Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): After 80 matches and seven days of rousing action, Austria’s men successfully defended their world title while the Netherlands regained the women’s crown as the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup came to a gripping end in Pretoria, South Africa. Michael Körper got the defending champions off to a great start in the men’s final, putting his side ahead in the ninth minute. Less than a minute later the Dutch struck back, Max Sweering slotting one in off a penalty stroke for the equaliser just before the first break. But it didn’t take long for the Austrians to regain their lead, Körper once again adding his name to the scoresheet with a magnificent, lifted effort. The Dutch once again came back at them though, to level matters before halftime. The Netherlands then led twice in the second half, but the prolific Körper completed his hattrick to once again draw level at 4-4, sending the title decider to a shootout, which the Austrians edged 3-2 for a memorable victory. https://sports-bulletin.com/single?id=4548 While the Austrian men were crowned world champions for a second time, the women were seeking a first-ever world title when they also took on the Netherlands in their final. But the Dutch were in rampant mood in what turned into a completely one-sided match. Mabel Brands scored a hattrick as the Dutch romped to a third world title with a 7-0 victory. With that, they also climbed to the top spot in the world rankings while Austria moved up from seventh to fourth. In a first for a Hockey World Cup, both the men’s and women’s finals featured one male and one female umpire in each. Meanwhile, the women’s third-place playoff saw hosts South Africa taking on the Czech Republic. Having dropped from third at the 2015 World Cup to seventh in 2018, the Czechs were determined to make a return to the podium and they put in the ideal performance to do just that. Adela Lehovcova scored a brace and Anna Kolarova added another before the home side could breach the Austrian defence. Tegan Fourie’s consolation goal in the 26th minute was not enough to prevent the 1-3 loss for the South Africans, who nevertheless achieved their highest-ever World Cup finish with fourth place. Their unprecedented progress also saw them climbing up the world rankings from 12th place to sixth. The men’s bronze medal match between Iran and the USA produced another fast-paced showdown which included several spectacular goals. It was all square on 4-4 by the final hooter after Aki Kaeppeler found the final equaliser in the 37th minute. Results (men’s event): New Zealand 2 – 7 Australia Player of the match: Ben Staines (AUS) Austria 8 – 3 Iran Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Netherlands 7 – 3 USA Player of the match: Nicki Leijs Kazakhstan 2 – 5 Czech Republic Player of the match: Lukas Plochy (CZE) Iran 4 (3) – 4 (2) USA Player of the match: Reza Norouzzadeh (IRI) Austria 4 (3) – 4 (2) Netherlands Player of the match: Michael Körper (AUT) Results (women’s event): Austria 1 – 0 Czech Republic Player of the match: Marianne Pulter (AUT) Netherlands 6 – 1 South Africa Player of the match: Lieke van Wijk (NED) South Africa 1 – 3 Czech Republic Player of the match: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Netherlands 7 – 0 Austria Player of the match: Mabel Brands (NED) Final tournament standings (Women): Netherlands, 2. Austria, 3. Czech Republic, 4. South Africa, 5. Belgium, 6. Ukraine, 7. Australia, 8. Canada, 9. USA, 10. Kazakhstan, 11. New Zealand, 12. Namibia   Men’s Teams standings: Austria, 2. Netherlands, 3. Iran, 4. USA, 5. Belgium, 6. South Africa, 7. Argentina, 8. Namibia, 9. Czech Republic, 10. Kazakhstan, 11. Australia, 12. New Zealand Individual Awards (women) Best Player: Donja Zwinkels (NED) Hero Top Scorer: Donja Zwinkels (NED) Best Goalkeeper: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Best Junior Player: Reese D'ariano (USA) Individual Awards (Men) Best Player: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Hero Top Scorer: Michael Körper (AUT) Best Goalkeeper: Mateusz Szymczyk (AUT) Best Junior Player: Mustaphaa Cassiem (RSA)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): History was made by the USA men and South African women as they secured their first-ever semifinal spots at the FIH Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. After a thrilling day of quarterfinal clashes, the final four places were determined with defending champions Austria up against Iran while the Netherlands will take on the USA for a spot in the men’s final. 2018 bronze medallists Iran earned their semifinal spot in dramatic fashion, coming from 0-3 down in the third quarter to beat eighth-ranked Belgium in a shootout. The Iranians managed to level the scores at 5-5 in the 37th minute and it then took an incredible 18 shots to decide the winners in the subsequent shootout. Austria were next to secure their safe passage through to the final four with a 2-0 victory over Argentina, but it wasn’t until well into the third quarter that they first found the back of the net. Meanwhile, both the USA and Namibia were looking to extend their history-making runs at the World Cup – with the quarterfinals being unchartered territory for both teams. It was the Americans who had the edge. Namibia scored in the final minute of the match, but it was not enough to prevent a 3-2 win for the USA. The Dutch were in rampant mood against hosts South Africa in the last men’s quarterfinal. The 2015 world champions racked up a 5-0 lead by half time. The home side suddenly came alive in the final quarter, scoring three goals of their own. But when the Dutch added another one to their own tally, the fightback fizzled out. In the women’s tournament, the Czech Republic