Argentina crowned world champions

Argentina beat reigning World, Olympic and European champions The Netherlands 3-1 to win the women’s hockey World Cup late on Saturday night.

A capacity crowd of 15,000 chanting, blue and white fans were interspersed with two small patches of orange-clad Dutch supporters. Argentina star Luciana Aymar earned her 300th cap for Argentina while Dutch skipper Janneke Schopman announced her retirement after the game.

Carla Rebecchi put the hosts ahead three minutes into the match, scoring into the empty goal from near the right post. Noel Barrionuevo converted Argentina’s first penalty corner four minutes later, getting a deflection off the left glove of Dutch goalkeeper Joyce Sombroek. The defending champions reacted by pressing Argentina high for long periods, holding them in their defensive half but failing to get the breakthrough.

But Argentina’s defence of Barrionuevo, Silvina D’Elia, Claudia Burkart and goalkeeper Belen Succi worked the team out with sharp, short passing interchanges. Argentina crowded The Netherlands in the circle, preventing clear shots on goal by Kim Lammers, Marilyn Agliotti and Naomi van As. Paumen silenced the crowd when she converted The Netherlands’ second penalty corner high into the top of the net. But Rebecchi took a rebound off the right post to score for Argentina and Dutch heads went down again, realising the enormity of coming back from 3-1 down in a final amidst a hostile crowd.

Earlier, England beat Germany 2-0 to take bronze, England’s first World Cup medal.