Argentina overcome Canada in the last league match to set up their next clash with hosts India.
Argentina defeated Canada 4-2 in the last pool A match at the National Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.
With this win, they finished fourth in their group on the basis of goal difference and will now face hosts India on Friday for the seventh and eighth spot while Canada finished last and will take on Pakistan in Thursday’s wooden spoon decider.
Lucas Martin Vila, Matias Enrique Paredes, Mario Nicolas Almada and Tomas Innocente Argento scored for the South Americans while Scott Tupper and David Jameson pulled two back for the Canadians.
Argentina, who surprised the Kiwis in their previous match with a 1-0 win, was clearly the better team in the first half, winning one penalty corner after another. However it was their fifth attempt that put them ahead of the Canadians. Vila was on target in the 29th minute after the ball ricocheted off the stick of a defender. Canada on the other hand were pathetic and not once did they test the Argentine goalie.
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After the break, nothing changed except an increase in certainty that Argentina would not lose the match at all events. Paredes doubled the lead in 43rd minute as he pounced on an accurate pass from Lucas Martin Rey from the right wing, and lobbed it over Canadian goalie Dave Carter. Almada scored the third goal in the 56th minute but the bulk of the work was done by Argento, who provided the pass after dodging a couple of defenders from the right.
Canada, against the run of play, pulled one back in the 60th minute as Tupper converted the penalty corner successfully. Jameson further reduced the lead six minutes later after the so far un-tested Argentine goalie Juan Tomas Espinosa failed to read the line of an aerial shot off him.
Argento scored in the dying moments to ensure that Canada finished the league stages without a single point.
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