Belgium opened their FIH Pro League 2019 campaign on a disappointing note as Spain registered a 2-0 win via a shoot-out in the first of the 152 matches in Valencia.
🕛✔#ESPvsBEL FT Score | Spain edge out Belgium 2-0 in a shootout after being locked 2-2 in regulation time!
🇧🇪 32' Maxime Plennevaux
🇧🇪 55' Alexander Hendrickx (PC)
🇪🇸 58' Ignacio Rodriguez (PC)
🇪🇸 60' Enrique Gonzalez #FIHProLeague | #MensHockey | 📸 FIH pic.twitter.com/W1LvEPqs73— The DragFlick™ (@thedragflick) January 19, 2019
The first half remained score-less. It was only in the third quarter when Belgium’s Maxime Plennevaux struck brilliant strike to give the Red Lions a 1-0 lead.
Belgium then doubled their lead with five minutes remaining thanks to a wonderful penalty corner drag-flick from Alexander Hendrickx.
But Spain, were not the ones to give up easy as they stayed in hunt snatching Belgium’s lead through Ignacio and Enrique Gonzelez ensuring the match went into a penalty shootout.
Two goals were scored by the Red Sticks in the fourth quarter showing just how intense this match was.
With just two minutes of the match remaining, Spain replaced goalkeeper Cortes with an outfield player, a tactic that paid off as Enrique Gonzalez fired into the Belgian net to level the scores and, forcing the game to go to a shoot-out.
Spain 2, Belgium 2 (2-0 After Shoot Out)
Shootout Details
Team | Attacker | Defender | Result | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Spain | ROMEU Josep | VANASCH Vincent | Goal | 1 – 0 |
Belgium | WEGNEZ Victor | CORTES Quico | No Goal | 1 – 0 |
Spain | IGLESIAS Alvaro | VANASCH Vincent | Goal | 2 – 0 |
Belgium | KINA Antoine | CORTES Quico | No Goal | 2 – 0 |
Spain | LLEONART Xavi | VANASCH Vincent | No Goal | 2 – 0 |
Belgium | de SLOOVER Arthur | CORTES Quico | No Goal | 2 – 0 |
Spain | ENRIQUE Sergi | VANASCH Vincent | No Goal | 2 – 0 |
Belgium | van AUBEL Florent | CORTES Quico | No Goal | 2 – 0 |
Next up : The FIH Pro League continues on 25 January with Spain men in action once again, when they take on Great Britain at the Estadio Betero at 1100 Central European Time (UTC +1).