were the first side to book their place in the semifinals with a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Australia. Both Belgium and South Africa were seeking their first-ever appearances in the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup semifinals when they met in the third women’s quarterfinal of the day. It was the host nation who benefited from the backing of a fervent home crowd to produce their best World Cup result to date. A goal from South African captain Jess O’Connor off a penalty corner edged her side in front and Tegan Fourie doubled their lead just before halftime. But the Belgians came back through a final-quarter goal, and they were a nervous final few minutes until the 2-1 home win was secured. In the final matchup of the day, it took 15 minutes for the Netherlands to breach the Canadian defence. But two hattricks, from Lieke van Wijk and Donja Zwinkels, steered the two-time world champions to a resounding 6-1 victory. The Dutch will take on South Africa in Saturday’s semifinals while Austria will play the Czech Republic. Results (Men’s Event): Iran 5 (6) – 5 (5) Belgium Player of the match: Reza Norouzzadeh (IRI) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Adam Barry (AUS) Austria 2 – 0 Argentina Player of the match: Michael Körper (AUT) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Rachel Williams (ENG) USA 3 – 2 Namibia Player of the match: Aki Kaeppeler (USA) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Diego Barbas (ARG) Netherlands 6 – 3 South Africa Player of the match: Boris Burkhardt (NED) Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Results (Women’s Event): New Zealand 4 – 3 Namibia Player of the match: Kirsten Pearce (NZL) Umpires: Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA), Cathy Wright (WAL) USA 5 – 1 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Hannah Miller (USA) Umpires: Narongtuch Subboonsong (THA), Lyndal Robertson (RSA) Czech Republic 6 – 0 Australia Player of the match: Katerina Lacina (CZE) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Austria 3 – 1 Ukraine Player of the match: Stella van Rahden (AUT) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) Belgium 1 – 2 South Africa Player of the match: Tegan Fourie (RSA) Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Netherlands 6 – 1 Canada Player of the match: Lieke van Wijk (NED) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Lyndal Robertson (RSA)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): The quarterfinal lineup was completed after several scintillating performances on the final day of pool matches at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. The men’s Pool B clash between the Czech Republic and Iran produced a 16-goal thriller. The Czechs led 6-3 by the 25th minute but the feisty Iranians came back at them. Just like they had done against South Africa the day before, a final-minute goal clinched a dramatic, last-gasp draw for Iran. The 8-8 draw was enough to see the Iranians through to the quarterfinals, but there was disappointment for the fourth-ranked Czech Republic who are now left to fight it out for the minor places. The other Pool B battle, between South Africa and Argentina, was another entertaining, high-scoring affair, which saw the hosts snatching a 5-4 win with another Mustapha Cassiem goal in the final minute. Despite the loss, Argentina are also through to the quarterfinals thanks to their earlier victories over Iran and Australia. In the other men’s pool it was Namibia who booked the final top-four spot despite a 4-4 draw with New Zealand. Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic had already secured their quarterfinal places before the final pool matches of the women’s tournament but the other spots were yet to be determined. There was double joy for the home crowd when the South African women claimed their second victory of the tournament, beating New Zealand 6-3 to qualify for the top eight. Australia went down 2-4 to Austria in their final pool match, but still progressed thanks to their earlier victories against the USA and New Zealand. In Pool B, it was Belgium, Ukraine and Canada who joined the already-qualified Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. Belgium defeated Canada 1-0 thanks to a third-quarter goal from Claire Barry, and the Canadians then faced an anxious wait for the outcome of the final pool clash between Ukraine and Kazakhstan to discover whether they’d done enough to progress. That match ended in a 3-3 draw, with one point not enough to see the Kazakhs through ahead of Canada. Friday’s men’s quarterfinal clashes will see Belgium facing Iran while defending world champions Austria are up against Argentina, the USA take on Namibia, and the Netherlands play South Africa. In the women’s tournament, the Czech Republic face Australia, Austria take on Ukraine, Belgium play South Africa and the Netherlands are up against Canada in a bid to reach Saturday’s semifinals. Results (Men’s Event): South Africa 6 – 5 Argentina Player of the match: Chad Futcher (RSA) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Sean Edwards (ENG) USA 4 – 2 Australia Player of the match: Stuart Kentwell (USA) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Czech Republic 8 – 8 Iran Player of the match: Tomas Prochazka (CZE) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Rachel Williams (ENG) Belgium 1 – 7 Netherlands Player of the match: Boris Burkhardt (NED) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Adam Barry (AUS) Austria 9 – 2 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Michael Körper (AUT) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Namibia 4 – 4 New Zealand Player of the match: Liam Hermanus (NAM) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) Results (Women’s Event): Netherlands 3 – 2 USA Player of the match: Elizabeth Tamburro (USA) Umpires: Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA), Cathy Wright (WAL) South Africa 6 – 3 New Zealand Player of the match: Daniela de Oliveira (RSA) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Rachel Williams (ENG Australia 2 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Katharina Bauer (AUT) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Cathy Wright (WAL) Belgium 1 – 0 Canada Player of the match: Claire Barry (BEL) Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Namibia 0 – 6 Czech Republic Player of the match: Anna Vorlova (CZE) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Sean Edwards (ENG) Ukraine 3 – 3 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Karyna Leonova (UKR) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): Day four also featured two top-of-the-table clashes between Austria and the Netherlands, with the Austrian men and Dutch women emerging victorious in the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. Making his scoring debut in the tournament was Austria’s Michael Körper, who flew in later than the rest of the team after helping his Harvestehuder THC side land the German Indoor Championship title over the weekend. Körper made up for lost time, scoring all four of Austria’s goals in their 4-1 victory over the Netherlands. Meanwhile, there was joy for Kazakhstan’s men’s side as they claimed their first win of the tournament. Having notched up a four-goal lead against New Zealand, the Kazakhs managed to hit the left and then the right post within a matter of seconds in their bid for a fifth goal. It was eventually Yerkebulan Dyussebekov who slotted it in off a penalty corner to seal the 5-0 win. Earlier in the day, the Belgian men’s side secured their place in the quarterfinals with a 4-1 victory over Namibia. In the other men’s pool, a 7-4 victory for the United States over Argentina saw the Americans finishing the day on top, also ensuring their passage through. Aki Kaeppeler scored three of those goals, his contribution crucial against the determined Argentinians, who have made an impressive impact on their tournament debut. The Czech Republic women booked their place in the final eight with a 4-2 victory over Ukraine, while the South African women claimed their first victory of the tournament with a 1-0 win over Australia. Results (February 8, 2023-Men’s Event): Namibia 1 – 4 Belgium Player of the match: Philippe Simar (BEL) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Emily Carroll (AUS) Kazakhstan 5 – 0 New Zealand Player of the match: Daulet Urmanov (KAZ) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA) Melina Illanes (ARG)  Netherlands 1 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Sean Edwards (ENG) USA 7 – 4 Argentina Player of the match: Aki Kaeppeler Umpires: Adres Ortiz (ESP), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Iran 4 – 4 South Africa Player of the match: Mustapha Cassiem (RSA) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Sean Edwards (ENG) Player of the match: Benjamin Rennie (AUS) Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) Results (February 8, 2023-Women’s Event): Republic 4 – 2 Ukraine Player of the match: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Belgium 2 – 1 Namibia Player of the match: Laurine Delforge (BEL) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Kazakhstan 4 – 4 Canada Player of the match: Samantha McCrory Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Emily Carroll (AUS) Austria 1 – 5 Netherlands Player of the match: Donja Zwinkels Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Lyndal Robertson (RSA)  USA 9 – 0 New Zealand Player of the match: Sydney Mandato (USA) Umpires: Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) South Africa 1 – 0 Australia Player of the match: Tegan Fourie (RSA) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Melina Illanes (ARG)  

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): Austria and the Netherlands were the only teams to maintain their perfect records on day three at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, so ensuring safe passage through to the quarterfinals. As a mark of respect for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, a moment of silence preceded the beginning of the day’s matches. After being pushed all the way by hosts South Africa a day earlier, the Dutch women were back to their goal-blitzing best, putting eight past Australia for a third straight victory. The Dutch have conceded just one goal in three matches at the tournament so far. Results (Day-7): Result: Match 13 – men Australia 4 – 6 Iran Player of the match: Behdad Beiranvand (IRI) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 13 – women USA 2 – 2 South Africa Player of the match: Jess O’Connor (RSA) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Rachel Williams (ENG) Result: Match 14 – men South Africa 2 – 5 USA Player of the match: Jonathan Klages (USA) Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Emily Carroll (AUS) Result: Match 14 – women Australia 0 – 8 Netherlands Player of the match: Donja Zwinkels (NED) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Result: Match 15 – men Argentina 3 – 3 Czech Republic Player of the match: Lukas Plochy (CZE) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Adam Barry (AUS) Result: Match 15 – women New Zealand 2 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Miriam Gerö (AUT) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Lyndal Robertson (RSA) Result: Match 16 – men Kazakhstan 2 – 6 Namibia Player of the match: David Strauss (NAM) Umpires: Rachel Williams (ENG), Andres Ortiz (ESP) Result: Match 16 – women Canada 3 – 2 Czech Republic Player of the match: Samantha McCrory (CAN) Umpires: Narongtuch Subboonsong (THA), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Result: Match 17 – men Belgium 1 – 5 Austria Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 17 – women Namibia 1 – 2 Ukraine Player of the match: Oksana Ponomarenko Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Melina Illanes (ARG) Result: Match 18 – men New Zealand 0 – 12 Netherlands Player of the match: Boris Burkhardt (NED) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Melina Illanes (ARG) Result: Match 18 – women Kazakhstan 2 – 5 Belgium Player of the match: Laurine Delforge (BEL) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Narongtuch Subboonsong (THA)

