Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The OHC Bully Hockey Club, Netherlands is due to arrive in Lahore on February 18 (Sunday) to play three friendly games in Lahore and Islamabad during a week-long visit aiming to make efforts to restore the prestige of the national sport.The Oldenzaal Hockey Club (OHC) “Bully”, commonly known as OHC Bully will visit Pakistan on an invitation of Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy (KJHA) and will play three games in all with two at the historic National Hockey Stadium, Lahore, and one at the Naseer Bunda Stadium, Islamabad. The Bully hockey club will play games against Higher Education Commission (HEC) hockey team picked from the Prime Minister’s Youth Talent Hunt Program.The OHC Bully’s visit is historic in the sense that it is after a long interval of 22 years that a European hockey club will visit Pakistan and the Bully’s visit is one of the small steps towards the goal of revival of hockey. The visit may also encourage other European hockey clubs to visit Pakistan every year during the winters.Former Olympian Khawaja Junaid said that he was thankful to the OHC Bully for accepting the invitation to visit Pakistan for friendlies, adding that Khawaja Junaid Hockey club was committed to revive of hockey by nurturing talent at the grass-root level.Khawaja Junaid further said that he was not only grooming the raw hockey talent through coaching from the tender age of seven years, adding that the HEC team was picked was selected by him after trials of 25000 budding players under the Youth Talent Hunt Program.Acknowledged the role of former hockey Olympian Fareed Ahmed, who happens to be the coach of OHC Bully, in arranging the visit to Pakistan, he said “I am also connecting with the outside world to provide the right exposure to these young lads at an early age.” He said this will be a discovery visit for the youth being foreign to Pakistan’s rich hockey traditions and hospitality, expressing the hope that Pakistan will become an annual rendezvous for the European clubs and teams.The former World Champion Khawaja Junaid further said field hockey comes to a standstill during the harsh winters in Europe and European clubs visit the nearby countries like Spain to play hockey, adding that it is the time when the European teams may be invited to make Pakistan their destination as the country boasts of a mild weather during this period.Responding to a query, he said visit of a European hockey club will also help in promoting country’s tourism through sports, adding that this is also a good opportunity for showcase cultural heritage and historical ancestry to the world. Khawaja Junaid also shared that OHC Bully is almost a century-old club which was founded in 1935.Khawaja Junaid thanked Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar and Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed for their support in making this visit of a European hockey club possible. 

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: In Santiago del Estero, a fourth-quarter showdown allowed Argentina to draw level, 1-1, with Germany and go on to take the shootout, 3-1, for the added bonus point. Maico Casella provided the heroics in both cases, scoring a penalty stroke with 43 seconds in the game and the final shootout to seal the extra point. On the women’s side field goals from Maria Campoy and Eugenia Trinchinetti plus a flick from Agustina Gorzelany propelled the Leonas 3-1 over the visiting Germany Die Danas.Earlier in the day, the men’s mini-tournament in Bhubaneswar wrapped up with two contrasting contests – one a nine-goal thriller, and the other a tense encounter with just one goal in it.In the first match of the day, Australia’s men closed a three-goal deficit and then overtook the Dutch for a memorable 5-4 victory. In the other match, a brave performance from newcomers Ireland saw them keep out a determined Indian team until the last minute when Gurjant Singh’s solitary goal gave an elated home crowd plenty to celebrate. (Men’s) Australia beat Netherlands (5-4): Australia came from three goals down to edge the Netherlands 5-4 in an enthralling encounter. Early on it looked like Jip Janssen’s 100th and Koen Bijen’s 50th appearances for the Dutch would be memorable ones as they controlled the first half, taking their opportunities and frustrating the Australians. Duco Telgenkamp screamed in a reverse stick shot from an acute angle in the sixth minute, and Bijen got on the end of a knee-high cross to deflect home in the 12th. Australia then lost Daniel Beale for 10 minutes after an accidental stick to the head of Teun Beins