It was Pool A in action today as hosts Spain showed some real flair to beat Poland 6-1.
Match 5: Spain v Poland 6-1
It was, however, Poland that opened the scoring as BEMBENEK gave Poland an early lead, sweeping the ball in past the Spanish keeper from close range. Their lead didn’t last long as Spain replied with 2 goals in 2 minutes via ZORITA, COBOS added a 4th and ZORITA added a third, a powerful drag from a pc to get his hat trick in the first quarter. REYNE added a fifth and Spain knew they had the game more or less sewn up.
The opening goal of the second half is scored by a sliding TELLO in the 35th. Spain seemed happy to sit back and slow down the pace in the 3rd quarter, but they remained very much in control of this game. Poland appeared to have grasped the pace of the game and were now matching the pace of the Spanish, thwarting them from adding to their tally. A deserved 6-1 scoreline sees Spain clear on 6 points in Pool A as Belgium and England played out a draw.
Match 6: Belgium v England 1-1
In pool A, England faced Belgium in an important game to qualify for the semifinals. The duels were very physical from the start of the game, with chances on both sides. In the second quarter, Belgium opened the score via Englebert, who finished from a close range. The Belgians played long balls forward but the English defence was well in place and denied Belgium to increase their lead.
In the 43rd minute, Wallace scored the equalizer after a brilliant individual action down the baseline. In the last quarter, both teams were pushing hard to get the win but the score remained 1-1 at the end of the game. A result which probably doesn’t satisfy either team. With one game left in the pool, both team still have a chance to make it to the semifinals.
Ranking Pool A:
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| 2 | England | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | Belgium | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 1 |
| 4 | Poland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 | -9 | 0 |
Upcoming games 17th July:
As all games on Pitch 1 will be live-streamed, all the men’s games tomorrow will be streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org
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Photographs: World Sport Pics (c)