Sports Bulletin Report PRETORIA: Hosts South Africa joined the Ukrainian women’s team and the Iranian men in notching up their first victories of the tournament on another action-packed day at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. A fiercely contested encounter saw South African firecracker Mustapha Cassiem scoring five goals in his side’s impressive 8-4 victory over the fourth-ranked Czech Republic. Meanwhile, Iran’s men had a battle on their hands against the USA. After Iran raced to a 2-0 lead by the third minute, the Americans slowly worked their way back into the match and managed to level matters at 3-3 towards the end of the first half. But Iranian keeper Sasan Hataminejad produced a spectacular performance to prevent any more goals, saving two strokes and keeping the determined Americans at bay. Having taken off their own keeper in the dying minutes of the match to boost their scoring chances, the USA conceded three quick goals and the ultimate score of 8-3 was far from an accurate reflection of the hard-fought contest, Reza Norouzzadeh completing his hattrick in the process. Result (Men’s Event): Austria beat Namibia (2-0) Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (Austria) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Emily Carroll (AUS) Netherlands beat Kazakhstan (9-1) Player of the match: Schut Wiegert (Netherlands) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Lee Barron (ENG) Belgium beat New Zealand (7-2) Player of the match: Philippe Simar (Belgium) Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Argentina beat Australia (3-1) Player of the match: Juan Eleicegui Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Sean Edwards (ENG) Iran beat USA (8-3) Player of the match: Sasan Hataminejad (Iran) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) South Africa beat Czech Republic (8-4) Player of the match: Mustapha Cassiem Umpires: Rachel Williams (ENG), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Results (Women’s Event): Canada 2 – 2 Namibia Player of the match: Alison Lee (Canada) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Sean Edwards (ENG) Czech Republic beat Kazakhstan (8-2) Player of the match: Natalie Novakova (Czech Republic) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Rachel Williams (ENG) Ukraine beat Belgium (3-0) Player of the match:  Karyna Leonova Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Sophie Bockelmann (GER) Austria beat USA (2-1) Player of the match: Fiona Felber Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Melina Illanes (ARG) Netherlands beat South Africa (3-1) Player of the match: Eva Van T’Hoog Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Emily Carroll (AUS) Australia beat New Zealand (5-1) Player of the match: Litiana Field Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL)

Sports Bulletin Report Pretoria (South Africa): An impressive total of 84 goals were scored across the opening 12 games of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa as there were victories for Argentina, USA, Netherlands, defending champions Austria and Belgium in the men’s tournament and for Austria, Australia, Netherlands, Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic in the women’s event. Debutants Argentina enjoyed the best possible introduction to the men’s tournament, winning their opening match against 2018 bronze medallists Iran. The Iranians raced to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter after Mohammad Karimi was on target with his penalty corner strikes, first slotting into the top left corner and then the top right. Facundo Navarro then earned his place in history as the scorer of the Argentinian men’s first-ever goal at an FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. The Iranians came back to take a 3-1 lead by half time but the determined debutants would not go away without a fight. Four second-half goals to Iran’s one, including a second from Navarro, ensured the Argentinians claimed a remarkable 5-4 victory. Meanwhile, facing an even more daunting task in their opening match were fellow debutants, the New Zealand women’s team, who faced off against 2018 silver medallists, the Netherlands. While the Kiwi defence put in a valiant effort, the Netherlands, who are among the title favourites in Pretoria, were untroubled in notching up a double-digit score. Captain Donja Zwinkels scored five goals as the Dutch cruised to a 10-0 victory. Earlier in the day it was the South African women’s and men’s teams that got the tournament underway. The SA women took on Austria while the men took on Australia. It seemed fitting that the first goal of the tournament came from the host nation’s women’s captain Jess O’Connor. The evenly contested encounter saw the teams matching each other goal for goal until Marta Laginja scored her second, and Austria’s third goal with just two minutes to go. But it was Stella van Rahden who proved to be the star for the seventh-ranked Austrians, saving a penalty stroke awarded to the South Africans in the dying seconds