was deemed dangerous, but they only conceded one goal during this period, Koen rounding off skilful team play with a simple tap-in after 20 minutes.The Kookaburras trailed 0-3 at half-time but staged another incredible comeback. Blake Glovers cleaned up the scraps off the goalkeeper’s pads in the 33rd minute after a patient build-up, and Jeremy Hayward’s 40th-minute drag flick gave Pirmin Blaak no chance of a save as it stripped the paint off the inside of the post. The fourth quarter was an electrifying affair, Hayward’s drag flick levelling the scores in the 48th minute before Glover put the Australians ahead with a rocketed drag flick in the 53rd minute. Jip Janssen then equalised for the Dutch three minutes later off a penalty stroke, but Tim Brand had the last word for the Kookaburras with a well-worked tap-in with less than 30 seconds remaining to wrap up an impressive victory.(Men’s) India beat Ireland (1-0): Hosts India’s experience made all the difference as they squeaked home in the last minute with a 1-0 win over Ireland. The Irish controlled the tempo for long periods of the match, holding possession well and declining to force their way up the pitch when safe passes were available. By contrast, India looked extremely dangerous going forward and had the best opportunities of the first half. Lee Cole made an excellent save off his feet on the left post from an early Indian penalty corner, and Jamie Carr was outstanding in goal to keep the scores locked at 0-0 at half-time.India seemed to be gaining the upper hand through the third quarter and a goal seemed inevitable, but Carr and the Irish defence kept them out. Ireland continued to frustrate India with their patience in possession, and Indian fans were made to sweat through a tense final quarter as both teams enjoyed real goal-scoring opportunities. India missed a golden chance from a penalty corner against just four defenders in the 51st minute, and Ireland broke out from that to win a penalty corner at the other end. (Men’s) Argentina beat Germany 1 - 1 (3 -1 SO): A goal with 43 seconds left in the game and a shootout finish from Maico Casella gave Argentina the bonus point after a 1-1 draw with Germany in Santiago del Estero. The first half was largely a showcase of a structured German team with an early chance for Niklas Wellen saved by keeper Tomas Santiago. Argentina’s patience on attack finally caught Germany on their heels and kept Alexander Stadler busy in goal. A Tomas Domene penalty corner flick was run down by a brave German defence line, while Casella had a drag flick fly just over the bar. A scoreless opening three quarters set the stage for a dramatic final frame that included open chances for both Lucas Martinez and Domene but both could only find the outside of the cage. A short-range aerial was expertly controlled by Raphael Hartkopf in the Argentine circle and blasted across the face of goal where Malte Hellwig brilliantly deflected in for a 1-0 Germany lead. In the final minute of the game, with 11 field players, the Leones were awarded a penalty stroke and Casella drew the game level. Nicolas Keenan and Mats Grambusch each scored for their sides, while a re-award for Lucas Toscani allowed Argentina to double their shootout lead. A miss from Johannes Große set up Casella to seal the deal. Casella made no mistake, calm and cool, to sweep the ball in on the reverse and take the bonus point and shootout, 3-1, for Argentina. (Women’s) Argentina beat Germany (3-1): Germany came out of the gate with early pressure as Charlotte Stapenhorst blasted a shot just wide of the Argentine goal. The Leonas responded later in the half with a clear take at goal through Maria Granatto but it was bravely blocked by a fully-stretched Selin Oruz. For Germany, Lisa Nolte was the beneficiary of a quick free hit but her reverse-stick blast was deflected over the Argentine net. Finally, the creative Argentine offense found a way, as a no-mercy-blast from Agustina Albertarrio found Maria Campoy at the back post for the game’s opener. From there, Argentina had a series of penalty corners but Nathalie Kubalski was up to the task to deny Valentina Raposo and Agustina Gorzelany. A second goal came on free play as Eugenia Trinchinetti had a nifty deflection on a bouncing free hit from Agostina Alonso. A trio of German penalty corners finally broke the Leonas as Nike Lorenz’s strike beat Clara Barberi to deny a shutout. Germany pressed for a second equaliser, pulling Kubalski with four minutes to go. Die Dans were then forced to defend a penalty corner with five field players and Gorzelany made no mistake burying a flick to make it 3-1.

