Spain wins its eighth women’s roller hockey world championship

The men’s team will also be looking for gold this Sunday

The Spanish women’s roller hockey team beat Portugal (0-2) on Saturday to become world champions at the World Skating Games held in the Italian city of Novara, while the men’s team will also seek gold this Sunday in the final against Argentina.

Spain extended its dominance of the tournament’s list of winners with its eighth title and regained the throne it lost two years ago in Argentina. Sergi Macià’s team won a tense final, with goals from Sara Roces and María Sanjurjo, one in each half.

Meanwhile, the men’s team returned to the World Cup final after beating Portugal on penalties in an agonising semi-final (5-5). The classic between the two most successful teams in the world, Spain with 17 titles, one more than the Portuguese, was an exchange of blows.

Guillem Cabestany’s men responded to a 2-0 lead by the Portuguese with authority, to go into the break 3-4 ahead. Pau Bargalló and Marc Grau carried the Spanish weight in the Novara arena, but Helder Nunes and José Miranda forced the penalties. There, the Spanish were right to return to a final seven years later.