The Spanish men’s and women’s roller hockey teams beat the Italian teams in the last day of the group stage of the World Cup being held in the Italian city of Novara, to advance to the quarter-finals as leaders.
The two national teams, European champions, confirmed on Wednesday their reaction to the World Cup after the draw on the first day, with a second victory at the expense of the host country.
Sergi Macià’s team were the first to do their homework with a 3-0 win over the Italians, who will meet France on Thursday for a place in the semi-finals. Two goals from Sara Roces and another from Anna Casarramona gave the world runners-up the victory.
Meanwhile, Spain, who also lead the men’s tournament, beat the hosts 4-3 with great suffering and emotion. After a 2-0 lead at half-time, Guillem Cabestany’s men felt the pressure of a packed stadium and a team that also wanted first place.
Giulio Cocco took charge of Italy, but a double from Ignacio Alabart was what ended up taking the lead. Spain will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Friday, with neighbouring rivals Portugal, who play France, on the horizon in the semi-finals.