Sports Bulletin ReportRourkela (India): Earlier in the day at the ongoing mini-tournament in the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium, Rourkela, India, Australia’s women managed to get the better of China for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics and the Netherlands notched up yet another victory after a fiercely contested encounter with the tenacious Indian side.Hours later, in Santiago del Estero, the Argentina men came out with confidence to defeat a young Belgian team by 4-1 thanks to two goals from speedster Nicolas Keenan. Just after, a classy and clinical Argentina women’s side blasted five past the Belgium red panthers to close out the evening with a home sweep. Victoria Manuele scored the game’s opener and her first international goal as icing on the cake. The Leonas sported a black band in honour of the recent passing of former Argentina women’s player Gabriela Pando. Pando played for the Leonas from 1989 to 1998 and won a 1995 Pan American Games gold medal and 1992 Olympic silver medal. (Women’s) Australia beat China (2-0): Australia last beat China in an International match at the Olympic Games on 26 July 2021, but they broke their losing streak with a hard-fought 2-0 win on Wednesday. The Hockeyroos attacked throughout the first half and enjoyed significant advantage in territory and possession, while China trusted their defensive structures and relied on rapid counterattacks for their limited opportunities. Xinhuan Li had plenty of work to do in the Chinese goal, denying Grace Young from close range with an excellent save. Grace Stewart eventually broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, tapping in a recycled penalty corner at the right post for a 1-0 lead at half-time.The third quarter was hotly contested as China finally enjoyed some good possession, but they couldn’t find a goal against a resolute Australian defence. The Hockeyroos soaked up even more pressure in the fourth quarter, Jocelyn Bartrum shutting down a dangerous one-on-one at the top of the circle in the 47th minute and then making another save two minutes later. China gave it everything at the death and pulled off their keeper with six minutes to play, but the move backfired when Stephanie Kershaw found the net for Australia after 57 minutes to put the match beyond doubt.(Women’s) Netherlands beat India (1-0): The Netherlands made heavy weather of their 1-0 win over India who were playing in front of a passionate home crowd. The Dutch probed throughout the first half, but it took them 27 minutes to find a goal. They dispossessed India inside the 23-yard area and got a quick shot away for Felice Albers to use her lightning reflexes to bat in off her reverse stick from Savita’s save.India had a busy third quarter, making repeated circle entries and winning five penalty corners but they couldn’t beat the Netherlands defence. The Dutch had opportunities of their own in a frantic period towards the end of the quarter but couldn’t score, even with Savita yellow carded in bizarre circumstances. Her defence were caught high and she accidentally kicked the ball far outside her circle after stepping out to slap it to safety. Savita was back in action in the fourth quarter, making amends with a flurry of great saves from four penalty corners to keep India in touch, but while there was plenty of action at both ends there were no more goals scored.(Men’s) Argentina beat Belgium (2-0): An experienced home side made it tough waters for a young Belgium side in the opener of the Santiago del Estero hosted games. Argentina’s hypnotic movements of possession gave the Leones good control of the tempo and kept Belgium keeper Simon Vandenbroucke busy. Nicolas Keenan opened the scoring in the final seconds of the first quarter with a brilliant upright reverse blast after Tomas Habif delivered a brilliant ball through a chaotic circle. Red Lions forward Thomas Crols picked Nicolas della Torre’s pocket in the second quarter and had an uncontested shot at goal but the blast ricocheted between Tomas Santiago’s kickers and scooted wide of the net. Argentina continued to show their dominance in the second half, despite not finding the back of the net on a series of penalty corners. Maico Casella doubled the lead finishing at the back post with no pressure after some quick passing from Lucas Martinez and Santiago Tarazona to make it 2-0. Belgium did not let up though as gritty work from Roman Duvekot forced Argentina’s Juan Catan to make an errant