In the first encounter of the three match series in which Argentina faces Spain, the teams drew with three goals each.
In an entertaining encounter in Córdoba, Argentina and Spain, the ninth and fifth ranked teams in the current FIH World Rankings, drew 3-3.
The start into the match was dynamic and lively, with play moving back and forth. Argentina used their second penalty corner to get onto the scoreboard as Rodrigo Vila sunk a rebound in the fifth minute, and only a few minutes later, the hosts increased their advantage to two goals when Pedro Ibarra made good use of the very next short corner opportunity.
Gabriel Dabanch narrowed the gap again, scoring for Spain in the 16th minute, and thereby established the half time scoreline early, as both goalkeepers, Juan Manuel Vivaldi for Argentina and Quico Cortes for Spain, displayed strong form to keep their respective territories clean for the remainder of the first half.
After the break, Argentina had opportunities to pull away again but could not make them count, while their European counterparts grew stronger and controlled ball possession more and more as the clock ticked down.
Roc Oliva scored the equalizer 15 minutes from the end, and five minutes later, Edi Tubau finally tipped the score in Spain's favor. However, a fast break by Facundo Callioni in the dying seconds of the match presented Agustín Mazzilli with an opportunity, and he put the ball away over the Spanish goalkeeper for the 3-3 final result.
The two teams will face each other again, at the same venue, on Sunday.
Source: Argentinean Hockey Confederation press release
