World Cup look: clash of styles in classic Argentina

No less than 44 matches will be played during the Women’s World Cup in Amsterdam and Terrassa. Every day we select a gripping confrontation between two foreign teams. Today: Argentina – England.

Why is this duel special?
Argentina – England is not only a clash of styles, but also a classic of women’s hockey. Two world superpowers, who have met for years in major tournaments. And about these styles: the English power play against the impassioned, technical and also temperamental tango hockey. Tough duels guaranteed! The winner will face Germany. It also irrevocably produces a beautiful poster.

How did Argentina qualify for the quarter-finals?
Con dos dedos en la nariz† This is Spanish for “two fingers in the nose”. Las Leonas were the queens of the group stage. Like Australia and the Netherlands, they have won three games, but by far the best in terms of goal difference. With a difference of plus thirteen, Fernando Ferrara’s team qualified for the top eight, without contesting the intermediate round.

And England?
For the Brits it was old fashioned bumpy road to the last eight. After two matches, they were at the bottom of the bloodcurdling Group B, in which there were so many draws. It was England’s last game in the group against China. Only if they won were they certain of a place in the intermediate round – or in the English crossovers. Olympic champions Rio pulled it off beautifully, after which South Korea were swept 5-0. The form is thus found.

Who should you watch out for in England?
Yes, so we’ll drop the name Giselle Ansley. The HGC defender’s corner symbolizes England’s resurrection. In the group match lost to New Zealand, one ball after another was ruined upside down. And yes, it was regularly specialist Ansley who was allowed to moor. She finally pushed against China and with that the British bear was loose. Three days later, she made it two against South Korea and really ended the domestic corner crisis.

And in Argentina?
It is of course very obvious to put the top scorer Agustina Gorzelany in the spotlight. That’s what we’re going to do. The South Americans corner shooter goes like a spear. She scored two goals in Argentina’s three World Cup matches. Five striking corners and a penalty shot used give him a – shared – first place on the list of top scorers. We also want to highlight Valentina Raposo. The free defender is a beacon of calm in the Argentine defense and has a nice old-fashioned hard shot. Besides, she is only nineteen. Stay tuned, we’ll hear a lot more about it.

How well do the teams know each other?
Not bad. Of course, they saw each other in the last edition of the Pro League. It happened in February, at the Olympic training complex in Buenos Aires. Matches that Argentina remember fondly: both times it was 5-2. Footnote: Maddie Hinch did not score for England in either game.

What if it turned into shootings?
Yes, that’s where Hinch comes in again. The Tilburg keeper has a reputation to uphold when it comes to shooting. Orange have known this since the 2015 European Championship and the Rio Games that followed. Recently, in a play-off against Oranje-Red, Hinch showed that she hasn’t forgotten her shooting skills. Argentina have less fond memories of their last series of shots on goal. The bottom three – all in the final Pro League season – have been lost.

In which country should we put our money?
All the pesos of Argentina! First of all, they have won six of their last seven matches against the British. In addition, Las Leonas is much more dimensionally stable.