to secure the 3-2 victory. Mustapha Cassiem scored a brace for the South African men’s team to take a 2-0 lead against Australia. But it was captain Jethro Eustice who scored the all-important third goal, after the Aussies came back at them, to earn a 3-all draw for the home team. At just 14 years old, it was an opening match to remember for American teen sensation Reese D’Ariano who scored two of the USA women’s goals in their match against Australia. The Americans eventually went down 4-2, but there was a hattrick for D’Ariano’s compatriot Marius Leser on his Indoor Hockey World Cup debut in the USA men’s 4-3 upset victory over the fourth-ranked Czech Republic. The other hattricks of the day came from the Netherlands men’s Max Sweering in his side’s 7-1 win over Namibia, with three Dutch goals scored in the final four minutes, and Austria’s Fabian Unterkircher in the defending champions’ 7-1 win over New Zealand. Belgium’s captain Philippe Simar then also got in on the act in the final match of the night, scoring five goals in his team’s victory over Kazakhstan by exactly the same margin of 7-1. After the South African men drew with Australia, the only other draw of the day was registered in the women's tournament between third-ranked Ukraine and a resolute Canadian side, ranked 16th in the world. After the first day of entertaining action in Pretoria, the Netherlands top Pool A in the women’s tournament and the Czech Republic find themselves atop Pool B. In the men’s tournament Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands all share top spot in Pool A while Pool B is topped by Argentina. Results (Men’s Event): Austria 3 – 2 South Africa Australia 3 – 3 South Africa Iran 4 – 5 Argentina Czech Republic 3 – 4 USA Netherlands 7 – 1 Namibia Austria 7 – 1 New Zealand Belgium 7 – 1 Kazakhstan Results (Women’s Event): Austria 3 – 2 South Africa Australia 4 – 2 USA Netherlands 10 – 0 New Zealand Namibia 3 – 5 Kazakhstan Ukraine 1 – 1 Canada Czech Republic 6 – 1 Belgium

Sports Bulletin Report Bhubaneswar (India): The final day of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 was played in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar as Germany were crowned the champions of the world, defeating the defending champions Belgium in a thrilling finals, where they went down by 2 goals early in the first quarter but fought their way back again and took the game into a shoot-out, where they held their nerves in the sudden deaths, winning 5-4. With the win Germany also claimed the top spot in the FIH Men’s World Outdoor Rankings. Bronze Medal Match: Netherlands beat Australia (3-1) Netherlands started the game on the front foot, with Theijs van Dam getting a powerful shot into the circle looking for a Dutch deflection, but Hoedemakers couldn’t get on the end of the cross and Australia survived an early scare. Australia started settling into the game midway through the first quarter and a pass into the circle by Jeremy Hayward found captain Zalewski open on the right of the goal, but his shot/cross went wide off the mark with Blake Govers missing a deflection from point blank range. Australia scored the opening goal of the game through Jeremy Hayward who scored his 100th goal in his 200th appearance for Australia. It was a double blow for the Dutch who had referred the penalty corner and lost their review early in the first quarter. Netherlands won their first penalty corner of the game in the 20th minute but Jip Janssen’s powerful flick went straight as an arrow and Charter managed to pull off a comfortable save to deny Netherlands from their first big chance since the opening minute. Both teams traded opportunities to close the opening half, with big chances falling to Koen Bijen for the Dutch and Blake Govers for the Kookaburras, but both star forwards were off targets with their running shots and the teams headed into the break with Australia holding a slender one-goal advantage against Netherlands. Netherlands started the second half with a high press, which was a tactic that worked quite well for Germany in the semi-finals. The ploy seemed to work well for Netherlands as well as they earned three quick penalty corners inside the first two minutes of the second half, and with the third attempt, Jip Janssen opened his account in the game with a powerful drag to the right of Charter to bring the teams level. Two minutes later, Netherlands were in the lead as a clearance attempt by Tim Howard was blocked by Wortelboer in the circle and the resulting loose ball was put into the goal by Dutch captain Thierry Brinkman. Australia started to press higher in search for an equaliser, but it was Netherlands again who capitalised with a quick counter as van Dam’s run from the half line produced a cross that found Brinkman unmarked at the back post and he made no mistake in doubling Netherlands lead. Australia entered the final 15 minutes needing to score at least 2 goals to keep their hopes of winning a medal at the World Cup alive. Their high press gave Netherlands a lot to do in defence, but Jorrit Croon, along with Blok and Jansen, were stellar in the Dutch defensive circle, stopping waves of Australian crosses into the circle. Netherlands believed they had scored the 4th goal of the game midway through the quarter with Koen Bijen knocking the ball into the goal on the back post, but a foul in the build up reversed the goal as Australia breathed a sigh of relief. But Netherlands continued their excellent defence and as time ran out, they ran out winners, earning their third bronze medal at the men’s World Cups.   