“We know we can beat all teams here”. Thus spake Man of the Match Hugo Genestet after the mundane looked but what turned out to be a thriller of a feat between Argentina-France. His words would have sounded hollow, and nobody would have dared to take it seriously had he said so in the run up to the mega event. Now, as it turned out, everyone will be all ears to France.
Its for sure. Genester’s spontaneous response while accepting Rs.50,000 cheque after the match has become a Odisha World Cup’s most appropriate narrative.
What French will do hereafter will be keenly heard and watched. For, France has churned out an Champagne stuff, taking 4-1 lead midway through and then when the Argentinean team came menacingly close to cut down the lead with a brace of goals from danger man Gonzalo Peillet, not only survived those anxious moments but coming with another stunner to post the famous victory. France has beaten Argentina 5-3, meaning lock, stock and barrel.
Every goal that the Frenchman struck in the course of sixty exciting hockey duel, is worth a celebration for its conception and execution.
What many thought a ritual for Argentina had in fact turned out to be the best match of the Odisha World Cup, with the World Cup regular’s prestige went in for a six.
While Argentina is a fixture in the history of World Cups, the French team is back to World Cup after 28 years. Interestingly, when it played the 1990 Lahore number, it created havoc with reputation of many teams including India which lost 1-2.
“We know we can beat all teams here” may have been the exact belief with which Dutchman Joren Delmee’s trained them,but when words match the deeds you have the festival, and it was at Kalinga Stadium on Day 9 on Thursday.
The start of the match did not show anything of the blitzkrieg in store.
Argentina got two penalty corners in the first quarter, the first one within two minutes. Their PC expert in the ranks Gonzalo Peillet went in for indirect try which did not work. Perhaps German Orozco, the Argentina coach, thought it right time to try variation and prepare for the remainder of the tournament.
The unsuccessful attempts kept the scoreboard blank.
It helped the French team to go ahead. Its Gaspard Baumgarten who did all the spade work with nicety in the circle to put Hugo Genestet to slip the ball in the 17th minute. This goal lit the fire, which in the remaining time roasted Rio lions.
The burly showman Victor Charlet converted his team’s third penalty corner to enlarge the lead (2-0).
Now the Argentinean were in a dizzy. Body play came into prominence. Series of body blocks gave not only much needed space to the unheralded rivals but also enough spirit to fight back. Goals came in numbers.
In the space of two minutes, France struck a brace. Dot on the half time, a diagonal inside circle saw the ball going in.
only a minute ago, a backline pass and a short rebound from goalie got the Rio champions a goal to go for lemon time with a goal in their favour (1-4).
When a French player put his body before a lightening of a shot in side the circle being negotiated by a forward, Argentina got its penalty corner number four. Here as well as in the next, Gonzalo struck a brace to narrow down the score to 4-3.
Still 13 minutes left in the clock. Victor Charlet’s wards warded of the time being aggressive and also scoring once to return to pavilion heads high.