touch on his way back to the circle and Thibeau Stockbroekx provided the effort for a Belgium goal. A contested aerial into the Belgian circle then forced a video referral on right of territory for Keenan versus an encroaching Vandenbrouke but no advice possible left Argentina with the originally called penalty corner. Della Torre rippled the mesh to make it 3-1 for the Leones. Keenan added a second for himself and fourth for Argentina late in the game for a final score of 4-1. (Women’s) Argentina beat Belgium (5-0): The Leonas put on a clinical performance, 5-0 over the visiting Belgian Red Panthers, to make it a sweep in Santiago del Estero following the men’s victory. A younger Belgian line up, including seven faces from the 2023 Junior World Cup silver medal winning team, showed good structure and poise but struggled to manage the experience and crafty individual skills of the dynamic Leonas. Victoria Manuele was the first to put Argentina on the board in just the third minute, finishing brilliantly on the backhand to mark her first international goal in just her fourth appearance. Patient possession just inside the Belgian half allowed Argentina the control to pick their moments. Just before halftime Maria Granatto did all the work to spin the Belgian defence and commit keeper Elena Sotgiu and ultimately allow Celina di Santo to redirect and make it 2-0 for the Leonas. The offensive firepower continued as Agustina Albertarrio put a back-hand blast in to make it 3-0, while Agustina Gorzelany’s drag flick at the end of the third quarter made it 4-0. With Carolien Jakus off with a green card, the Leonas put on a master class on a penalty corner. Gorzelany delivered to the back post for a Trinchinetti stunner as the deflection rippled the mesh for 5-0. Noa Schreurs’ one-timer from Louise Dewaet almost put Belgium on the board but the ball rang the outside of the Argentina post.

Sports Bulletin ReportBhubaneswar (India): The Netherlands ensured they returned to winning ways after a shoot-out loss to the hosts a couple of days ago as FIH Hockey Pro League action continued in Bhubaneswar, India on Tuesday.(Men’s) Australia beat Ireland (5-0): Michael Robson celebrated his 150th cap, but it wasn’t to be a fairytale result for the Irishman as Australia secured a comfortable 5-0 win. Ireland started with good energy and matched their opposition for circle entries through the opening quarter, but the Aussies gained the ascendancy as the match progressed. Tom Craig opened the scoring for the Kookaburras in the 17th minute, deflecting in from directly in front of the keeper. Jeremy Hayward added a well-placed drag flick in the 22nd minute, and Ky Willott got a stick in front of the Irish defenders for a deflection to round off a stunning team goal in the 25th minute. Australia were 3-0 ahead at half-time and looked threatening.The Kookaburras kept the pressure on through the second half, but it was only in the 43rd minute that Nathan Ephraums extended their lead even further, picking up an awkward aerial ball into the Irish circle and using the 5m rule to work himself into a position for a clean strike. The Irish then enjoyed a couple of good attacks but failed to find the back of the net before Ky Willot rounded off the scoring for Australia in the 57th minute, getting his body into a good position to complete a difficult deflection.(Men’s) Netherlands beat Spain (3-0): The Netherlands were comfortable 3-0 winners over Spain as Jip Janssen extended his lead at the top of the goal scorers list. Both teams created half-chances in the first quarter, but it was Janssen who opened the scoring for the Dutch in the 15th minute with an unstoppable low drag flick. The Red Sticks produced some excellent opportunities in a high-energy start to the second quarter, but the Netherlands absorbed that pressure and then hit back hard in the 26th minute, Floris Middendorp cutting the Spanish defence apart with brilliant individual skill to the baseline before slipping his pass back to Duco Telgenkamp for the tap-in.There were good opportunities at both ends through the third quarter, and Spain were gifted a numerical advantage when ill-discipline from the Dutch saw them reduced to nine men just as the quarter ended. The Spanish quickly gave up that advantage with a green card of their own, and when a professional foul in the 51st minute earned them a yellow card and gave the Dutch a penalty corner, it was Janssen who stepped up to put the game beyond doubt with another drag flick.

