United States of America and Hungary came up trumps on day one with early leads determining the results. USA fended off Japan 19-17 and Hungary repulsed the Spanish revival 12-11.
Overview
There were just the two matches on day one and goals were raining in the first encounter while the second match was relatively sedate considering the use of the new rules and the shorter playing area.
Japan went four down in the first three minutes and played catch-up all night before slipping from 15-15 to a two-goal defeat. Hungary went 4-1 up and shut down Spain with the new-look teams looking like teams of old.
Match Reports
Match 1, Group C, JAPAN 17 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 19 (2-6, 5-3, 6-4, 4-6)
USA, with seven newcomers to this level of play and spearheaded by long-standing player Max Irving in the captaincy role, shot to a 4-0 advantage with Irving scoring on penalty and extra-man attack. Goals were traded to 6-2 by the first break with Tyler Abramson, Ryan Ohl and Ben Liechty relishing their new roles in the replenished team. Kai Inoue, the youngest player at the Paris Olympic Games, scored either side of the first break and captain Yusuke Inaba narrowed the margin to two. Irving snatched another couple for 8-6 and Abramson covered Mitsuru Tanaka’s action goal from in front of goal for 9-7 at the long break.
Taiya Watanabe, Japan’s first scorer, opened the third quarter on extra with Takata chipping in his third for the first leveller of the match at 9-9. USA took two-goal advantages before Watanabe and Daichi Ogihara went on counter for 13-13 not long before the final break. Seiya Adachi had an opportunity to level on penalty but had his shot rejected. Abramson and Liechty regained the USA ascendancy with former captain Toi Suzuki and Inaba levelling the score at 15-15. Irving and two Ohl strikes boosted the margin to three. Inoue and Marko Vavic traded for 19-16 at 1:17 and Japan gained a consolation through Adachi with eight seconds left on the clock.
Match Heroes
Veteran Irving was the undoubted star with five goals while newcomers Abramson, Liechty and Ohl grabbed part of the limelight with three apiece. Another veteran in Adrian Weinberg captured 13 saves in goal for USA. Japan had five players on three goals — Adachi, Watanabe, youngster Inoue, Takata and captain Inaba. New goalkeeper Towa Nishimura saved 11 balls in goal.
Turning Point
The initial four-goal lead. From then on, Japan had the advantage, but could not finish off.
Stats Don’t Lie
USA settled for three from seven on extra and defended six of 13 Japanese attempts. Japan missed its one penalty shot and USA converted its one. Japan made three steals to two and took 38 shots to 36.
Bottom Line
Going behind by four goals is a Japanese trait that needs to be shored up. The new USA line-up continued the winning ways where the team left off in Paris 2024 with the bronze medal.
Match 2, Group A, SPAIN 11 HUNGARY 12 (3-4, 2-2, 1-4, 5-2)
Both teams showed off their new combinations with about five or six playing this level for the first time in each side. The mixture of experience and youth — or sometimes older personnel making a comeback — took some time for Spain to blend while Hungary used its typical bludgeoning style with a history of winning. New Hungarian skipper Krisztian Manhercz led the way with two goals as his team scored four straight after Bernat Sanahuja opened the scoring from two metres at 4:44. Captain Marc Valls on extra and Alvaro Granados on counter, narrowed the score to 4-3 by the first break. Hungary went to 5-3 before Sanahuja scored consecutive goals for 5-5, only for Manhercz to give Hungary the 6-5 advantage nearly five minutes from halftime.
Vendel Vigvari converted consecutive extra-man goals to start the third period and Manhercz put away a penalty goal for 9-5. Fran Valera on penalty and Manhercz on extra made the final-break score 10-6. Hungary lost Vince Varga to three majors just before that break and soon after the restart David Tatrai met the same fate. It did not stunt Hungary’s form with Manhercz boosting the margin to five on counter followed by two Sanahuja goals and a penalty strike by Granados. Debutant Pol Daura brought the score to 12-11 down only for Hungary to control the remaining time for victory.
Match Heroes
Manhercz made sure of Hungarian supremacy with six goals and Vendel Vigvari rattled in three more. Kristof Csoma, the new Hungarian goalkeeper, made 10 saves. Sanahuja fired in five Spanish goals and Granados three.
Turning Point
The 4-1 advantage — similar to the previous match — was where the match was won and lost. Once again, the losing team had the better of the remainder of the match.
Stats Don’t Lie
Hungary was far better on extra with five from seven while stopping eight of Spain’s 10 attempts — virtually a game-changer. Both teams struck three penalty goals. Spain stole six balls to two and Spain also had more shots at 34-29.
Bottom Line
By starting the better, Hungary rode the tidal wave to the finish line.
Progress Points
Group A: Hungary 3, Spain 0, France
Group B: Serbia, Montenegro, Greece
Group C: United States of America 3, Japan 0, Romania
Group D: Croatia, Georgia
Day 2 Schedule
Match 03. 15:00. Group A, Hungary v France
Match 04. 16:30. Group B, Montenegro v Greece
Match 05. 18:00. Group C, United States of America v Romania
Match 06. 19:30. Group D, Croatia v Georgia