Eloi Cervera scored an eight-minute opener as Portugal suffered a 4-2 defeat against Spain at the COP Arena in Paraguay on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, ceding the Group A lead to their Iberian rivals during the second matchday of the Rink Hockey World Championships.
Spain seized control early in the first half, building a three-goal advantage before a late push from the Portuguese side narrowed the final margin. The national team entered the tournament with momentum following a commanding 10-0 victory over Switzerland in their opening group fixture, but ran into an aggressive Spanish squad in Asunción.
Spain Builds Early Advantage at COP Arena
Eloi Cervera opened the scoring at the eight-minute mark with a powerful long-range shot that beat goalkeeper Pedro Henriques. Just one minute later, Nil Roca doubled the lead to 2-0—leaving Portugal chasing the game before the ten-minute mark. Portugal lost João Rodrigues to an injury during the opening period, forcing head coach Reinaldo Ventura to adjust his rotations against intense Spanish pressure. Tempers flared briefly before the break when Pol Manrubia demanded explanations from Rafael Bessa before teammates separated them.
Marc Grau Extends Spanish Advantage After Halftime
One minute into the second half, Marc Grau fired a long-distance shot past Henriques, with Bargalló blocking the goalkeeper’s vision to make it 3-0.
Zé Miranda nearly broke through when his hard strike hit the goalpost. Speaking after the final whistle, national coach Reinaldo Ventura admitted that his side fell short of the necessary intensity during the opening period.
Reinaldo Ventura told Record that “in the first half we weren’t aggressive the way we needed to be. That was corrected at halftime, and we ended up having a much better second half than the first one. And that’s an example we have to take with us for the rest of the championship.”
Portugal Rallies Late Before Pol Manrubia Secures Victory
Miguel Rocha drilled a long-distance shot past Càndid Ballart to put Portugal on the scoreboard. Shortly after, Spain accumulated their 10th team foul, but Rocha failed to convert the resulting direct free kick against Ballart, and moments later Portugal also reached 10 fouls, with Pedro Henriques successfully blocking a direct free-kick attempt from Pau Bargalló.
With 50 seconds remaining, Marc Grau received a blue card, and Gonçalo Alves immediately capitalized during the power play by blasting a long-range shot into the top corner to narrow the deficit to 3-2. Ventura pulled goalkeeper Pedro Henriques to create a skater advantage. The gamble backfired in the closing seconds when the ball broke to Pol Manrubia, who swept into the unprotected net at the final buzzer to confirm the 4-2 victory.
Portugal Prepares to Face Italy in Group A
Spain now commands Group A with six points, while Portugal and Italy share three points apiece after the Italians defeated Switzerland 10-2 on Tuesday. Portugal will face Italy on Wednesday at 21:45 Lisbon time in a fixture for second place in the group, with television coverage broadcast live and in open signal on RTP1 and via RTP Play, following the tournament format where all participating sides advance automatically to the quarter-finals.