Lpez Pinedo's hands qualify Spain for semifinals

The men's team defeats the current champion, Serbia, on penalties and is already in the European semifinals

A few years ago, no team could defeat Serbia. They won the 2016 Ro Games, the 2015 Kazan World Cup and chained four Europeans, from 2012 to 2018. At the same time, Spain was a depressed team. Away from the times of Estiarte, Rolln and company complete complex, with defeat always as the most likely option. Now everything is different. In the past World of Gwangju, the team that directs David Martn They eliminated Serbia in the quarterfinals and this Wednesday did the same in the same round of the European. If last year the victory of the national team was undervalued because of the many casualties of the Balkans, this time there was no possible excuse.

This Spain is already a fearsome Spain, a candidate for gold in the next Tokyo 2020 Games. In the match against Serbia, I made it clear, by her courage and her game, led by the comeback Felipe Perrone, and above all for an incomparable man: Daniel Lpez Pinedo.

l, who lived the sad years. l, what a long wait. He now enjoys, at 39, the best moment of his career: he is possibly the best goalkeeper in a pool. The comeback of Spain this Wednesday began and ended in it, in the two stops in the penalty shootout that ended Serbia.

Long before, in the first quarter, Spain woke up with the crooked gesture. Dusan Mandic, the Italian Pro Recco caonero, ahead of his own with two goals (2-0) and forced Martn to a recap rather than early. Function. Spain that had started shaking, linking inaccuracies, seren and between Perrone, Francisco Fernndez and a young man Bernat Sanahuja regained command (3-5). Then a last quarter of cheers was expected, but again and again the selection crashed against the rival defense and the final score (6-6) forced the penalties. Nobody fails, neither Perrone nor Adri Delgado, neither Marc Larumbe, neither lvaro Granados. But especially acert Lpez Pinedo with two stops forever. During the game it was extraordinary with 65% of stops (11 of 17 pitches), in the extra time it was more, much more than that.

On Friday, Spain will face the winner of the duel between Croatia and Greece in the semifinals.