Portugal and Italy tied 2-2 this Tuesday, in a balanced match for the second day of Group A of the Roller Hockey World Cup, which takes place in San Juan, Argentina.
The first half, although quite balanced, began with greater pressure from the Italian team, which in the first few minutes gave goalkeeper Pedro Henriques a lot to do.
Even so, the Portuguese goalkeeper was up to the task and proved to be a real ‘giant’, always denying the Italians goals.
The scoreboard ended up working in the last three minutes of the first half, with two goals almost in a row.
Italy scored first, via a Giulio Cocco free-kick, and in response Portugal equalized with a goal from Henrique Magalhães, following a well-aimed pass from João Rodrigues.
The second half started with a penalty in favor of Portugal and Gonçalo Alves, who seems to be in charge, after leaving with knee discomfort in the first game, entered the game for the first time to make the Portuguese comeback.
But balance remained the watchword and Italy kept up intense pressure.
The equalizing goal would finally come from a shot from mid-range by Francesco Campagno, in a play that ended up betraying Pedro Henriques, who did not see the ball break and, therefore, was unable to defend the ball, in the 38th minute.
Italy and Portugal thus share the leadership of group A, thus postponing decisions to the last round. Today, the Portuguese team faces Chile, after the Italians play against France, which will allow the Portuguese team to know what they need.
Source: TSF
