Peillat scores twice as Argentina defeat India in opening match
Goalkeeping heroics in Germany v Netherlands draw Â
Packed stadium witnesses opening day games
The menâs Hero Hockey World League Final 2015 got underway in Raipur, India on Friday, with Argentina defeating India before Germany and the Netherlands played out a draw in Pool B.Â
Penalty corner expert Gonzalo Peillat scored twice as Argentina claimed a 3-0 win over host nation India in the opening match of the competition in front of a near capacity crowd.
Following a vibrant, colourful and entertaining opening ceremony, the home fans turned out in large numbers to witness the host nation in action.
However, it was Argentinaâs Leones (Lions) that came away with all three points.
The team, coached by Carlos Retegu,i were in excellent form in the opening two quarters of the match, establishing a 2-0 lead ahead of half time.
Prolific goal-scorer Peillat opened the scoring in the third minute with a deflected penalty corner rocket that left Indian shot-stopper P.R. Sreejesh stranded, before Joaquin Menini scored from close range with another set piece.
Despite a powerful Rupinder Pal Singh shot being cleared off the line, Argentina were well worth their lead and continued to play excellent hockey in the third and fourth quarters.
Eventually, a third goal arrived, with Peillat grabbing his second with a penalty corner drag-flick that sailed into the roof of the Indian net in overtime.
“We started very well, the intensity was very goodâ, said Argentinaâs two goal hero Gonzalo Peillat after the match. âWe earned enough corners. Now we need to think how we play against Holland as they have a really good team.”
India coach Roleant Oltmans was disappointed by the result, stating: “The first half could have been better. We did more in the second half but it was still not enough. Today we didn’t deserve anything. We need to recover quickly now because the next match is tomorrow.”
The dayâs other match was also in Pool B, as Germany and the Netherlands battled to a 0-0 draw in a rematch of the EuroHockey Championship Final.
The last meeting between the teams saw the Netherlands power to a 6-1 win to claim the European title, but todayâs match was all about the defensive lines.
Both goalkeepers were in good form in the game, with Germanyâs Nico Jacobi pulling off a number of world class saves while Stockmann was deservedly named Hero Man of the Match.Â
âIt is always good to play against the Netherlands at a tournament like this on the way to the Olympic Gamesâ, said Germany midfielder Tobias Hauke. âI think it was interesting today after our last meeting in the EuroHockey Championship Final, where we lost pretty hard. It was important to see today, with different teams of course, that we are close now and it was a hard game for both sides.â
Netherlands Head Coach Max Caldas said that Germany were arguably the better side in the first half, but was happy with his teamâs display in the second period.Â
âI am a big fan of the German players and the German style, and always look forward to playing themâ, said Caldas. âIt was a tough game but I think we took more control in the second half, although our goalkeeper saved us a little bit in the first half.â
Results â Day 1
Pool B:
Argentina 3, India 0
Hero Man of the Match:Â Agustin Mazzilli (ARG)
Hero Man of the Match:Â Agustin Mazzilli (ARG)
Germany 0, Netherlands 0.
Hero Man of the Match: Jaap Stockmann (GK – NED)
#HWL2015 #MarkYourMark
Men’s Hero Hockey World League Final 2015
When: Friday 27 November – Sunday 6 December 2015
Where: Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Hockey Stadium, Near Science College, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Who: Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Argentina, India, Canada.
Match schedule: click here.
How teams qualified: click here.
Format
The event features two pools of four followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, classification and medal matches. Following the round robin, the top four teams in each pool will move into the crossover quarter-final phase, with the pool winners meeting the fourth-placed team from the opposite pool. The #2 and #3 finishers will also face-off in the knock-out quarter-final. The winners of the quarter-final matches will move into semi-finals and the medal games, with the losing teams playing for placement.
The event features two pools of four followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, classification and medal matches. Following the round robin, the top four teams in each pool will move into the crossover quarter-final phase, with the pool winners meeting the fourth-placed team from the opposite pool. The #2 and #3 finishers will also face-off in the knock-out quarter-final. The winners of the quarter-final matches will move into semi-finals and the medal games, with the losing teams playing for placement.
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