Palacio de los Deportes de Riazor – A Coruña | July 20th, 2018
And on the seventh day came the always exciting quarterfinals of the 53rd Men’s European Roller Hockey Championships that will end on Sunday at the Sports Palace of Riazor in A Coruña. But before, the match that opened the day was Austria-Belgium, with the Belgians clearly improving, at least against the teams with the same level of play, because the match ended with a draw at four goals, but at the end of it‘s team threw three direct fouls, since they both have to compete against Netherland for the nine to eleven positions, in order to avoid the possible ties in the league that will play between them and that in this case ended with 2- 1 favorable to Austria.
Nine seconds it took France to score their first goal against Germany in the second match of the morning and first of the quarterfinals. At the half time, although France seemed to have controlled the game, 1-2 in their favor. The Germans led by Spanish Jordi Molet tied, but the French with the Di Benedetto in front and without accusing the fatigue of the hard match of the previous day at night, ended up solving in their favor with a comfortable 2-5. Remember that France has attended the championship with only eight players, so it only has two rotations among the rink.
If France scored 9 seconds into the match, Italy did it at 8 and 54. It seemed that with two goals in a minute the game was under control, but Andorra never gave up and at halftime the result was 1-3. With some uncertainty began the second half and there yes, those of Massimo Mariotti were more successful and with three more goals left resolved the match with the 2-6 final being the second team to reach the semifinals.
The third match of the quarterfinals had the presence in the box of authorities of Alejandro Blanco, president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, who together with Carmelo Paniagua, president of the RFEP, and Vicente Torres, president of the FGP, has seen the comfortable victory of Spain against Switzerland. Those of Alejandro Domínguez did not leave place to the surprise and soon they were located with three of advantage (Ferran Font, Eduard Lamas and Pau Bargalló), although the helvietics trained by the Asturian Alejandro Rodríguez marked the first, but two more of Raúl Marín and one of Jordi Adroher placed a clear 1-6 to the half time, reason why the second period was of proceeding in spite of a goal more of the Swiss, arriving a posteriori other four of Spain work of Albert Casanovas, Ferran Font twice and Raúl Marín that left the definitive 2-10 and gave the pass to the semifinals to Spain to face France in the first of them.
As expected, Portugal comfortable match against England in the match that closed the quarterfinals. And that despite the fact that after the first goal of Luis Sénica, the English drew. It was just a mirage, because the Lusos went to rest 1-5, with a second very placid period that left a final result of 2-14 and a semifinal that peeks passionate against Italy.The schedules and matches of Saturday morning, penultimate day of competition, are the following:
10:00 a. m. | Belgium – Netherland
12:30 p. m. | England – Andorra
5:30 p. m. | Switzerland – Germany
8:00 p. m. | Spain – France
10:00 p. m. | Portugal – Italy