India beat Spain 4-1 while Netherlands defeat Ireland 4-1 in BhubaneswarSports Bulletin ReportBhubaneswar (India): The Netherlands men got the second mini-tournament of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Bhubaneswar, India off to a perfect start with an emphatic 5-1 victory over Ireland. In the second match of the day, a dominant second quarter saw home side India getting the better of the Red Sticks, beating the Spanish side 4-1.(Men’s) Netherlands beat Ireland (5-1): Floris Wortelboer celebrated his 100th cap for the Netherlands in a hard-fought 5-1 win over Ireland. The Dutch stamped their authority on the match early, pressing high and applying immense pressure on the Irish defence. Tjep Hoedemakers opened the scoring off a short corner variation in the 12th minute, deflecting a rocketed pass over the postman’s head from a metre wide of goal. Jorrit Croon made it two in the 21st minute, swatting in a rebound off Jamie Carr’s mask after Joep de Mol had opened up the defence with great acceleration along the baseline. Ireland had some good opportunities, but missed a penalty corner and then clattered one into the upright from open play to trail 2-0 at half-time.The third quarter served up plenty of action. Carr made two good saves for Ireland before Jip Janssen scored his 50th goal for the Netherlands from a penalty stroke in the 35th minute. Within a minute Lee Cole responded for Ireland with a penalty stroke from a foul that resulted in a Dutch player receiving a 10-minute yellow card. The Netherlands’ problems grew worse when they were reduced to nine men with a green card three minutes later. This prompted the Irish to press hard but they couldn’t convert from two penalty corners, Pirmin Blaak making an excellent save as the quarter came to an end. The Netherlands regained control in the final quarter, Janssen scoring his second from a drag flick after 52 minutes, and Steijn van Heijningen adding one off an unlucky defender a minute later.(Men’s) India beat Spain (4-1): India thrilled their home crowd with an excellent 4-1 win over Spain. The teams were equally matched in the opening quarter, India having a slight edge courtesy of a Harmanpreet Singh drag flick in the seventh minute and some excellent work in goal by Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh. The Indians turned up the heat in the second quarter, testing the excellent Luis Calzado in goal repeatedly and winning five penalty corners in just four minutes. Harmanpreet Singh slotted in a penalty stroke in the 20th minute after his drag flick struck the postman on the line, and Jugraj Singh added a drag flick in the 24th minute for a 3-0 Indian lead at half-time.Spain came back in the third quarter, a strong circle carry from Enrique Gonzales earning a penalty stroke for skipper Marc Miralles to bury in the 34th minute. They went on to dominate the quarter but were denied by an exceptional Indian defence. Spain needed something early in the final quarter and they went after it, but India hit them on the break in the 50th minute, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay lashing in a one-touch reverse shot off a pass that deflected to him in clear space.

Sports Bulletin ReportBhubaneswar (India): Defending champions the Netherlands delivered another commanding performance as FIH Hockey Pro League action continued in Bhubaneswar, India on Friday. The Dutch were all class as they romped to a 6-2 victory over Australia while later in the day, India gave their home fans plenty to cheer about with a hard-fought win over the United States.(Women’s) Netherlands beat Australia (6-2):The Netherlands took full control of proceedings in their 6-2 win over Australia. They asked plenty of questions of the Australian defence throughout the match, connecting with long diagonal through-balls, making textbook inter-passes between players, and displaying moments of individual brilliance that all resulted in regular circle entries. Marijn Veen opened the scoring for the Dutch after seven minutes with a deft two-touch goal, popping the ball up and then lofting it into the top left corner from the reverse stick. Frédérique Matla then extended the lead just two minutes later, getting in front of the defence to slap in after a devastating baseline run from Marleen Jochems, and Yibbi Jansen added a scorching drag flick off a penalty corner to put the Dutch three in front. Australia finished the half with a flurry of penalty corners, but it took a deflection off a first-wave runner for Tatum Stewart’s rocketed drag flick to beat Josine Koning in the Dutch goal, making it 3-1 at halftime.Jansen added her second drag flick after 39 minutes, taking her tournament tally to an impressive 11 goals. Veen then completed her hat-trick with two quick goals, the first as the Dutch intercepted a poor free hit at the top of the Australian circle in the 48th minute, and the second from a somewhat fortuitous deflection off a defender’s stick a minute later. Australia pulled one back in the 52nd minute, Stephanie Kershaw intercepting a loose Dutch overhead and driving 50 yards up-field before two quick passes found Grace Stewart for a tap-in, but that did little to dent the Netherlands’ emphatic winning margin.Marijn Veen of the Netherlands was awarded player of the match for her hat-trick as said: “We played really good as a team so I’m happy with the win. It’s always nice to score but I’m more happy with the team performance.”