Tanguy Cosyns double delight as Belgium take step nearer semi-finals
In a feisty game that saw three yellow cards, five goals and an interminable number of referrals, Belgium cemented their reputation as a goal-scoring nation with a 2-5 win over a battling Spanish team.
Proving that they are not a one-man scoring team, Tanguy Cosyns, Alexandre de Saedeleer and John-John Dohmen all got their names on the score-sheet, with Cosyns scoring twice, both times spectacularly well-taken penalty corners. Although Spain scored two late consolation goals in the 58th and 66th minutes, through Eduard Tubau and captain Santi Freixa, the match was already beyond them.
It was a good way for Belgium ‘keeper Vincent Vanash to celebrate his 100th cap for the Red Lions, but in truth the Spanish didn’t trouble him much, as a busy performance from Santi Freixa and his men was full of energy but lacking in any real finishing power.
Spain started brightly enough, with Andres Mir making a surging run through the Belgium defence, but 13 minutes into the match Cosyns scored his first penalty corner with a drag flick that rocketed past Quico Cortes in the Spanish goal. The next goal-scoring chance for the Red Sticks was created by a mazy run up the field by Florent van Aubel. This time it was Alexandre de Saedeleer (16′) who put away the penalty corner to make it 2-0.
Cosyns was everywhere in this match, constantly running at the Red Sticks defence, but it was Emmanual Stockbroekx whose solo effort drew gasps of admiration as it flew over crossbar.
It might have been a different game if a goal by Spain had not been disallowed. The correct ruling that it had been played dangerously threatened to disrupt the discipline of the Red Sticks and both Spain’s captain Santi Freixa and Belgium’s Xavier Reckinger took a two minute break from play as a result of a dispute.
With a minute of the half left, Stockbroekx (34′) was rewarded for his earlier efforts with a fine goal scored from open play. He picked up the ball after a good run by the ever-industrious Cosyns and his subsequent reverse stick shot flew into the net to seal a satisfactory first half.
Spain started the second half at a frenetic pace by winning a penalty corner. This was saved and a quick counter-attack yielded a penalty corner at the other end and Cosyns (36′) scored his second.
Belgium then added a fifth when John-John Dohmen picked up the rebound from a Tom Boon penalty corner shot and scooped it over the prone ‘keeper, Cortes.
Spain scored two late goals through Eduard Tubau (58′) and Santi Freixa (66′), but this was a case of much too little too late. “Belgium played better than us,” said Spain’s coach Salvador Indurain. “We are still building this team. There have been changes to our team in recent years and we are still in transition. We cannot make excuses such as a lack of funding, we are just finding our way at the moment.”
Talking about the disallowed goal, Indurain said that he accepted the decision and thought the umpires had done well in the way they had dealt with some difficult situations.”
“It was the case against Malaysia and the case today that I scored from penalty corners and I am happy with that,” said two-goal hero Cosyns. Belgium coach Marc Lammers added: “We will look at our defence before the game against England, because we are letting some goals in. But we are scoring goals so I am not overly worried.”