A draw would have been enough for Argentina to seal their berth to the main round, but the South American team defeated PR of China by 12 goals and finished the group stage with four points. 

GROUP H
Argentina vs PR of China 36:24 (17:9)

Argentina have not only reached the main round, but will carry two points over to the next stage, while China, who lost all three group encounters, will continue in the President's Cup.

Elke Karsten, who had scored 11 goals in the previous match against Austria, put her team in front, but China seemed a tough nut to crack early in the match. Their centre back Jin Mengqing netted four times in the first 10 minutes, as the Asian side led 4:2 at some point. 

However, the South American then found their rhythm and adjusted to their opponents' style. Karsten was unstoppable, scoring six goals from 7m shots by minute 20, open play and even from the own half.

A 5:0 run between minutes 14 and 24 lifted Argentina to a 14:7 lead, and they went on to boast an eight-goal advantage at half-time.

10 minutes after the restart, Argentina led by 12 goals at 23:11, and although the Chinese goalkeeper Song Chenxi made some spectacular saves from time to time, there were hardly any doubts about the outcome.

"We knew that China has a different style of game and play very fast, so we had to be very focused both in defence and attack. The win against Austria gave us confidence, which was further boosted today," said Argentina's right back Luciana Mendoza. 

Although somewhat losing their focus in defence, Gallardo's team continued to clearly dominate in the last 20 minutes and ultimately cruised to a commanding 12-goal victory. 13 of their players found their names on the scoresheet, and while Karsten was rested for much of the second half, she ended up as top scorer with eight goals, as many as China's Jin Mengqing.

"It's a pity that we lost this match, but hopefully we can learn something and be stronger in future," China's coach Kim Gap Soo concluded. 

hummel Player of the Match: Luciana Mendoza, Argentina

Photo: RFEBM / J.L.Recio