Sports Bulletin Report
POTCHEFSTROOM (South Africa): As many as 21 total goals were scored on match day 3 of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup as a fascinating blend of attacking and defensive hockey thrilled fans who packed the stands on a breezy day in Potchefstroom.
Korea beat Canada (6-2):
Korea came into the final pool stage match knowing a draw would be enough to seal a top spot in Pool B, but with just one goal so far from open play, they came out on the offensive. The Canadian defense held strong and repelled wave after wave of Korean attacks, looking to counter with long passes out of defense. They capitalized on the first big opportunity of the game through a great drag flick by captain Gordon Johnston, to stun Korea. But Korea took the setback in their stride and kept attacking. Joghyun Jang continued his scoring form from penalty corners, bringing Korea back level after Canada’s first major lapse in defense led to a penalty corner in the 27th minute.
It was all Korea in the second half as they scored 5 unanswered goals through two penalty corners via Joghyun Jang and Hyeonhong Kim, a penalty stroke won and converted by Byungjin Jeon and two cracking open play goals by Jungjun Lee and Inwoo Seo to put the game beyond Canada’s reach. Canada added a late goal from another Gordon Johnston penalty corner, but it was little more than a consolation.
France vs Pakistan (3-3):
France and Pakistan came into the match with nothing to gain, having missed out on semi-final qualification already, but both teams also had nothing to lose. So the viewers were treated to an end-to-end match of hockey with neither team looking to play cautiously.
Pakistan opened the scoring through a terrific open play goal in the 9th minute by Abdul Rana, but France struck back inside three minutes with a fantastic open play goal of their own, scored by Pieter van Straaten. Pakistan struck again before the interval, as a shot by Afraz looked to have been well saved by French keeper Arthur Thieffry, but the shot had enough power to still trickle into the goal as Thieffry failed to pull it back.
Pakistan started the second half on the front foot, but missed a couple of great scoring opportunities and France made them pay by equalizing through a smart deflected goal by Noé Jouin. Both teams continued to play at a breakneck speed and while plenty of chances were created by both teams, most lacked the finishing touches. With less than 3 minutes left on the clock, France were presented with a golden opportunity through a penalty corner, and François Goyet stepped up and put France in the lead. Pakistan refused to throw in the towel and scored from a penalty corner of their own through Arbaz Ahmad, with just 40 seconds left on the clock.
Malaysia beat Japan (5-1):
The match was effectively a quarterfinal, as the winner would be guaranteed to advance into the semi-finals, and both teams absolutely came flying off the blocks. Malaysia took the lead in the 2nd minute through Najib Hassan, but Japan were back level within two minutes of going down, with Kosei Kawabe getting on the scoresheet for the first time in the tournament. The pace of the game slowed down after the early goals, but picked up pace once again as Malaysia retook the lead from a Aminuddin Muhammad penalty corner. Both teams created chances, with each team winning 2 penalty corners each in the final 5 minutes of the half, but the defensive units of both teams held their ground and Malaysia took a one goal lead into the interval.
The onus to get back into the game was on Japan in the second half and as they committed more players to attack, Malaysia exposed the space behind their defense and scored three goals in the third quarter through Faizel Saari, Ashran Hamsani and a second in the game for Najib Hassan. The burst of 3 goals in the 3rd quarter ended Japan’s hopes of making a comeback, and even though they had their chances, Malaysian defense held them at bay and sealed a comfortable 5-1 win and a spot in the semi-finals.
Ireland beat South Africa (1-0):
Ireland and South Africa met in the final pool stage match of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 with only the top spot in Pool A and bragging rights up for grabs; both teams having already qualified for the semi-finals.
The pace of the game suffered as neither team could consistently maintain momentum through the match. The fierce physical nature of the game meant players were constantly on the edge and tough tackles kept flying in as tempers flared. A total of 6 cards were handed out to the two teams through the game, with South Africa on the receiving end of 3 green cards and one yellow card and Irish players receiving one green and one yellow card as well.