(Women’s) India beat USA (3-1):India delighted the home crowd with a 3-1 win in a fast-paced encounter against the USA. The Americans looked to attack through the first half, but they turned over possession through impatience and inaccuracy to give the Indians plenty of advantage. Vandana Katariya put India ahead off a failed USA clearance in the ninth minute, volleying the ball in after it popped above her head from a goalmouth scramble. Deepika extended India’s lead with a glorious team goal, collecting a pass in the circle at full stretch after a good build-up and then recovering well to fire home off her reverse stick.The USA fought back in the third quarter with Sanne Caarls pouncing in the 42nd minute when India failed to clear their circle. The fourth quarter was played at full throttle as the USA sought an equaliser and India tried to find a two-goal cushion. Deepika ultimately gave India the last word, carrying the ball some 60m, beating four defenders outside the circle and passing to Salima Tete for the tap-in at the right post and the 3-1 win.India’s Deepika picked up the player of the match award and said afterwards: “I think we played really good and the team is doing a really good effort. So it’s only about the team effort, and thank you to the supporters, it’s for you also.”

Champions Hollanders overcome Malaysia 5-2 in the final, Oman earn third positionAdil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): Netherlands outclassed Malaysia 5-2 in the final of the first FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup at the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat Muscat, Oman on Wednesday. The Dutch delivered an impressive show over Southeast Asian nation in the concluding clash to clinch the first ever Hockey5s trophy. The hosts Oman finished in third place to claim historic bronze globe medal after defeating Poland 3-2 in the third and fourth playoff on Wednesday.Oman head coach, Aikman Siegfried, affirmed that Oman national team boys had a dream in this inaugural FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup. "This dream came true after they hey achieved the bronze medal following their crucial triumph over Poland. It is a historic accomplishment made by the team's heroes after they presented strong performance, determination and patient in all the matches of this globe event," coach addedSami Awadh, Oman team's Capitan, expressed his joy with a historic bronze medal. "Thanks to all the fans who came to support us during the couple days ago. A special thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and to OHA officials for their continuous support to the team. It is great moments to be in third place at world level in a major globe event. We worked very hard to reach in the podium. I am proud on the teammates and coaching staff's top efforts during this event. We are looking for more accomplishments in the coming period," he endedChief Guest for the final, HH Sayyid Malik bin Shihab Al Said handed over the trophy to the winners accompanied by Dato Tayyab Ikram, FIH President, and Dr. Marwan al Juma, chairman of OHA. The medals delivered to the runners up and third placed in the final ceremony by HE Basil bin Ahmed al Rawas, Undersecretary for Sports and Youth at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Shaikh Khalid Mohammed al Zubair, Oman Olympic Committee Chairman (OOC). The final ceremony was attended by several sporting figures, top dignitaries and officials.Back to the third and fourth playoff match, Oman's goals netted by Rashad al Fazari (7), Aiman Madit (16) and Fahad al Lawati (26) while the rivals Poland goals struck by Jarzembowski Damian (14) and Hołosyniuk Jakub (25). Oman's goalie Fahad al Noufali showed top game after his brilliant saves.In the final game, the Netherlands dominated the first half as they pumped three goals in the first quarter by Van Der Drift Yannick (1, 13) from corner goal and field goal and Reyenga Pepijn (6). Tow goals were struck in the second half through De Wijn Sander (26) and Van Aart Jamie (28) to lift the title. The opponent Malaysian team managed to score two goals in both half's through Anuar Akhimullah (2) and Omar Mohammad (16).

