Las Leonas return to Argentina with the silver medal.
The women's field hockey team failed to surprise and fell to world champions Holland 3-1 in Tokyo.
Upon hearing the whistle that marked the end of the match at the Oi Campo Norte stadium, Argentine goalkeeper Belén Succi burst into tears and her teammates came to console her.
It is the second medal that the Argentine delegation has won in these Olympic Games, but it knows little for Las Leonas, who aspired to return home with the gold that had already resisted them in their other two Olympic finals: Sydney 2000 and London 2012. His dream is postponed until Paris 2024.
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The Dutch started with force and from the first moment they put pressure on the Albiceleste team, in an attempt to break a fairly balanced match. The best opportunity of the first minutes was for the Netherlands in a short corner, in which the ball crashed into the crossbar guarded by Succi.
The second quarter was the decisive one.
The Dutch defenders managed to stop the rival attacks and, in the 23rd minute, the Europeans opened the scoring.
After a short corner kick from Frederique Matla, the tournament's top scorer (nine goals), who deflected at Margot van Geffen and entered the net.
Shortly after, also through short corners, Cia Jacqueline Van Maasakker stretched the lead to 3-0.
Without lowering her arms, Agustina Gorzelany, Argentina's top scorer, with four goals, discounted and rekindled the hopes of the team led by Carlos Retegui before the break.
In the second half, scoreless, the Netherlands managed their lead and blocked entrances to their semi-circle, demonstrating their superiority.
With the triumph of this Friday, the Dutch won their fourth Olympic gold.
"I am happy because we reached an Olympic final, we have a silver medal, but sad about the situation, because we wanted to win and have the gold ... But it was not given to us and so it is a mixture of sensations. I think they found the goals very quickly and it was difficult for us to have penetrations, to have more arrivals and that was what they took from the game, through the corners, "Argentine captain Noel Barrionuevo analyzed after the match in statements to TV Public. “You have to value this medal, which is no small thing. We are calm because we left everything, it was not enough, but we are calm, "added Barrionuevo.
I want to congratulate Las Leonas who brilliantly represented the Argentine hockey team reaching the final of the Olympics and achieving a silver medal. # GraciasLeonas 🏑🇦🇷 🥈 # Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/fB8ScPS7O0
- Alberto Fernández (@alferdez) August 6, 2021
Strict protocols
Succi, who was on the team that won bronze in 2008, was out of the subsequent Olympics because she was pregnant. After the game, she recalled the sacrifice made since then to reconcile elite sport with the motherhood of her son, now eight years old. “Son, mom is coming back with the medal she promised you for the effort and sacrifice we made together for a year and a half. You know that for seven days mom cannot see you because of the protocols, but there is less time to enjoy it together, ”said the 35-year-old Argentine goalkeeper before the cameras.
Since Sydney 2000, Las Leonas have been on every Olympic podium, except for Rio 2016, when they fell in the quarterfinals against the Netherlands.
With the medal obtained in Tokyo, Las Leonas add up to five - three silver and two bronze - and become the most successful team in the Argentine Olympic history, ahead of men's football, with four.
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