Men’s EHL Ranking Cup KO16
Match 04: Gantoise HC 4 (A Kina, P Scheen, C Masson, A Bugallo) Club de Campo 4 (B Lacalle, A Tello, J Basterra, A Iglesias), Campo win shoot-out 4-3
Gantoise HC v Club Campo de Madrid (KO16)
Picture: Borja Lacalle
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Club de Campo recovered their nerve to defeat Gantoise in a shoot-out having almost led a huge lead slip in a cracking contest under lights in Brasschaat. It sets up a KO8 battle with Den Bosch on Friday evening.
In normal time, the Belgian side produced a remarkable comeback from 3-0 and 4-2 down to earn a draw and send the game to shoot-out. Indeed, they were down to nine players with two minutes remaining before Charles Masson and Agustin Bugallo plucked a draw out of the fire.
Club de Campo had enjoyed a glorious opening 25 minutes with Quique Gonzalez producing some wonderful incisions to prompt their attacks.
They went in front in the 14th minute via their number 14, Borja Lacalle, who swept home after Joaquin Puglisi weaved down the right baseline, returning a clearance with interest
And it was down the same channel that the second goal came, driving down the right wing and flipping across goal with Alvaro Tello waiting at the back post.
A swift counter-attack ended with the Madrid club landing a stroke which Basterra stepped up to convert, 3-0 after 25 minutes.
Gantoise had a lifeline via their talisman Antoine Kina with 80 seconds to go in the first half, a simple long corner move which he took on and emphatically flicked into the top corner.
And the comeback was well and truly on just seconds into the fourth quarter when Pepijn Scheen dragged a corner into the bottom corner.
It preceded a huge forward effort from the Belgians but it left them short at the back, particularly when they swapped out their goalkeeper with six minutes to go. Campo launched a huge overhead from the back which Alvaro Iglesias controlled and tipped into an open goal.
Despite going down to nine players with two yellow cards, Gantoise did get a third goal back, Etienne Tynevez whipping the ball into the middle where Charles Masson deflected in.
And, inside the last minute – still short-handed – they were level in breathtaking fashion. Kina surged forward, Jack Waller took it on and squared for Agustin Bugallo who produced a remarkable long-release shot that flew past Mario Fernandez.
And Gantoise threatened another big comeback in the shoot-out having initially fallen 2-0 behind only to level it a 2-2. But Campo kept calm and scored their last two efforts with Enrique Mir the coolest of the lot, slotting the winner.
Umpires: M Boxma (NED), T Meissner (GER)
EHL Hockey TV