Sports Bulletin

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD (January 24, 2020):-Two goals from Christopher Rühr helped visitors Germany claim a hard-earned 2-2 draw against Spain before winning the shoot-out 4-3 in front of a packed house at the Estadio Betero in Valencia.  Germany needed just three minutes to open the scoring thanks to Rühr’s smart turn and shot, but the hosts levelled before the end of the first quarter through David Alegre’s fine reactions, pouncing on a penalty corner rebound. Veteran Red Sticks striker Pau Quemada put the home favourites in front with a stunning third quarter penalty corner drag-flick, but Ruhr’s clinical strike three minutes from time, assisted perfectly by Player of the Match Niklas Wellen, ensured that the match finished level at 2-2 and triggered a shoot-out for the bonus point.  Misses from Alvaro Iglesias and Josep Romeu proved costly for Spain in the one-on-ones, with Rühr, Tobias Hauke, Wellen and Florian Fuchs all on target as Die Honamas claimed two points from a possible three from the contest.   "It is always tough to play here, we knew that from last year”, said Germany’s Niklas Wellen after the match. “We struggled in the beginning. The first half was okay but we knew we could play better. The second half was better. We played some quicker passes and I feel 2-2 was a good result." Spain and Germany will play their second match of this double header on Saturday (25 January), a day that will also see Australia’s women and men taking on the national teams of Belgium in Sydney.  The second match, planned on Sunday 26 January in the same venue, is maintained and, in accordance with the League’s regulations for a cancelled match, the points of this match will count double (6 points for the winning team, no point for the losing team; in case of a shoot-out, the team winning the shoot-out will get 4 points and the losing team 2 points). On Wednesday, FIH had extended its condolences and deepest sympathy to Larry Amar’s family, friends and all members of USA Field Hockey. Result: Men’s Match 3 - Friday 24 January 2020 Spain 2, Germany 2 – 3-4 After Shoot-Out (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Niklas Wellen (GER) Umpires: Coen van Bunge (NED), Jonas van 't Hek (NED) and Bruce Bale (ENG - Video).    Upcoming fixtures Match Day 6 – Saturday 25 January 2020 Sydney (AUS) – Women: Australia v Belgium (Match 1 of 2) Time: 1600 (GMT/UTC +11) Sydney (AUS) – Men: Australia v Belgium (Match 1 of 2) Time: 1830 (GMT/UTC +11) Valencia (ESP) – Men: Spain v Germany (Match 2 of 2) Time: 1300 (GMT/UTC +1) Match Day 7 – Sunday 27 January 2020 Sydney (AUS) – Women: Australia v Belgium (Match 2 of 2) Time: 1500 (GMT/UTC +11) Sydney (AUS) – Men: Australia v Belgium (Match 2 of 2) Time: 1730 (GMT/UTC +11) Chapel Hill (USA) – Women: USA v Netherlands (Match 1 of 1) Time: 1400 (GMT/UTC -5)  

SB News ISLAMABAD (January 12, 2020):-Reigning champions the Netherlands women made it two wins from their opening two FIH Hockey Pro League matches on Sunday by claiming a 4-2 victory over hosts China at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou. Following on from their 3-0 success against the home favourites on Saturday (11 January), today's result means that the Dutch will leave China having claimed a maximum six points from their opening two games of the competition. China made a lively start to the match but quickly found themselves behind, with Laura Nunnink's speculative backhand strike somehow squeezing between the legs of China goalkeeper Ye Jiao just five minutes in. Marloes Keetels took the Dutch lead to 2-0 midway through the second quarter before China's Peng Yang reduced the deficit on the stroke of half time, rifling home a wonderful backhand strike to give her team hope. However, close range finishes from Lidewij Welten and Frederique Matla put the result beyond all doubt before China's Chen Ye netted a late consolation goal. Speaking after the match, Netherlands star Frederique Matla, who was named Player of the Match, said: "I'm really happy because we haven't had the longest preparation. We are really glad that we started this year with two wins. We still have to sharpen it up because we have to show that we are the best - we want to show that to the world." China captain Cui Quixia said: "In the first match we didn't score, but this match we scored two goals, so I'm very happy that we got those two goals. Our defence has big problems, so we need to change a lot. We need to learn [from these matches against the Netherlands]." The FIH Hockey Pro League continues next weekend when the men's competition gets underway, with debutants India facing matches against the Netherlands at Bhubaneswar's magnificent Kalinga Stadium on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 