Gold Medal Match: Germany beat Belgium 3-3 (SO: 5-4) Germany took on Belgium in the finals hoping to win their 3rd gold medal at the FIH Hockey Men's World Cups to go level with Australia and Netherlands and one behind Pakistan who have won the event 4 times; while Belgium aimed to become just the 4th team, after Pakistan, Germany & Australia, to defend their title successfully. Belgium started the game on the front foot, creating an early circle entry, but Tom Grambusch was alert to the chance and intercepted a cross right in front of the goal and cleared the danger. Germany won a penalty corner in the 6th minute, referring the original decision which had gone against them. The resulting penalty corner was well defended by first rusher Cosyns who blocked Gonzalo Peillat’s attempted flick. Belgium opened the scoring in the 10th minute as a long corner deflected high off a German stick and fell to Florent van Aubel at the top of the circle and he took the shot on in his stride and smashed the ball into the goal before Stadler could react! Less than a minute later Belgium had doubled their lead as a cross from the left deflected off a German stick and fell to Simon Gougnard who had to get the slightest of touches to put it in the goal. Belgium won a penalty corner early in the second quarter and their variation caught the German rushers out, but Stadler dived brilliantly to his left and pulled off a great save to keep Germany in the game. Moments later Germany won a penalty stroke after Christopher Rühr found Windfeder with an incisive pass and his cross was blocked by the foot of a sliding Belgian defender. Tom Grambusch stepped up to take the stroke but his high shot to the left was saved brilliantly by Vincent Vanasch who got his stick to the ball and deflected it on to the post and deflected out! Secure in their lead Belgium sat back in deep defence inviting German pressure, and Germany finally made it count winning a penalty corner with less than 90 seconds left in the quarter. It was Niklas Wellen once again scoring for Germany as Tom Grambusch’s attempted flick deflected off the first rusher and fell to Wellen, who was the injector. He controlled the shoulder high ball brilliantly and smashed the volley above the outstretched hands of Vanasch to give Germany a goal back before the half. Belgium nearly caught Germany out on a quick counter attack right at the start of the second half as Victor Wegnez’ long pass into the circle crashed into the backboard, but a diving Dockier did not manage to get a touch on the ball and Germany were awarded a free-out. Germany then managed to test Vanasch again as a quick pass by Trompertz found Miltkau in the circle and he had time and space to get his shot away, but his low effort was well saved by Vanasch who got his left foot on to the ball and sent it out of play. A minute later, Germany were back level as Gonzalo Peillat buried a penalty corner low in the bottom left corner of the goal and there was nothing a diving Vanasch could do to stop it. With 15 minutes left in the game it was all squared up again, with shoot-outs looming large if neither team could find the go-ahead goal. Germany completed their turnaround in the third minute of the final quarter as captain Mats Grambusch hit a sliding tomahawk shot from a minute angle and the powerful shot snuck in through the legs of Vanasch to give Germany the lead! Belgium started to pile on the pressure as they hunted an equaliser of their own having led for a significant portion of the match and for a change it was Germany who had to rely on their defence. But Hinrichs and Tom Grambusch were massive for the Germans in defence, keeping Belgium outside their 25 and intercepting any attempted crosses that looked to find an attacker in the German scoring circle. Belgium won a penalty corner with less than 2 minutes left in the game and once again it was star-man Tom Boon that did the business for the Red Lions perfectly placing his flick between Stadler and the post defender to score and send the game into a shoot-out! List of Awards Fair Play Award: Team Belgium Maximum Team Goals: Netherlands Best Team Goal Celebration: Korea Fan’s Choice Award: Christopher Rühr (Germany) JSP Foundation Best Junior Player of the Tournament: Mustaphaa Cassiem (South Africa) Hero Top Scorer: Jeremy Hayward (Australia) JSW Best Goalkeeper: Vincent Vanasch (Belgium) Best Defender: Jeremy Hayward (Australia) Best Midfielder: Victor Wegnez (Belgium) Best Forward: Niklas Wellen (Germany) Odisha Best Player: Niklas Wellen (Germany) Bronze Medal: Team Netherlands Silver Medal: Team Belgium Gold Medal: Team Germany

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD: The final day of classification matches of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 were played in the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela as Argentina and India registered wins to end their campaigns in the 9th position, while Malaysia and France finished on wins as well, ending their campaigns in the 13th position. Losses for Wales and South Africa, saw them finish 11th, while Japan and Wales ended their campaigns in 15th place. Malaysia beat Japan 3-2 Malaysia struck early in the battle of the two Asian teams as a penalty corner won by Ashari was scored by Shello Silverius with Malaysia opting for a variation as Razie Rahim pushed the ball wide for a deflection that beat the post defender and goalkeeper. Both keepers were immense in the first quarter saving attempts that looked like they were destined to find the goal. Malaysia captain Marhan Jalil was shown a yellow card in the second half as the team had 12 players on the field and Japan took advantage earning 2 penalty corners and scoring from the resulting side out after the Malaysian rusher had chased down the second penalty corner. Japan and Malaysia traded goals early in the 32nd minute with Seren Tanaka scoring for Japan, and Shello Silverius scoring his second of the game for Malaysia, to keep the teams on