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Bonus points for Spain as Shipperly scores last gasp equaliser 

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Spain took the bonus points after winning the shoot-out in their FIH Hockey Pro League encounter with Great Britain in London. The result is bitter sweet for the Red Sticks as they had held onto a 2-1 lead despite a stream of pressure by the Great Britain team. It was a last minute goal from Rupert Shipperley that finally saw the host nation breach the Spanish defence.

This encounter between two attacking sides had all the makings of a thrilling match. The past three encounters have been two draws and a 5-6 thriller, which Spain edged.

As the match got underway, the home team had the pressure in the early minutes, drawing a great save from Quico Cortes in the Spanish goal. However, it was Spain who were able to make the most of the opportunities that presented themselves. First, with just three minutes on the clock, Alvaro Iglesias was able to pounce on a loose ball that was fired in from a sharply taken free hit.

Six minutes later and Jose Basterra scored an absolute corker. He picked up a pass from Pau Quemada and a delicate first touch saw him in space at the edge of the circle. The precise shot flew past Ollie Payne to double Spain’s lead.

Liam Ansell brought Great Britain back into the match with a brilliantly executed penalty corner. A slight confusion among the Spanish defence as they prepared for the strike saw Cortes caught off guard, but there was no denying the precision of Ansell’s shot.

At the half-time break the match was tantalisingly poised: Great Britain had enjoyed the far greater possession and had played much of the first 30 minutes in the Spanish half, but it was Spain who had made their shots count.

The third quarter was busy but goalless. Head Coach Danny Kerry was visibly annoyed as he spoke of the ‘wasted opportunities and daft loss of possession’, but despite Kerry’s words, his team still were unable to breach the Spanish defence. A great opportunity created by a speedy run from Zachary Wallace saw the Great Britain attack with a 5v3 overload but Quico Cortes was able to block the shot from James Gall to keep his side ahead.

The match looked to be going all Spain’s way as Great Britain continued to fail to breach the excellent Spanish defence. With players such as Joan Tarres and Miguel Delas holding firm, and some great saves from Quico Cortes, the continued flood of Great Britain attacks fell to nothing.

At the heart of the Great Britain attack was the bustling form of Rupert Shipperley, but it looked as if it was not going to be the forward’s day. Then, with 30 seconds left on the clock, Shipperley latched onto a ball crashed into the circle. The deft touch took the match to shoot-out, for the third time in as many meetings.

Heroics from goal keeper Cortes saw Spain win the shoot-out 3-1. Great Britain got off to a good start with Liam Ansell calmly slotting home, but a saved penalty stroke and a failure to convert the other shoot-out attempts, left the Spanish able to take the bonus points. Marc Miralles, David Alegre and Xavi Lleonart all found the net for Spain.

Player of the Match, Spain’s Joan Tarres said: “We trained hard leading up to this match. That was a good win for us in the shoot-out. Now we must get ready for tomorrow’s match.

“We were very disappointed to concede the final minute because we had worked so hard for the game.”

Great Britain captain, Adam Dixon, said: “It was good to hang on and go to shoot-out. We are very disappointed that we didn’t convert the goals at the shoot-out.

“We have matured as a group. The Spanish team play attacking hockey and we worked hard to try and contain them. We need more speed tomorrow, that is the message we took from Danny in the half time talk.”

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.