January 2020. To see the complete match schedule, click here. This weekend's opening fixtures in Changzhou were the first of 144 matches that will be contested between January and June 2020, with the world’s finest men’s and women’s international teams fighting for the chance to win the respective titles. Keep up to date with all the latest news on the FIH Hockey Pro League via the event website and through FIH social media channels - Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. FIH Hockey Pro League result – 12 January 2020 Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou (CHN) Result: Women’s Match 2 China 2, Netherlands 4 (Match 2 of 2) Player of the Match: Frederique Matla (NED) Umpires: Amber Church (NZL), Kang Hyun Young (KOR) and Junko Wagatsuma (JPN – video)

SB News ISLAMABAD (January 11, 2020):-Ginella Zerbo was the star of the show as reigning champions the Netherlands kick-started season two of the FIH Hockey Pro League in winning fashion, cruising to a 3-0 away victory over hosts China at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou on Saturday (11 January).  Whilst the home favourites had their moments, the Netherlands were deserving winners of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 curtain-raiser, with 22-year-old Zerbo instrumental in giving the World and European champions the winning start demanded by head coach Alyson Annan.  Zerbo hit the opener just eight minutes into the contest, coolly firing into an unguarded goal on the backhand after China’s defence were caught napping in a first quarter totally dominated by the European giants.  China were much improved in the second quarter but found themselves two goals down within seconds of the start of the third period, with Laurien Leurink passing into an empty net after Xan de Waard superbly eliminated China goalkeeper Li Dongxiao with a perfect pass for her compatriot to score.  The Netherlands extended their advantage to 3-0 before the end of the third quarter, with Zerbo scoring her second of the match from close range after the impressive Li – who also saved a fourth quarter penalty stroke from 2018 FIH Player of the Year Eva de Goede – had made two fine penalty corner blocks before being eventually beaten for the third and final time.  Speaking after the match, Dutch ace Zerbo said: "It was our first match in a while, but we worked very hard for each other and I'm very happy with the three points." China captain Cui Quixia said: "We played a good team, but it is 'part one'. Our defence was not very good so I hope next match we do much better." The opening fixtures in Changzhou are the first of 144 matches that will be contested between January and June 2020, with the world’s finest men’s and women’s international teams fighting for the chance to win the respective titles.  FIH Hockey Pro League result – 11 January 2020 Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou (CHN) Result: Women’s Match 1 China 0, Netherlands 3 (Match 1 of 2) Player of the Match: Ginella Zerbo (NED) Umpires: Kang Hyun Young (KOR), Junko Wagatsuma (JPN) and Amber Church (NZL – video)  Upcoming fixtures Match Day 2 - Sunday 12 January 2020 Changzhou (CHN) – Women: China v Netherlands (Match 2 of 2) Time: 1400 (GMT/UTC +8) Match Day 3 - Saturday 18 January 2020 Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Netherlands (Match 1 of 2) Time: 1900 (GMT/UTC +5.30) Match Day 4 - Sunday 19 January 2020 Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India v Netherlands (Match 2 of 2) Time: 1700 (GMT/UTC +5.30)  

SB News Lausanne, Switzerland: This coming weekend sees the return of the FIH Hockey Pro League, with the second season getting off to a flying start as inaugural women’s champions the Netherlands begin their title defence with two away games against China. The opening fixtures, which take place at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 January, are the first of 144 matches that will be contested between January and June 2020, with the world’s finest men’s and women’s international teams fighting for the chance to win the respective titles. The first edition of this trailblazing competition took place in 2019 and featured some fantastic hockey moments, with home fans embracing the opportunity to witness their national teams testing themselves against the world’s best on home soil. The 2020 edition is set to be equally significant. Twenty venues in 11 countries will host FIH Hockey Pro League matches this year, providing a global spread of world-class hockey across multiple time-zones over the next six months. The fact that 16 of the 18 competing teams will also feature at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 adds even more spice to an event that is, as 2019 proved, rarely short of excitement. All of the