level terms. Two minutes later Malaysia were back in the lead as Faiz Jali found Irfan all alone in the circle on the left and his flat snuck under the Japanese keeper. Japan had a good spell of pressure to end the third quarter but couldn’t make it count, not finding the mark from 3 penalty corners. Japan tried to find an equaliser in the final quarter and received a boost when Malaysia were reduced to 10 players with Najmi Jazlan receiving a yellow card, but the experienced pair of Razie Rahim and Marhan Jalil kept Japan out brilliantly as Malaysia edged them for a narrow win. France beat Chile 4-2 Chile were coming into the game on the back of two big losses, but showed a lot of heart early in the contest to take the game to France. They created circle entries but the French deep defence held strong to stop the Chilean attackers from getting their shots away. France primarily looked to capitalise on counter attacks with Chile leaving plenty of space behind their last line of defence. France opened the scoring on one such counter through Eliot Curty and added two more in quick succession through Victor Charlet to stun Chile. Chile kept coming at France and pulled a goal back from a penalty corner of their own, with Franco Beccera getting on the scoresheet to go into the half-time break down 1-3. The third quarter followed a similar pattern to the first as Chile pressed high in search of a goal while France defended deep and looked for counter attacking opportunities. France scored first in the second half as a cross by Xavier Gaspard deflected off the keeper’s boot and snuck into the goal. Chile scored one of their own as a long cross from the left found Andres Pizzaro completely unmarked in the back post and he tapped the ball into an empty goal. Chile’s push for another goal went until the final whistle, but while they created plenty of circle entries, they lacked the final shots at the end of it and the game finished at 4-2. Argentina beat Wales 6-0 Before the game Wales coach Daniel Newcombe said that playing in the 9th/11th place game was a great achievement for the team in their debut campaign but they wouldn’t be happy with just that and wanted to end the campaign with a win. The Welsh team answered their coach’s call and started the game with a lot of attacking intent. Argentina were stifled for the first quarter as Wales dominated possession in the Argentine half, but they couldn’t find the goal to cap off a great quarter. Argentina were much improved in the second quarter and scored early through Lucas Toscani. They added a second when Martin Ferreiro’s cross from the left side of the circle was inadvertently deflected into his own goal by Joan Wall, to give Argentina a 2-goal lead going into the break. Argentina set the tone early in the third quarter with Agustin Bugallo scoring an absolute ripper on the reverse from the top of the circle. And soon they added a fourth from a penalty corner as Santiago Tarazona pounced on the rebound from the initial save and tapped the ball into the goal. Welsh shoulders started to drop, as despite the competitive nature of the game, Argentina had played the big moments well and put the game beyond the European debutants. Maico Casella, who has been Argentina’s best player in the World Cup added a 5th goal for the Leones and Ferreiro scored his second to make it 6 in the final quarter. India beat South Africa 5-2 India took on South Africa in their final game of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023, in front of yet another packed crowd in the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela and seemed to feed off the energy of the raucous crowd from the first whistle. Abhishek opened the scoring for India in the 5th minute as a powerful slap pass by Harmanpreet found him in space at the top of the circle and he unleashed a vicious shot that was past Gowan Jones in the blink of an eye. India added a second goal towards the end of first quarter as Harmanpreet Singh dispatched a powerful drag flick between the keeper and the post defender off a penalty corner won by Mandeep Singh. South Africa’s best chance of the first half came in the 18th minute as an aerial ball over the Indian defence allowed Keenan Horne to get a shot away from the right, but his shot hit the post and deflected out of bounds. The third quarter produced much more balance as South Africa dominated possession and territory but India looked like a constant threat on the counter. Abhishek had the best chance early in the half as a great pass by Akashdeep found him with just Jones to beat, but his tentative shot was saved well by the rushing keeper. At the end of the quarter another Indian counter attack allowed Abhishek to be the provider and his cross from the right deflected off a South African stick and fell to Shamsher at the far post who tapped the ball in to extend India’s lead. Akashdeep Singh added a fourth in the final quarter as he deflected a cross by Jarmanpreet at the front post that snuck through the legs of Jones. South Africa scored a goal right after sparking unlikely hopes of a comeback, but India added a 5th goal through Sukhjeet to put the game beyond their opponents. Dayaan Cassiem earned a penalty stroke in the final minute cutting through the entire defence before being brought down by Sreejesh. The stroke was dispatched by Mustapha Cassiem, bringing the final score to 2-5 in favour of the hosts.