For the first time since February 2020, the Argentina women’s team took down No. 1 the Netherlands, 3-2, on Sunday night in Santiago del Estero. The action-packed match was won in the final minutes with a goal from Maria Granatto.
The Argentina men defeated Ireland for a second time, claiming the 4-3 win in a back-and-forth contest.
(Women’s) Argentina 3 – 2 Netherlands
In the final women’s match of this leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League season, Argentina took on the Netherlands for the second time.
The start looked good for the hosts, as an early chance for Sofia Cairo sailed high over the cage. Breaking the deadlock five minutes in with her first Pro League goal was Argentina’s Zoe Diaz, who tipped in a ball sent in from the right by Maria Granatto.
The Netherlands won their first penalty corner of the contest a little over halfway through the first frame, but the flick from Yibbi Jansen was blocked by Paula Santamarina on the fly. Argentina nearly escaped the first quarter with the lead, but with just two seconds left, an end-to-end counterattack from the Netherlands tied the match at 1-1. The goal started from a long ball up the field from Mette Winter to Freeke Moes, who sent it up to Fay van der Elst, who finished with a reverse sweep.
A second set piece chance for the Oranje earned early in the second frame was saved by the Argentina defense. Minutes later it was Argentina’s turn to test their penalty corners, but Las Leonas were unable to convert on four consecutive chances. The two teams finished off a tightly contested first half tied 1-1. Argentina commanded much of the third quarter, but neither side scored again despite one penalty corner chance each.
Excitement characterized the final quarter in Santiago del Estero. A bit of individual skill from Granatto earned Argentina a set piece at minute 52, which was finished by Juana Castellaro to give her team a 2-1 lead. One minute later, the Netherlands found the tying goal when Winter put in a rebound from Jansen’s penalty corner flick. Less than three minutes left and the scoreline even, Argentina struck for the third and final time – a hard drive from Granatto straight into the left corner.
Argentina’s Sofia Cairo was named the Player of the Match and said: “We are very happy because we play as we practice all day and we are very happy.”
(Men’s) Argentina 4 – 3 Ireland
Ireland got on the board early after putting pressure on Argentina’s backfield, leading to a steal by Ben Nelson, who scored his first senior goal with a reverse hit in the 3rd minute. Ireland did not enjoy their lead for long, as just minutes later Argentina’s Tomas Domene sent a penalty corner flick past goalkeeper Luke Roleston. The next set piece chance for Argentina saw another Domene goal, as the hosts took a 2-1 lead. With time expired in the quarter, Ireland’s Alistar Empey put away the equalizer on a penalty corner.
The second frame seemed to cool down, with good plays on both side but not much of the action in the two circles. At minute 38, Argentina took back their lead, up 3-2, with yet another clinical Domene penalty corner flick. The momentum looked like it was swinging back in favor of the hosts, with several more chances on goal that included a wide shot from Lucas Martinez. It would not be sustained however, and Ireland was soon back on level ground. A penalty corner shot by Irelan’ds Lee Cole was hard enough to get past the stick of Joaquin Ruiz.
More Argentina attack marked the fourth frame, as three back-to-back penalty corners were saved by the Ireland defense. On a fourth chance, Roleston made the initial save, but Bautistia Capurro was right on the rebound, sneaking it past the goalkeeper. Argentina would take the lead for the third time of the match in the 49th minute. Despite the pressure from Ireland as they desperately tried to tie the match, Argentina would come out with a 4-3 victory.
Argentina’s Jack Tomas Domene was named the Player of the Match and said: “We played really good. I think we had more opportunities than the last few games, so that’s good. We fight until the end, so we are happy to win.”
Current Hero Top Scorers:
Women – Freeke Moes (NED), Yibbi Jansen (NED) (4 goals)
Men – Tom Boon (BEL), Sam Ward (8 goals)
To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.
FIH Hockey Pro League – 15 December 2024
Santiago del Estero Hockey Club, Santiago del Estero (ARG)
WOMEN
Result Match 12 (W): Argentina 3 – 2 Netherlands
Player of the match: Sofia Cairo (ARG)
Umpires: Pauline Cuypers (BEL), Victoria Pazos (PAR), Benjamin Peters (USA) (video)
MEN
Result Match 12 (M): Argentina 4 – 3 Ireland
Player of the match: Tomas Domene (ARG)
Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Sean Rapaport (RSA), Benjamin Peters (USA) (video)
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Where to watch the matches?
- Click hereto find out the list of all broadcasters showing matches in your country
- For the countries with no broadcaster featured, the matches are available HERE
- For a country with a broadcaster featured, the neutral matches (= matches where the team of this specific country is not playing) are also available HERE, except for India, the Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South and Central America, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.
