Rio de Janeiro: Argentina won their first Olympic men’s hockey gold with a 4-2 victory over Belgium thanks to a 10-minute goal blitz in the first half. The title also allowed the South Americans to match their best gold haul at a Games of three which was last achieved in 1948.
“It’s like touching the sky with your hands, so I feel so happy,” said Gonzalo Peillat, who scored one of the goals to take his tally for the Games to 11.
“We won the tournament and it was the first time in the history of Argentina. It’s my dream. When I started playing hockey I always was thinking about this dream and now it came true,” he added.
Belgium, also playing in their first final, had taken the lead after just three minutes through Tanguy Cosyns. But the South Americans hit back with Pedro Ibarra, Ignacio Ortiz and Peillat scoring in quick succession in the first quarter.
Gauthier Boccard hit a sensational second for Belgium when he dribbled the ball past three defenders before finding the corner of the goal. But Augustin Mazzilli guaranteed the gold when he was allowed to tap into an empty net. Earlier, defending champions Germany beat the Netherlands shootout for bronze.