Adil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): Netherlands defeated the hosts Oman 5-3 in semifinals of 2024 FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup (Oman 2024) on Tuesday to make it to the finals. At the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat, the national team hockey players delivered a solid performance despite the defeat while the Dutch continued to set the standard for the tournament as the produced a top show. Oman will vie for a bronze medal against the looser of Poland and Malaysia match who played a late match on Tuesday.Back to Oman and Netherlands game, the hosts Oman were delayed in the first half by 3-0 after Schop Alexander, De Wijn Sander and Van Der Drift Yannick found the target by the half-time break before then extending their lead in the second half to reach an 5-3 victory. Rashad al Fazari and his teammates failed in the first half to convert many scoring attempts to goals following the good saves by Netherlands goalie Schaper Koene. In the second half, Oman head coach Aikman Siegfried instructions to the players to focus more in the attacking side. De Wijn Sander began the second half strongly as he netted the fourth goal for the Netherlands while Rashad al Fazari scored the first Omani goal in this half through filed goal in the 19th minute. Two minutes later, Khalid al Shaaibi added the second goal in style to make it 4-2 before Van Aart Jamie came back again to score the fifth goal in the 23rd minute. Sami al Laun managed to score the concluding goal for Oman to end the game at 5-3 for the Dutch. Oman beat Kenya (5-2):Earlier on Tuesday, Oman secured spot in the semifinal after they beat Kenya 5-2 in a thrilling match. The national team players produced an excellent show that confirmed Oman's presence in the last four in a historic achievement. Oman's Rashad al Fazari took the lead for his team after a perfect corner goal in the 9th minute and within the same minute, Khalid al Shaaibi doubled the lead for Oman to 2-0. Masambu Bethuel netted the first goal for Kenya in the 13th minute through field goal to end the first half at 2-1 for the hosts Oman. In the following quarter, Asama Barazhan struck the third goal before Khald al Shabib added two more goals in the 20th and 22nd minute to raise Oman's hopes in advancing to the historic semifinals. Masambu Bethuel managed to score the team's second goal again in the 23rd minute to conclude the match at 5-2.Netherlands beat India (7-4): In another match, Netherlands outplayed India 7-4 to book slot in the semifinals. It was a top match for De Wijn Sander and Schop Alexander as they netted two goals each to support their teams to clinch crucial spot to the last four.

Adil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): The hosts Sultanate of Oman stormed into the historic quarterfinals of the FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup (Oman 2024) as they edged US 6-4 on Monday at the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat. Oman's players confirmed leading the group as they claimed seven points in their tally of pool D following two wins against Fiji (8-3) and US (6-4) beside a 3-3 draw against Malaysia in the opener. Malaysia joined the hosts Oman to the quarters as they finished as runners up with the same credit but less goals difference.Back to Oman and US match in the concluding round of the group matches, Barminski Michael gave US lead but one minute later Rashadal Fazari equlaised for Oman while Madit Aiman found the net to make it 2-1 for US in the 14th minute and end the first half. In the deciding half, Oman head coach Aikman Siegfried entered the match with a different plan as the players were attacking in order to secure the second straight win after they played out a 3-3 draw in the opener and then won Fiji 8-3. Khalid al Shaaibi (20, 29), Mahmood Bait Shamaiaa (22) and Khalid al Lawati (25) struck Oman's goals in the second half while Harris Pat struck two goals within one minute in the 23rd minute while Gandhi Mohan netted the fourth goal for US. Khalid al Shaaibi expressed his joy post the post the match and he said:" It is great historic moments to reach into the quarterfinals in this inaugural edition of the FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup. This does not come in easy way as we worked very hard before the tournament and during the event. Thanks for the coaching staff and fans for their continuous support. Special thanks for the association and will do our level best in the forthcoming matches," he endedOman will meet Kenya in the quarterfinals as the match will take place on Tuesday. The match will start at 9:10. Malaysia will face Trinidad & Tobago in another quarters match. The topper of pool B Egypt will meet Poland who ended as runners up in pool A. The second placed team in pool B India will play against Netherlands who ended as first team in pool A in a tight clash. Egypt confirmed their progression to the next stage as the top team in the group after they defeated Switzerland 9-1.It was only Netherlands and Egypt teams who finished the group matches on full mark from three games. The African team thumped Jamaica 10-2 in the opener before edging India 8-6 in a thrilling match on Sunday. Then, they outclassed Switzerland 9-1. Netherlands men's team will aim to duplicate the women's team triumph as they crowned champions of the FIH Women's Hockey5s World Cup. The Dutch began their campaign strongly with 6-3 win over Poland before outclassing Pakistan 5-3 in the following match. They concluded their group games with a crucial 8-6 win over Nigeria on Monday.