competing teams will be acutely aware that a strong showing in the FIH Hockey Pro League would provide a significant boost to confidence levels going into the XXXII Olympiad. Reflecting on last year’s inaugural edition, FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra said that the event had “allowed the sport of hockey to showcase itself like never before”, as growing stadium, broadcast and live streaming audiences were entertained on a weekly basis by shock results, sensational team performances and extraordinary individual achievements. However, despite being understandably delighted with many aspects of the first edition, Dr Batra believes that the learnings from season one will make for an even better second edition. “It is not in our nature to maintain the status quo by simply standing still”, said the FIH President. “The 2020 edition of the FIH Hockey Pro League sees the introduction of a new match schedule, splitting home and away matches over two consecutive seasons to create a series of ‘double headers’ throughout the competition. This is an important move in terms of player welfare and sustainability, significantly reducing travel fatigue and environmental impact by cutting the number of flights by half, which in turn substantially lowers travel and accommodation costs for the competing teams.” Another change from the inaugural edition is the removal of the end-of-season Grand Final event, with the respective men’s and women’s champions of 2020 being the teams that have accumulated the highest number of points by the end of the competition. The FIH Hockey Pro League welcomes another powerhouse of international hockey to the competition this year, with India men (FIH World Ranking: 5) joining the fold. The eight-times Olympic champions will play their home matches at the iconic Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the 15,000-capacity venue that so wonderfully staged the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018. India will be keen to impress in a competition that features the nine highest ranked teams in the world, with Pro League title holders and Oceania champions Australia (WR:1), World and European champions Belgium (2), Olympic champions Argentina (WR:4), the Netherlands (WR:3), Germany (WR: 6), Great Britain (WR:7), Spain (WR:8) and New Zealand (WR:9) all involved.   It comes as little surprise that the Netherlands (WR:1), the reigning World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League champions, are seen very much as the team to beat in the women’s competition. However, they are certain to be pushed all the way by the eight other teams who are determined to wrestle the trophy from their grasp. 2019 Pro League silver medallists Australia (WR:2) – the only team to defeat the Netherlands in the inaugural edition – could well be the team most likely, while Pan American Games champions Argentina (WR:3), European silver medallists Germany (WR:4), Olympic champions Great Britain (WR:5), Oceania champions New Zealand (WR:6), China (WR:10), Belgium (WR:12) and USA (WR:13) will all be looking to make their mark. China v Netherlands (W) Where: Wujin Hockey Stadium, Changzhou (CHN) When: 11 & 12 January 2019, Both matches at 14:00 local time (GMT/UTC+8) The essentials… Current FIH World Rankings: China: 10 | Netherlands: 1 Final standings - FIH Hockey Pro League 2019: China: 7 | Netherlands: 1 

FIH unveils new World Ranking system for 2020 SB Report Lausanne, Switzerland:- Following 12 months of painstaking research, analysis and testing, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) is delighted to reveal details of the new FIH World Ranking system that will be employed from 1 January 2020. The fresh approach – which has been approved by the FIH Executive Board – sees a switch from the existing tournament-based World Rankings to a more dynamic, match-based system, one which is designed to increase opportunities for all National Associations to gain rankings points and also provide a better reflection of current performance. The outgoing FIH World Ranking system has served the sport since 2003, being originally devised to allocate teams into pools at tournaments. The old model operated well on various levels, ranking the top teams who participated in FIH and Continental events with a good level of accuracy whilst also allowing those nations to earn ranking points two to three times per year. However, the numerous restrictions of the tournament-based system – including the limited opportunities for lower-ranked teams to earn points, the degree of subjectivity required to determine the relative strengths of the five continents in order to calculate continental ranking points, and the fact that over 60 percent of international hockey matches had no ranking points on offer – have