With Julieta Jankunas' solitary goal in the last quarter, the Albiceleste defeated the oceanic team. Now, they will go for the title against the host Netherlands
The Lionesses once again demonstrated that they know how to play high-stakes matches. In a tight game with little margin for error, the Argentine National Team defeated Australia 1-0 in the semifinals of the Hockey World Cupand qualified for a new final, where they will seek to secure their third title against the host Netherlands.
The match held at the Belfius Hockey Arena in Wavre, Belgium, started with a lot of intensity and an early dangerous approach from the Australians, who had a short corner before the first minute. Argentina managed to neutralize that action and, as the game progressed, managed to balance the play.
The team led by Fernando Ferrara began to grow in the second quarter and had their first great opportunity with a short corner. The shot from Valentina Raposo deflected slightly off goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram and hit the post. The Australian goalkeeper intervened again in the rebound to deny Julieta Jankunas the goal.
In a very close match, Argentina defeated Australia 1-0
Later on, Australia also had its moment of danger in the third period. Grace Stewart found herself in an excellent position inside the area, but Cristina Cosentino responded with a great save with her left foot. The Lionesses, meanwhile, continued to create opportunities from short corners, although they could not break the deadlock.
In the final quarter, Argentina came out determined to seek victory and found their reward just a few minutes in, when Jankunas deflected a short corner execution after a set play and made it 1-0. The forward appeared at the right moment to unlock a match that seemed destined to be decided by small details.
From there, the Australians went all out in search of the equalizer, and the Lionesses had to withstand for several minutes. Cosentino became one of the key players at the end with several decisive interventions, including a save with her left hand against a shot that was heading for the corner.
Tension increased in the final moments of the match when Australia scored a goal with just 17 seconds left, but the action was correctly ruled out because no oceanic player had touched the ball inside the area. The Argentine team managed to hold the lead and thus secured their place in the grand final.
With this qualification, the Lionesses will go for glory against the Netherlands, who defeated Belgium 1-0 in the other semifinal. The match will be on Saturday at 11 AM Argentina time, in the Dutch city of Amstelveen, featuring two of the great protagonists in the history of women's hockey.
It is worth mentioning that this will be the second consecutive World Cup final for the women's team and the seventh in their entire history, with a record of 2 championships (Perth 2002 and Rosario 2010) and 4 runner-up finishes (Mandelieu 1974, Berlin 1976, Dublin 1994, and Teressa-Amstelveen 2022).
