Fortune Heights Snow Polo World Cup 2015 – Day 7
Heartache For Hong Kong China as Brazil Knock Home Side out
Local favourites, tournament hosts and two-time Fortune Heights Snow Polo world champions Hong Kong China were knocked out of the competition today in a closely-fought contest against Brazil that ended in a penalty shoot-out. In the day’s other quarter-final, Argentina defeated Chile, also on penalties. Brazil will play Argentina in the first semi-final on Saturday.
Revenge was sweet for the yellow shirts of Brazil, who were themselves eliminated from last year’s Fortune Heights Snow Polo World Cup by Hong Kong China at the semi-final stage. Brazil had been the form team going into today’s quarter-final at the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, topping Zone 1 and scoring 19 times in their three victories against Canada, New Zealand and England. Hong Kong China, in their preliminary matches, had scraped through with a win over Spain and narrow defeats against France and Chile.
The form book went out of the window in the first chukka, however, with Hong Kong China having all the territory in the early stages. Pablo Juaretche linked up with Juan Britos for the day’s first score after three minutes, before number three John Fisher added a cheeky second; Brazil fortunate not to concede more before the buzzer.
Brazil kicked into gear in the second chukka, but their patient build-up play met a red defensive wall time and again. Eventually, a penalty to the yellow shirts was converted by Guilherme Lins, proving to be the spark of inspiration they needed. Aluisio Vilela Rosa galloped away for two quick goals to make the score at the halfway stage 3 – 2 to Brazil.
The pendulum swung back to Hong Kong China in the third chukka, John Fisher scoring twice from penalties in three minutes. Juan Britos added another for the home side, before Brazil’s Lins stemmed the tide on the three minute mark with a penalty of his own, the score 5 – 4 to Hong Kong China. Play became tense and tight in the final moments, both teams knowing a mistake could prove costly. Juan Britos spurned a gilt-edged chance to stretch the Hong Kong China lead, and in a thrilling final play, Brazil’s Gustavo Garcia kicked away in a flurry of snow for an explosive charge at goal, but couldn’t quite make his shot count.
John Fisher pulled off an audacious smash and grab in the final chukka, stealing the ball form under his opponent’s hooves and running it in from the centre of the field to stretch the Hong Kong China lead to 6 – 4. Brazil responded by heaping on the pressure, Garcia and Rosa both coming close and eventually forcing a penalty, Lins thwacking it home to the cheers of the watching Brazilian fans. In a breathless final minute, Brazil got their equaliser, Aluisio Vilela Rosa galloping the ball between the posts in almost the last play of the game. In a nervy penalty shoot-out, both sides traded misses, but it was Brazil’s Rosa who scored the decisive penalty to seal a memorable victory for Brazil.
In the second of the day’s two quarter-finals, there was little to choose between Argentina and Chile, Argentina edging the first chukka by two goals to one. And so it remained well into the second, neither side giving any ground until Argentina succeeded in forcing a penalty, Hector Jacinto Crotto making it 3 – 1. Chile responded almost immediately, however, Ignacio Vial punching through the Argentinean lines to reduce the deficit back to a single goal.
Chile then levelled the scores early in the third chukka, Alejandro Vial linking up with Martin Zegers. Juan Gregouli then thought he’d put Argentina ahead from close range, but the whistle had blown for an infringement. It was Chile who seized the initiative, nosing ahead for the first time in the match courtesy of Ignacio Vial, but Hector Jacinto Crotto levelled it once again with a penalty two. The last word of the chukka went to Chile’s Ignacio Vial, who scored his penalty to make it 5 – 4 with six minutes of polo left to play.
Yet again, scores were tied, Hector Jacinto Crotto making it five all with a penalty after a minute and half in the final chukka. A flurry of chances followed for both sides, before Crotto swerved in from the boards to cut it home from close range, 6 – 5 to Argentina. Chile weren’t beaten yet, however; their dogged persistence winning a penalty which Martin Zegers converted to level the scores yet again. Argentina’s Gregouli and Echeverz launched a last ditch assault on Chile’s goal in the dying seconds, but it wasn’t to be, 6 – 6 at the end of the play.
Argentina scored all three of their penalties in the shoot-out, putting the pressure on Chile’s final penalty taker Martin Zegers to keep his team in the competition. As hush swept over the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, he trotted calmly toward the ball, lined up his shot and let fly, the ball rolling agonisingly wide of the left post. A cruel way to lose; Argentina through by a whisker to the semi-finals of the Fortune Heights Snow Polo World Cup 2015, while Chile are booking their plane tickets back home.
In the second set of quarter-final matchups tomorrow, France play Canada and New Zealand play the USA.