ARGENTINA TAKE BERLIN

FOUR NATIONS, BERLIN REPORT

In an entertaining , highly competitive final game, in bad weather, played, happily in a packed Berlin Hockey Club’s Zehlendorfer Stadium in front of over 1500 spectators, the current World Champions , Argentina’s “Las Leonas” came out champions with a 2-0 defeat of the host nation at the pre World Champions Trophy Four Nations Tournament held in Berlin.

The current world champions were presented with a special trophy as victors which featured a sculptural representation of the iconic Brandenburg Gate welcoming a divided Berlin back into the free world. An ever improving Australia’s “Hockeyroos” beat the yet to find form Korea 2-1 and took third place with the Koreans taking the wooden spoon.

The Argentine squad’s goals came , once again, agonisingly late in the second half of the game after huge pressure from Las Leonas on the battling Germans. Carla Rebecchi scored on 52 'and Delfi Merino finished it burying a short corner just after the hour mark on 62', to seal victory. The Argentine visitors had many opportunities early on in the game but were thwarted by Kristina Reynolds, solid in goal.

Kristina Reynolds

The German defender Nina Hasselmann was voted best player of the tournament with Las Leonas’ Belen Succi, one of the stand out keepers of the previous Champion’s Trophy, Nottingham 2010 and World Cup, Rosario, taking best keeper.

Belen Succi

Germany’s Natascha Keller was voted top scorer helped by her two goals against Australia. Curiously during the Tournament all the goals were scored for Las Leonas by different players. Moccia Roci Sanchez, Sole Garcia and Noey Barrionuevo scored in the three each draw with the Hockeyroos, Rosario Luchetti netted the only goal in the one nil win over Korea and Rebecchi and Merino in the win against Germany.

Natascha Keller

For the currently world ranked 3rd Germany’s head coach, Michael Behrmann the game he must have been most encouraged by was with his squad pulling out a convincing 3-0 win over an ever-improving Australia, who are currently 6^th in the rankings. Under the inspirational Alan Commens (who has only been in charge of a rebuilt Hockeyroos team some sixth months and currently inducing a handful of new but talented internationals) the world rankings , last pronounced back in September last year, do look set for a major shake up in Amsterdam and that must include England ascending the ladder now worthy, on merit , of a higher ranking that their current 5^th position. Argentina simply proceeded to raise the bar following their world cup victory over Holland in Rosario under the stable directorship of the best coach in the world Carlos Retegui.

Speaking after the game , Germany’s Behrmann was in understandably positive but honest mode, tipping the hat to the Argentines but positive about his own team’s efforts He said, "I think we did really well in the first half and continued to apply pressure well at the beginning of the second when we were good defensively and we were stopping the Argentineans playing their own offensive attack-minded game. The German team” , he continued, “ is very well adjusted to the style of play favoured the South Americans. We were able to disrupt their early build-up play, and we were quick to counter attack and our players were aggressive in one on one duels. In the 9th minute Celine Wilde had a great chance to take the lead, but missed the chance . We had to be especially sharp in defence and our goalie , Kristina Reynolds, did a great job stopping the Argentine’s scoring.”

He continued,"Ten minutes before the break, Reynolds held it together for us , as she fended off a low shot and kept out the shot and subsequent penalty corner. "We progressed well here “ Behrmann said , and concluded that the tournament gave a lot of positives to build upon.

Analysis

Carla Rebecchi 1-0 (52)

2-0 Delfi Merino (62)

Penalty corners:

ARG 5 (-) / GER 2 (-) ARG 5 (-) / GER 2 (-)

Umpires:

Kim Jung Hee (KOR) Kylie Seymour (AUS) /

Results:-

Thursday ARG v AUS 3-3 (0-2) GER bvKOR 3-3 (1-3)

Saturday GER v AUS 3-0 (0-0) KOR v ARG 0-1 (0-0)

Sunday KOR-v AUS 1-2 (0-1) ARG –GER 2-0 (0-0)

final placings:-


Place	Games		Goals			Wins	Points
1st	Argentina	3 3	6 6	: :	3 3	2 2	7 7
2nd	Germany	3 3	6 6	: :	5 5	1 1	4 4
3rd	Australia	3 3	5 5	: :	7 7	1 1	4 4
4th	Korea	3 3	4 4	: :	6 6	0 0	1 1