Host nation Argentina scored four unanswered first half goals on their way to an 5-1 victory over Pan American rivals Canada to reach the Semi Finals of the Men’s Champions Challenge 1 in Quilmes. Goals from Lucas Vila (2), Facundo Callioni, Juan Cruz Agulleiro and Guillermo Schickendantz sealed the victory for Argentina, with Canada’s solitary strike coming from Scott Tupper. The result means that Argentina will play Ireland in the Semi Finals on Saturday.
It took Argentina just over one minute to score the opening goal of the game when a speculative long pass found Lucas Vila, who produced a glorious chip over the head of Canadian keeper David Carter to give the South Americans the perfect start. Vila’s goal was truly magnificent, with Carter and pretty much everyone in the venue expecting a powerful strike for goal rather than such a cultured finish. It was the first of four first half goals for Argentina, with Facundo Callioni, Juan Cruz Agulleiro and Guillermo Schickendantz all firing in brilliant strikes from open play as the South Americans ran riot. Canada were very much second best in the opening period, although they did create a few decent chances of their own with Sukhwinder Singh having the best of them with a fierce strike from the left of the circle.
Canada had the first chance of the second half when Sukhwinder Singh escaped his marker down the right before setting up Matt Guest, but the powerful striker failed to hit the target with his reverse stick effort. It was an early sign of what was a vastly improved second half performance from Canada, who pulled a goal back six minutes into the half. Team captain and central defender Scott Tupper scored a rare field goal with a well-placed shot from the top of the circle. However, a penalty stroke from Lucas Vila re-established Argentina’s four goal advantage with fifteen minutes of the match remaining.
Although the Argentineans never reproduced the explosive brilliance of their first half performance, their solid second half display ensured a positive result for the home favourites.
Quotes:
Anthony Farry (CAN Coach)
“Argentina just played much better than us in every aspect. They did everything well. Our team tried to maintain the pressure, but they couldn’t. It was a fantastic lesson for our young players.”
Scott Tupper (CAN Captain)
“Obviously we are very disappointed with our first half. We made so many mistakes, and a talented team like Argentina capitalized on our errors. I think the changes in the second half let us play better, and we tried to pressure but we were not able to achieve the tactical adjustment. We have already played against Poland, and if we correct the mistakes we could play a great match.”