Netherlands, Ukraine, South Africa, and India reach in quarterfinalsSports Bulletin ReportMuscat (Oman): Netherlands, Ukraine, South Africa, and India advanced into the quarterfinals of the 1st FIH Hockey five-a-side World Cup, which got underway in Muscat, Oman on Wednesday, as 138 goals were scored in 16 encounters.Pool A: The Netherlands showed themselves to be real tournament contenders, posting two big wins to book their place in the quarter-finals. They first dismantled Fiji 14-1 with hat-tricks from Bente van der Veldt and Marloes Timmermans. The Dutch side then went on to hammer Malaysia 10-0 and, although it took them eight minutes to find a goal, they put some exquisite plays together. All of the Dutch outfield players scored at least two goals each on the day. In other matches in Pool A, Malaysia posted a solid 10-0 victory against hosts Oman, Zati Muhamad scoring four of those goals and Zafirah Aziz scoring three. Fiji came from behind and then snuck in a late goal in their 3-2 win against hosts Oman – both sides making their debuts at an FIH Hockey World Cup event. The day’s results mean Malaysia and Fiji face each other on Thursday with a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs. POOL B: Ukraine and South Africa secured their places in the quarter-finals with two good wins each. Ukraine started with an impressive 6-3 win over Australia, Anna Tanchenko scoring a hat-trick. They then romped home 9-0 against Zambia as Karyna Leonova chalked up four goals.Meanwhile, South Africa cruised to a 9-1 victory against the side that beat them in the pool stages of their continental qualifier – Zambia. Toni Marks bagged three goals in the SA side’s opening match. They followed this up with a 6-3 win over Australia in an enthralling contest, Grace Cochrane doing sterling work in the South African goal when the match was still evenly poised.POOL C: India recorded a narrow 5-4 win over Poland in the opening pool match and then fought back with six unanswered goals in 12 minutes to beat the USA 7-3 after earlier trailing by two goals. The Indian side are now guaranteed to advance to the quarter-finals but they will be aiming to top the table when they face hosts Oman on Thursday. In their other game of the day, the USA went a goal down early against Namibia but bounced back for an easy 6-1 win, Charlotte de Vries completing her hat-trick in the first half. Poland beat Namibia 5-1 so their showdown with the USA on Thursday is for a quarter-final spot, while Namibia will play off for the lower places.POOL D: Pool D is set up for a dramatic final round in that all four teams still have a statistical chance of progressing to the quarter-finals. Uruguay look most likely to advance, having completely dominated Paraguay for a 10-1 win, with Teresa Viana bagging five goals for her team in that match. They followed this up with a clinical performance to beat New Zealand 6-1, Viana adding another two to her haul to take her to the top of the goal-scorers chart. New Zealand fought back from a goal down to defeat Thailand 4-3 earlier in the day, and Thailand prevailed 3-1 in a tight contest with Paraguay.Results (Women’s Event Day-1):Ukraine beat Australia (6-3), South Africa beat Zambia (9-1), Malaysia beat Oman (10-0), Netherlands beat Fiji (14-1), India beat Poland (5-4), USA beat Namibia (6-1), New Zealand beat Thailand (4-3), Uruguay beat Paraguay (10-1), Ukraine beat Zambia (9-1), South Africa beat Australia (6-3), Netherlands beat Malaysia (10-0), Fiji beat Oman (3-2), Poland beat Namibia (5-1), India beat USA (7-3), Thailand beat Paraguay (3-1), Uruguay beat New Zealand (6-1).