Spain claim a ninth world title by beating Argentina

Spain won their ninth roller hockey world title by beating Argentina 3-1 in Sunday’s final in Asunción, Paraguay. The Spanish team are world champions for the second consecutive time, having beaten Argentina 7-1 in the group stage. Led by Sergi Macià, they also completed the tournament with a perfect winning record. Their ninth crown puts them three titles ahead of Argentina, their closest pursuers.

Spain did not have it all their own way in the final. Argentina offered far more resistance than in the teams’ earlier meeting and threatened throughout. Julieta Fernández and Adriana Soto tested Ana Ferrer, while Aina Florenza struck the crossbar at the other end. Argentina had more attacking presence by half-time, with the score still goalless.

Spain raised their level after the break. In the 33rd minute, captain Marta Piquero met María Sanjurjo’s pass at the far post to open the scoring. Aimee Blackman made it 2-0 four minutes later and came close to adding another when her attempt hit the post. Argentina brought the final back to life in the 45th minute, when Lucía Maldonado cut the deficit to 2-1.

The closing stages brought further pressure on Spain. With four minutes remaining, a blue card for Victòria Porta left Sergi Macià’s side a player down for two minutes. Argentina pressed Ana Ferrer’s goal, but Spain held out, restored numerical parity and entered the final seconds with the title still at stake. Porta’s blue card had been shown in the 46th minute; both coaches, Darío Giuliani and Sergi Macià, had received yellow cards, in the 31st and 48th minutes respectively.

Argentina pushed forward with its goalkeeper replaced by an outfield player in an attempt to force extra time. Aina Florenza took advantage of the unguarded goal to score the decisive 3-1 in the 49th minute and seal Spain’s title. The final was played at SND Arenita in Asunción.