Spain through to main round after beating PR of China

A comfortable win against PR of China saw Spain book their ticket to the main round. The World Championship hosts have a maximum of four points after two matches, while the Chinese have zero points. 

GROUP H
PR of China vs Spain 18:33 (7:16)

A shot by Wang Shuhui in the second minute cancelled out Carmen Campos' opener, but it was the only Chinese goal in the first 10 minutes. Spain quickly took the initiative, they were solid in defence and ruthless in attack, and pulled away to a 7:1 lead.

The Chinese team somewhat improved their attack as the game developed, but the home team continued to dominate on the court. There were hardly any doubts about the outcome already at half-time as Spain led by nine goals.

"China is not a usual team, we didn't know much about them and had to get used to their fast style of game. But we were very concentrated, especially in defence. We started the match well, which gave us self-confidence, and our goalkeepers were good," said Spain's left back Carmen Campos after the game. 

Overall, the European team were not perfect, but their 66% shot efficiency was much better than China's 38%. Notably, Spain's best scorer Alexandrina Cabral Barbosa netted five times. 

Jose Ignacio Prades rotated his squad intensely, and as many as 13 players found their names on the scoresheet, including Mireya Gonzale with one goal, the right back from SCM Ramnicu Valcea, who made her debut at the event after replacing injured Lara Gonzalez a few days ago. 

While Spain have already qualified for the main round, China also keep their hopes alive despite having no points after two matches. On Monday, a big win against Argentina might see them through – but it will not be an easy thing to do. 

hummel Player of the Match: Paula Arcos, Spain

Photo: RFEBM / J. L. Recio