Brilliant Argentina Beat England's Women

Argentina 5 (2)

Gorzelany (5’, PC; 39’, PC); Jankunas (13’, FG; 55’, FG); Thome (37’, FG)

England 2 (1)

Pearne-Webb (23’, PC); Rayer (38’, FG)

England’s women suffered a defeat in their opening FIH Hockey Pro League game against a superior Argentina.

Agustina Gorzelany and Julieta Jankunas both scored twice for Las Leonas, who won the Pan Am Cup at the end of last month and also tasted victory in their opening matches in the league against Belgium last weekend.

Captain Hollie Pearne-Webb – making her 200^th combined international appearance – was on target for England, as was Ellie Rayer, while Delfina Thome scored the other goal for Argentina.

Anna Toman played her 100^th match for England and Great Britain while six players – Darcy Bourne, Holly Hunt, Olivia Hamilton, Sophie Hamilton, Flora Peel and Alex Malzer – made their England debuts.

A team in a rich vein of form at the moment, Argentina took the lead in the fifth minute as Gorzelany’s corner took a touch off an England stick that wrongfooted goalkeeper Sabbie Heesh.

The Olympic silver medallists doubled their lead eight minutes later as Julieta Jankunas produced a wicked shot from the top of the circle that seemed to take just enough of a deflection to once again beat Heesh.

It could have been three in the 22nd minute as Eugenia Trinchetti hit the post as she slid onto the end of a clever corner routine before England turned the momentum seconds late by winning their first corner of the game. After the first two attempts were kept out but hit Argentinean bodies, Pearne-Webb slapped home the third set piece to get the visitors back in the game.

Maria Granatto turned up the tempo from the off in the second half, forcing a save in the first minute, before both sides enjoyed a flurry of chances. Gorzelany and Rayer both had efforts saved in the 34th minute before in the following 60 seconds Esme Burge and Trinchinetti shot wide for their respective teams.

Thome then produced a fearsome strike from the top of the circle to extend her side’s lead midway through the third quarter before Rayer hit back almost immediately with a neat finish from an acute angle.

Less than a minute after that though Argentina had their fourth, Gorzelany’s flick squeezing agonisingly under Heesh’s body while Giselle Ansley couldn’t react in time on the line.

Jankunas finished the scoring five minutes from the full-time whistle as she tapped home from a couple of metres out after an incredible run by Granatto.

After the game, Pearne-Webb said: “Argentina were obviously very good today. They were a lot more match fit and match ready than what we were.

“This is our first game together as a new group since Tokyo so it’s the first step for us whereas Argentina have had the Pan Am Cup and other FIH Hockey Pro League games. They’re just a little bit ahead of us in terms of their prep.

“I’m disappointed with the result but we’ll look at that and take it forward; it’s just little things we need to tweak I think.”

England’s women return to action against Argentina once again at 22:00 GMT on Sunday 20 February live on BT Sport 1.

Starting XI: Unsworth, Toman, Martin, Hunt, Rayer, Ansley, Pearne-Webb (C), S Hamilton, Heesh, Hunter, Peel

Subs (Used): Bourne, Burge, Petter, O Hamilton, Crackles, Malzer

Subs (Unused): Tennant (GK)