The Pumas 7's advanced to the semifinals of the Los Angeles Sevens and are two steps away from being crowned the best in the world.

The Pumas 7's advanced this Saturday to the semifinals of the Los Angeles Sevens , the tournament that closes the season of the world circuit and determines the year's champion of the specialty. With a firm pace, the team coached by Santiago Gómez Cora , the team that scored the most points and the undisputed best of the regular phase, defeated Great Britain 33-26 in their debut in the tournament and later defeated France 17-12 to secure their place in the preliminary round without too much trouble. They did not have a perfect day because they fell to South Africa 29-21 in the head-to-head to determine the first place in the group. Thus, in the race for the title and after Day 1 of action, Argentina will face Spain and the Blitzboks will clash with New Zealand . To watch: the semifinals are scheduled for this Sunday starting at 5 PM and the final is scheduled for 8:05 PM.

The first match of the day was against the British. In a match that featured moments of absolute dominance and others of defensive tension, Los Pumas 7's knew how to capitalize on their opening opportunities and hold their own when their opponents came down hard in the second half.

The first half was almost completely dominated by Gómez Cora's team. Despite Matt Davidson's initial try, Argentina imposed their rhythm with stifling pressure and precise team play. Tries from Marcos Moneta (double), Luciano González Rizzoni, and Tobías Wade reflected the superiority felt on the field.

In the second half, the game became more even. Great Britain managed to break through the Argentine defense on several occasions, taking advantage of the openings that began to appear. Although Matías Osadzuk again extended the Argentine lead, the British pulled one back with assists from Sunni Jardine, Harry Glover, and Charlton Kerr. However, the comeback wasn't enough, and the victory went to the Argentines, who once again showed character in the key moments.

Later, Argentina continued its green streak. They faced France, their tormentor last year in the Final Stage of the tour and at the Olympic Games. But this time the story was different. Los Pumas 7s knew how to impose their conditions and remain calm in the tense moments. However, the joy was not complete: Santiago Mare and Marcos Moneta withdrew with discomfort that set off alarm bells.

The French had started the better side thanks to a try from Yerim Fall. However, Argentina's comeback was not long in coming: a great combination between Matías Osadczuk and Santiago Álvarez Fourcade put Argentina ahead, and then González Rizzoni closed the gap with a try to make it 12-5.

Patience was the key to Lucho González's second try.

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The key play came with two minutes left until the buzzer, when González Rizzoni scored his second try of the match and extended the lead. Toward the end, France pulled one back with a Mateo García save, but it wasn't enough. The worrying note was Mare's injury to his left knee, which was compounded by Moneta's withdrawal due to a severe blow to the cheekbone after a collision with Jordan Sepho.

THE ALARMS ARE GOING OFF WITH MONEY!

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The final match of Saturday's match for Los Pumas 7's was against the tough South Africans, fourth in the regular season, who took the lead thanks to a smart move by Ronald Brown, who quickly converted a penalty and went straight for a try shortly after González Rizzoni came off as a precaution due to discomfort in his back. Ricardo Duarttee's conversion gave them a 7-0 lead.

Argentina responded and turned the score around with a flurry of tries from Matteo Graziano and Germán Schultz, both converted by Santiago Vera Feld, as the opposition were reduced to six points due to a yellow card. However, before halftime, Ryan Oosthuizen broke away and, with another conversion from Duarttee, made it 14-14.

The South Africans came out firing on all cylinders in the second half and, after a good high pressure, took the lead thanks to a try from Sivine Soyizwapi. And immediately, after a couple of Argentine errors, Shilton Van Wyk and Selvyn Davids gave the Blitzboks even more of an advantage. Santino Zangara's try, just before the buzzer, was of little use to reduce the deficit and make it 29-21 after another conversion from Vera Feld.