Photographie: Felipe Echeverría - Santiago Barcacel
On the second day of the VIII FIFUSA World Cup, the national teams of Venezuela and Spain played an intense match that ended in a 1-1 draw. The goals were scored by Beñat Sanz (#19) at minute 14 of the first half for Spain, and Ricxon Argüello (#11) at minute 4 of the second half for Venezuela. This result places the South Americans in first place in Group B with 2 points, while the Europeans hold second place with 1 point.
Venezuela fielded a solid starting five consisting of R. Laguna (1), José Falcón (3), Eduardo Baracaldo (7), Jhonatan Rivas (10), and Ricxon Argüello (11). Spain, on the other hand, took the field with Mario Icores (12), Iñigo Amezqueta (5), Román Sañudo (9), José Ortiz (3), and Antonio Benítez (6).
The Venezuelans, who were coming off a convincing 6-1 victory against Costa Rica, dominated the early minutes, creating several goal-scoring opportunities. However, Spanish goalkeeper Mario Icores was key to keeping his goal safe. In the 14th minute of the first half, Spain capitalized on a counterattack from midfield, and after a brilliant feint by Beñat Sanz, they managed to open the scoring with a left-footed shot into the south goal of the Bicentenario Coliseum.
The second half saw intense pressure from the Venezuelans right from the start. Ricxon Argüello equalized the score at minute 4, taking advantage of an error in Spain’s defense and firing a powerful shot past Icores.
Despite continued efforts from both teams to claim victory, the match ended in a draw, leaving the crowd at the Bucaramanga Coliseum wanting more.
With the draw, Venezuela consolidates its position at the top of Group B, while Spain remains alive in the tournament as they prepare for their next challenge.
Lineups:
Venezuela (Coach: José Zambrano):
-#1: R. Laguna (Goalkeeper)
-#3: José Falcón
-#7: Eduardo Baracaldo
-#10: Jhonatan Rivas
-#11: Ricxon Argüello
Substitutes:
-#5: Luis Suárez
-#6: Miguel Bolívar
-#8: Rafael Contreras
-#9: Carlos Pereira
Spain (Coach: José Veras):
-#12: Mario Icores (Goalkeeper)
-#5: Iñigo Amezqueta
-#9: Román Sañudo
-#3: José Ortiz
-#6: Antonio Benítez
Substitutes:
-#4: Javier Martínez
-#7: Juan Delgado
-#2: Álvaro Morales
-#10: David Alonso
FIFUSA PRESS