provided an ever-strengthening case for a change of approach. The new match-based World Ranking system involves an exchange of points between the two teams competing in each FIH-sanctioned match played. In short, the number of points exchanged depends on a trio of factors: the result of the match, the relative ranking of the teams and the importance of the match. As well as the aforementioned increased opportunities to earn points, the new model removes much of the subjectivity surrounding continental weighting by creating a system which is fair to all, whilst also encouraging the playing of international matches. The decision to introduce a new World Ranking system comes at the end of a year-long trial period. Using every official international match played since the end of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a working model of the new system was created, allowing for constant monitoring, assessment and adjustment throughout 2019. The results of the test phase indicated that the new system was more dynamic and immediately reflective of current form than the existing World Ranking system and was subsequently approved by the FIH Executive Board.  The introduction of the new system for calculating the FIH World Rankings will not affect the current placements – each nation will start 2020 in the same ranking position and with the same number of ranking points that they finished with in 2019.

Celebrating the people behind the scenes SB Report Lausanne, Switzerland: They are the team behind the team, the ones that get things done. Quietly, efficiently and without ever stepping in the limelight, thousands of people play their part in making sure that our sport appears in its very best light. On 5 December, FIH is joining the United Nations and many other organisations in celebrating International Volunteer Day. In highlighting the work of the men, women and young adults who willingly give up hours of their time across all aspects of the sport, we are also reminding ourselves to stop and thank people on a regular basis. It is also worth considering all the many roles within hockey that are filled by volunteers. The most visible are the umpires and tournament officials who leave their families and take time off work to make sure that international events are run smoothly and efficiently. From the tournament director and umpire manager through to the umpires and technical officials - the third team are all volunteers. 

Hockey goes into the blue for World Children's Day SB Report Lausanne, Switzerland:  Federation of International Hockey (FIH) is throwing its full support behind World Children’s Day by encouraging hockey communities across the world to don blue kit as they take part in hockey activities. Unicef’s World Children’s Day is a global day of action for children’s rights. Among the many celebratory activities taking place around the world, children will be taking over high visibility roles in sport and the media and participating in national summits, where they will discuss the issues of today and the future. With the colour blue symbolising World Children’s Day, famous landmarks around the world will light up in blue to show support for children’s rights. FIH is encouraging hockey groups in schools and colleges and national associations to get behind the movement. They can do this by running tournaments, matches or other hockey-related activities, or simply by putting on some blue kit and supporting World Children’s Day.

National Junior’s Hockey Championship from December 5, 2019 SB News LAHORE:-As a part of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Development Plan to groom our coaches and technical officials, a series of clinics are being organized on regular basis. In this regard, the National Coaches Course will be held at Lahore in conjunction with 36th National Junior Hockey Championship, which will be held from December 5 to 8, 2019 National Hockey Stadium Lahore. The course will be conducted by Khawaja Mohammad Junaid coordinated by Nadeem Khan Lodhi as Local Coordinator. The course because of importance will be more intensive and formal as National Course will be certified under the supervision of PHF.  The following should report to Kawaja  Junaid at National Hockey Stadium, Lahore on 5th December.  Ajmal Khan Lodhi (Sialkot), Rana Zaheer Ahmad Babar (SSGC), Waseem Ahmad (WAPDA), Kamran Ashraf (PIA), Mohammad Khalid (PIA), Mudassar Ali Khan (WAPDA), Zeeshan Ashraf (NBP), Mohammad Imran (MPCL), Syed Sameer Hussain (Karachi), Khawar Javaid (Gojra), Waqas Sharif (WAPDA), Mohammad Usman (PIA), Mohammad Ali (Customs), Muhammad Naeem (Customs), Asim Khan (NBP), Mohammad Sarwar (ABL), Rehan Butt (WAPDA), Muhammad Saqlain (ABL), Qamar Ibrahim (PIA), Zahid Afzal (ABL), Nasir Ahmad (PIA), Asif Ahmad Khan (NBP).