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: The 9-12 and 13-16 classification matches are set as South Africa, Wales, Argentina and India register wins in the first round of classification matches to head into the 9-12 playoff matches while losses for Malaysia, France, Chile and Japan see them go to the 13-16 playoff matches. All classification matches will take place on 28 January at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. South Africa beat Malaysia (6-3) Malaysia were quicker off the blocks with form man Faizal Saari managing to get a shot in the circle inside the first minute, but South Africa survived that early chance and started to get in the game on counter attacks. They got the first goal through Bradley Sherwood who attacked a cross from the left by Nqobile. With the impetus now on Malaysia, they tried to press higher up the field, allowing South Africa to play on the counter, which is their preferred style. South Africa won 6 penalty corners in the first half and managed to convert one in the 17th minute as Guy Morgan pounced on the rebound after Eustice’s flick was blocked by the first rusher. They added a 3rd in the 26th minute through Nqobile to cap off a perfect half. Malaysia got the early goal they desperately needed at the start of the 3rd quarter, with Razie Rahim finding the mark from a penalty corner. South Africa got the next goal of the game as fabulous work by Mvimbi required the easiest of touches from Keenan Horne in front of the goal to restore South Africa’s 3 goal lead. A minute later South Africa extended the lead further as Mustapha Cassiem dispatched a penalty stroke won by Mvimbi. With just one second left in the 3rd quarter South Africa conceded a penalty stroke and Rahim scored his second of the game to reduce the deficit back down to 3. South Africa and Malaysia traded one late goal each as South Africa ran out winners to advance to the 9-12 place playoffs while Malaysia will play in the 12-16 place classification match. Wales vs France 2-2 (SO: 2-1) France were the higher ranked team in the match-up, but Wales looked like the more likely team to score early in the game as they committed a bulk of their players into the attack. They were rewarded for their adventurous play as a quick move from the left by James Carson left the French defence exposed and his cross was deftly touched into the goal by Luke Hawker. France equalised with 6 seconds left in the opening quarter as Draper turned over possession in a dangerous position and van Straaten found Sellier who scored to bring France level. Pieter van Straaten and Sellier connected again quickly after the break to give France the lead, with Sellier getting his second of the game. Gareth Furlong equalised for Wales, converting on their 4th penalty corner of the game as the teams headed into the break on level terms. No goals were scored in the third quarter as both teams struggled with clinicality in the opposition circle. France won 2 penalty corners in the 3rd quarter and two more in the final quarter but a combination of sloppy stopping at the top of the circle and captain Victor Charlet’s inability to find the target meant the score stayed level and the teams headed into a shoot-out. France struggled in the shoot-outs, with Clement the only scorer from their 5 attempts as Reynolds-Cotterill stopped the other 4 French attempts, while Benjamin Francis and Rupert Shipperly scored 2 of the 4 attempts, and that was enough to see them over the line. Argentina beat Chile (8-0): Chile started their game against South American rivals Argentina, looking to attack and had two early circle penetrations, but it didn’t lead to shots. Argentina slowly got into the game and started to dominate possession in the Chilean half. Their first goal for Argentina came from Nicolas della Torre through a penalty corner. The goal seemed to deflate the Chilean team as Argentina started to dominate in attack. Before the half time whistle went, Argentina had added 4 more goals to take a huge 5-goal lead into the break. Argentina kept up their high press to start the second half and Miaco Casella scored the goal of the game, getting in front of his marker and the Chilean keeper in the circle and deflecting a cross between his legs, with his back to the goal, that nutmegged the keeper and crashed into the goal. Martin Ferreiro and Tomas Domene added two more goals for Argentina in the final quarter of the game to push the final score to 8-0, earning Argentina a great win after the disappointment of the loss in the crossovers to Korea. India beat Japan (8-0): Japan and India played an even contest in the first quarter with both teams showing offensive intent but neither team could manage to create a clear scoring opportunity. India had the best chances through 2 penalty corners, but they were well chased down by the Japanese rushers. The second quarter was much of the same as both India and Japan found ways to get into the opposition circle, but were instantly hounded by opposing defences. Both teams earned penalty corners early in the second quarter as well, but the rush defences from both sides reigned supreme as the teams headed into the break on 0-0. India won an early penalty corner in the second half and they went for a variation on the far post with Amit Rohidas passing to Mandeep who lifted the ball over the keeper and into the net to open the scoring for the hosts. India scored a quick second goal, as a poor turnover in their own half by Japan gave Manpreet the ball and he found Abhishek in the circle who had all the time and space needed to calmly score on the reverse. Vivek then added a 3rd goal for India as the Japanese defence seemed to buckle under the constant pressure applied by a rampant Indian attack. Abhishek scored his second and India’s fourth goal in the 44th minute, bringing up the 200th goal of this World Cup. India scored 4 more goals in the final quarter as Harmanpreet (twice) and Sukhjeet found the target from penalty corners, while Manpreet Singh scored a field goal that deflected in off a Japanese stick, to give India a huge 8 goal win, scoring all 8 goals in the final 30 minutes of the game.