once again placed the final discount for the trans-Andeans and sealed the result at 8-3.
Synthesis: CHILE 3 – ITALY 8
First time
0 – 1: 1´23” – Federico Ambrosio (ITA)
0 – 2: 6´21” – Federico Ambrosio (ITA)
0 – 3: 17´57” – Andrea Malagoli (ITA)
0 – 4: 18´43” – Francesco Campagno (ITA)
0 – 5: 20´43” – Alessandro Verona (ITA)
1 – 5: 21´48” – Felipe Marquez (CHI)
Second time
1 – 6: 3´53” – Alessandro Verona (ITA)
1 – 7: 6´00” – Davide Gavioli (ITA)
2 – 7: 13´06” – Nicolás Fernández (CHI)
2 – 8: 16´35” – Davide Gavioli (ITA)
3 – 8: 22´35” – Felipe Marquez (CHI)
Start with goals from Portugal and Italy in Group A of the men’s senior