FIH announced Men’s and Women’s world cup venues SB Report ISLAMABAD[November,11,2019]:-Lausanne, Switzerland: The Federation of International Hockey (FIH) Executive Board (EB), chaired by FIH President Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, held its 2-day meeting of the year on November 8 and 9, 2019 at its offices in Lausanne, Switzerland, where it selected India to host the 2023 FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup (13-29 January 2023) and Spain and the Netherlands to co-host the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup (1-17 July 2022). Furthermore, the EB discussed a wide range of topics including: Hockey5s In order to further boost the development of hockey globally through the promotion of its 5-a-side format, “Hockey5s”, the EB has decided to create a FIH Hockey5s World Cup, with the inaugural edition planned for 2023. Continental Hockey5s tournaments will be organized and act as qualifiers. 16 teams per gender will take part in the first FIH Hockey5s World Cup. FIH Hockey Pro League The EB received a detailed report on season 2019 and the ongoing preparations for the second season of the FIH Hockey Pro League, which will start on 11 January 2020 with the 2019 Women’s League winners, the Netherlands, playing China away. This second season of the annual global League involving hockey’s best national teams in the world, Men and Women, welcomes another powerhouse of international hockey, India (in the Men’s League). Also, it includes a new match schedule which will reduce the travel of the teams by half, therefore decreasing costs for teams, benefitting athletes’ welfare and reducing the impact on the environment. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers The EB expressed its full satisfaction with the format of the recently completed FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers and outlined the great moments of hockey, the attendances and the audiences. It also reiterated its full support to the FIH Umpires and Officials as publicly mentioned by FIH CEO Thierry Weil earlier. FIH Intercontinental Cup In order to promote competition between teams from different continents every year, FIH will be launched in 2021 an annual event for the highest ranked teams not competing in the FIH Hockey Pro League. It will be an 8-team tournament in a single venue for each gender. The competing teams will be invited based on the FIH World Rankings at the end of the previous year’s FIH Hockey Pro League. From 2022, the FIH Intercontinental Cup champion will be promoted to the following year’s FIH Pro League to replace the bottom team who will be relegated. FIH World Rankings As announced by the EB in March, on 1st January 2020, the FIH will launch a new match-based FIH World Rankings system. This new system will: Increase opportunities for all National Associations to gain ranking points Accurately reflect current performance Provide weekly rankings and live narrative to every official match with the impact of the result on the world rankings table being known immediately Remove subjectivity and create a system that is fair to all without the need for Continental weightings Encourage playing official international matches Encourage targeting the highest profile tournaments for best performance Provide the opportunity for all nations who play international matches to have a world ranking Ranking points will be exchanged between the competing teams in every official international match recorded on the FIH Tournament Management System. The number of points exchanged will depend on the result of the match (win, lose, shootout win/loss or draw), the relative difference in ranking points between the teams before the match and the importance of the match (part of a major tournament or a one-off test series, for example). A more detailed explanation will be published towards the end of this year.

