In the final of the Paraná 4 Nations, its first ever visit to the Entre Ríos province, Argentina defeated South Afriac 2-0 to remain unbeaten in the event and stand at the top of the podium for the second time in as many weeks.
Early on, the teams exchanged blows in a balanced game, with both sides able to create danger but neither able to capitalize on the opportunities. Rosario Lucchetti finally tipped the balance with a deflection off a Delfina Merino pass. Argentina kept up the pressure, but the South Africans held tight, not allowing any further goals in the first half. Only minutes into the second half however,Argentina put in a second goal when Delfina Merino intercepted a ball deep in the opponents' defense and played off for Sofía Maccari who scored her first goal of the tournament.
As the minutes ticked down, Argentina dominated the game more and more, but couldn't convert their superiority into goals, and the match ended 2-0, crowning the Leonas 4 Nations champions ahead of South Africa again. Rosario Lucchetti, top scorer of the event with 4 goals, also bagged the Best Player prize, while debutante Nahir El Barri was named Best Goalkeeper for her very promising appearance on the senior stage.
India also repeated its bronze medal from last week's 4 Nations event in Quilmes, subduing Ireland 4-1. It was the Irish who got on the scoreboard first and as early as the 7th minute through Aine Connery, and the Europeans were able to hold on to their lead for the bigger part of the first half, but after the equalizer from Jaspreet Kaur, the Eves increased their share in ball possession and went on the offense more and more often. Anuradha Thokchom finally gave her side the lead with a 58th minute goal. Faced with an all-or-nothing situation, Irish coach Gene Muller decided to pull goal keeper Emma Gray from the field to give the Greenshirts the advantage, but the strategy backfired, as the team conceded two more goals instead. Vandana Katariya extended the lead to two goals in the 68th minute, Preety Kiro piled on the fourth from a penalty corner after the 70 minutes had ended. India thus took third place, consigning Ireland to the red lantern.
Previously, in Saturday's last round of pool matches, South Africa defeated India 2-1 to rach the final. After a balanced start, South Africa started to dominate ball possession afterabout 20 minutes and was rewarded with a short corner that was converted by Kate Woods for the only goal of the first half. After the break, Jaspreet Kaur in turn took advantage of a penalty corner for her team to score the equalizer. The Indian team was visibly motivated by the goal and took a more active role again, pushing for the lead. However, it was the South Africans who showed maximum effectiveness and booked three points through a penalty corner conversion by captain Marsha Marescia.
The other encounter in the final round of pool play saw Argentina sneak past Ireland 2-1 to keep a perfect record in the event. Ireland started well and created danger deep in the Argentinean half but couldn't make it count, falling behind instead as Noel Barrionuevo converted a penalty stroke in the 18th minute for her first goal of the tournament. The hosts remained on the offense and had a number of opportunities, including six penalty corners, but could not score again. At the other end of the field, Ireland made better use of their chances, as Audrey O´Flynn sunk her team's second corner of the game to balance the score 2 minutes into the second half. Argentina chased victory for much of the remaining 33 minutes, putting a lot of pressure on their opponents, but could not manage more than one more goal through a penalty corner deflection by Rosario Lucchetti.
Source: Argentinean Hockey Confederation press release