Last six tickets to Tokyo 2020 secured on final day of FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Abdullah Asjad ISLAMABAD:-The sixth and final day of the FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers has drawn to a close, and the final six tickets to Tokyo 2020 have been claimed. New Zealand's men booked a safe passage through to next year's Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 thanks to a 3-0 victory over Korea in Stratford. Great Britain's women claimed a 2-1 win over Chile in the second match of the day, a result which gave them a 5-1 victory on aggregate to keep alive the dream of successfully defending the Olympic title that they won at Rio 2016. Later in the day, Great Britain's men joined their women on the plane to Tokyo thanks largely to Alan Forsyth, who bagged a hat-trick as the hosts won 5-2 against Malaysia on the day and 9-3 on aggregate. Germany's women also booked their place at Tokyo 2020 with a dominant and impressive 7-0 win over Italy. The earlier game had seen Die Danas run out as slightly more tentative 2-0 winners, but the 9-0 aggregate score underlined their superiority over the lower-ranked European neighbours. Germany's men followed up their 5-0 first leg win over Austria on Saturday with a 5-3 triumph in Sunday's second game to earn their Olympic berth.  The final ticket to Tokyo 2020 was dramaticaly claimed by Ireland's women at Dublin's Energia Park, with the hosts claiming a 4-3 shoot-out victory over Canada in front of 6000 enthralled fans. The Green Army - silver medallists at least year's Vitality Hockey Women's World Cup London 2018 - trailed 3-1 in the shoot-out before staging a remarkable comeback before winning in sudden-death to achieve Olympic qualification for the first time in their history. Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 4, Korea 0 (New Zealand win 6-2 on aggregate) Goals from Stephen Jenness, Sam Lane and Russell Kane gave New Zealand men a 3-0 triumph over Korea in Stratford (NZL) to secure a place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The Black Sticks came into the contest knowing that a draw would be good enough to seal Olympic qualification thanks to their narrow 3-2 win in the first leg on Saturday. However, open play strikes from Jenness - who scored twice in Saturday's win over Korea - and Lane in the second quarter put the 1976 Olympic champions on course for victory before Kane's third quarter penalty corner goal put the contest beyond the reach of the visitors. Korea piled on the pressure in the final quarter, but the Black Sticks held their nerve to book a 13th appearance on the Olympic stage. London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 2, Chile 1 [Great Britain win 5-1 on aggregate] Reigning Olympic champions Great Britain defeated Chile for the second time in two days, with Sunday's 2-1 triumph being coupled with a 3-0 success on Saturday to create a comprehensive 5-1 aggregate score-line at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre. Mark Hager's team did all of the damage in the first quarter, with Tessa Howard and Laura Unsworth both scoring superb backhand goals to all but guarantee a place at Tokyo 2020. Great Britain were perhaps guilty of wastefulness in front of goal for the remainder of the match, with Chile netting a consolation goal thanks to Fernanda Villagran's well taken penalty corner effort.   Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 7, Italy 0 (Germany win 9-0 on aggregate) Three goals in the space of eight minutes was enough to put an early damper on the Italian threat and send Germany women on their way to a dominant 7-0 victory. Added to their 2-0 win from the previous day, the aggregate 9-0 score underlines Die Danas' Olympic ambitions. The goals came from Cecile Pieper (2), Elisa Grave (2), Lena Micheel, Pia Maertens and Player of the Match Nike Lorenz. Italy fought hard but they found the German defence impenetrable and once the German's had the ball, their attacking movements were sharp, instinctive and precise. London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 5, Malaysia 2 (Great Britain win 9-3 on aggregate) Thanks to a 4-1 victory in the Saturday's first leg, Great Britain's men brought a healthy advantage into their second match against Malaysia and quickly added to their aggregate tally with two goals in the first period. Alan Forsyth put GB ahead from the penalty spot with his 100th international goal (Scotland and Great Britain combined) before Sam Ward added a brilliant second, catching veteran Malaysia goalkeeper Kumar Subramiam off-guard with an unexpected shot from a tight angle. Fitri Saari pulled a goal back for Malaysia in the second quarter before Ward slammed home a penalty corner early in the third period. Razie Rahim's penalty corner rocket reduced GB's match-day lead to 3-2 before Forsyth put the result beyond all doubt, sliding home from open play before completing his hat-trick from the penalty spot to give his side a richly-deserved place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 3 (Germany win 10-3 on aggregate) The teams went into this game with different agendas. Germany's interim Head Coach Markus Weise wanted a stronger performance from his team, while Austria's Head Coach Tomasz Szmidt asked his players to play for their own honour. In the end, both teams will have positives. Germany scored five top class goals, all created from fast, slick passing moves and finished with style. Austria, for their part, took the game to their much higher-ranked rivals and scored three penalty corners – all from the stick of Michael Körper. The result gives Germany the chance to build on their Olympic medal tally of 11 medals, four of them gold. Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 (Ireland win 4-3 on shoot-out) For the second day in succession, over 6000 people packed into Dublin's Energia Park to witness Ireland's women take on Canada, and the home fans certainly went home happy. Following on from Saturday's score-less first leg, both teams showed a real determination to settle this contest in regular time, but excellent defending meant that the Olympic ticket would be decided by a shoot-out. It all seemed to go wrong for the home team, who found themselves facing heartbreak as Gillian Pinder and Roisin Upton failed to convert while Stephanie Norlander, Amanda Woodcroft and captain Kate Wright all scored to give Canada a seemingly unassailable 3-1 advantage. However, Ireland's never-say-die spirit once more came to the fore, with goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran keeping Brienne Stairs and Shanlee Johnston off the score-sheet while sensational finishes from Ireland's Beth Barr and Chloe Watkins sent the shoot-out into sudden-death. Roisin Upton then put the Irish ahead with another wonderful finish before McFerran denied Woodcroft, giving Ireland an incredible victory and triggering scenes of utter joy in the stadium. It was a heartbreaking defeat for Canada, who matched their higher-ranked opponents throughout but fell just short in the shoot-out.      How Olympic qualification works: The winners will be determined as follows: teams will be ranked according to the number of points each has accumulated in both matches (for each match, 3 points are awarded to the winner, 1 point to each team in the event of a draw and 0 point to the loser). If there is equality among the two teams, then the teams will be ranked according to their respective goal difference. If the equality remains, a shoot-out competition will be played to establish the winner. FIH Hockey Olympic qualifiers Friday 25 October 2019 - Day 1 Results Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 0, Belgium 2 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 3 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 1 (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 26 October 2019 - Day 2 Results Changzhou (CHN) - Women: China 2, Belgium 0 (Match 2 of 2) Perth (AUS) - Women: Australia 5, Russia 0 (Match 2 of 2) Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 4, Pakistan 4 (Match 1 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Men: Spain 3, France 2 (Match 2 of 2) Valencia (ESP) - Women: Spain 2, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3, Ireland 5 (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 27 October 2019 - Day 3 Results Amsterdam (NED) – Men: Netherlands 6, Pakistan 1 (Match 2 of 2) Vancouver (CAN) – Men: Canada 3 Ireland 1 [5-4 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2) Friday 1 November 2019 - Day 4 Results Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 5, USA 1 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 4, Russia 2 (Match 1 of 2) Saturday 2 November 2019 - Day 5 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 2 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Women: India 1, USA 4 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 3, Chile 0 (Match 1 of 2) Bhubaneswar (IND) – Men: India 7, Russia 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 2, Italy 0 (Match 1 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 4, Malaysia 1 (Match 1 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 0 (Match 1 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland v Canada (Match 1 of 2) Sunday 3 November 2019 - Day 6 Results Stratford (NZL) – Men: New Zealand 3, Korea 0 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Women: Great Britain 2, Chile 1 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Women: Germany 7, Italy 0 (Match 2 of 2) London (ENG) - Men: Great Britain 5, Malaysia 2 (Match 2 of 2) Mönchengladbach (GER) – Men: Germany 5, Austria 3 (Match 2 of 2) Dublin (IRL) – Women: Ireland 0, Canada 0 [4-3 After Shoot-Out] (Match 2 of 2)