Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report Bhubaneswar (India): In exactly 10 days the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela will burst into action and thrill hockey fans all over the world, as the joint venues of Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar and the brand-new Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela play host to the 15th edition of the premier FIH men’s tournament in the world. The 16 best men’s hockey teams in the world have meticulously prepared for the tournament and strategized for the opponents who stand in their path to ultimate glory. The organizing team in India has pulled out all the stops to create the best experience for the players and the fans. The officials are primed and ready to ensure a smooth-running and fairly contested tournament. The fans are ready to cheer for the biggest hockey stars, and witness the highest quality of hockey action that will set their pulses racing. For the first time ever the FIH Men’s World Cup will be hosted by a nation twice in a row as the 2018 edition was hosted in the state of Odisha in India as well. The state of Odisha is no stranger to major hockey events having hosted various events in recent years including the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in 2021 and the FIH Hockey Pro League over the past 4 years, following the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup in 2018. Both Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, will host matches on the opening day of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela. The first match of the day will be played in the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar, where 2016 Olympic Gold medalists Argentina will take on reigning African Champions, and victors of the recent inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup: South Africa. This will be followed by more Pool A action between World No. 1 Australia and the rapidly improving French team. The action will then shift to the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, where teams of Pool D will get their campaigns underway, as England take on Wales in the first game to be played at the brand-new stadium. The final game of the opening day will pit hosts India against Spain, two teams familiar with each other through the FIH Hockey Pro League, where they have produced highly entertaining matches with goals galore. Pools Pool A: Australia, Argentina, France, South Africa Pool B: Belgium, Germany, Korea, Japan Pool C: Netherlands, New Zealand, Malaysia, Chile Pool D: India, England, Spain, Wales

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD: International Hockey player, Nawaz Rana has said that it was a great honour for him to represent Alliance International Hockey Team, Austria in the recently concluded World World Cup Hockey 2022 South Africa, which was held in Cape Town city under the banner of Masters World Hockey (MWH). In an interview, he further said that they played excellent hockey during the whole tournament and unfortunately lost the final and earned a silver medal in the prestigious international hockey fixture. “Our Alliance Hockey team played against Spain, Netherlands, Canada, South Africa, Argentina, and Namibia in the Pool A fixtures, “he added.

Sports Bulletin Report Laussanne (Switzerland): A goal each from Freeke Moes and Yibbi Jansen in the opening half gave the Netherlands women the 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. The game marked the 100th international for Great Britain’s Amy Costello. Great Britain vs Netherlands (women & men) – Santiago del Estero, Argentina A lightened Netherlands women’s lineup faced off with Great Britain on neutral territory in Argentina and the Dutch came away with a 2-1 victory. The two teams last met at the 2020 Olympic Games semifinal and while in both encounters the Dutch, tonight it was credit to a resilient defensive unit back-stopped by Maddie Hinch and Sabbie Heesh, who split duties in the Great Britain net. It was a milestone game for 24-year-old Amy Costello who celebrated her 100th international cap that includes 67 games with Scotland, while Fiona Crackles celebrated her 50th split between England and Great Britain. In the opening quarter, a long run by Maria Verschoor led to two saves from Heesh, in goal for Great Britain, but Freeke Moes made good of the uncontested space and rebound to make it 1-0 for the Netherlands just eight minutes into the game. Against the flow Great Britain were able find an equalizer after a Sophie Hamilton shot was redirected by Isabelle Petter to catch Josine Koning caught on her line. It didn’t take long for the Dutch to regain control of the game as Yibbi Jansen’s class-act drag flick made it 2-1 in the 18th minute. Moes drew a third penalty corner late in the second quarter but the subbed-in Hinch denied Jansen’s flick and then a blast from Marente Barensten.  Great Britain had a chance to draw level after Hamilton found the foot of Dutch midfielder Barensten with seven seconds to go. The flick from Grace Balsdon was steered away by the glove of Koning to keep the game in favour of the Netherlands at half time. Hinch was called to duty a number of times in the fourth quarter but when Felice Albers’ pass found Mariyn Veen, it was a next level save to deny the Dutch. Moments later Hinch was helped by Giselle Ansley on the post who batted away another Jansen drag flick. In the men’s match up the first half seemed destined for a scoreless affair as both Great Britain and the Netherlands traded possession and chances. Zachary Wallace broke the deadlock for Great Britain in the 28th minute as he capitalized on a very quick free hit down the middle of the pitch. Wallace streaked right in to the circle and unleashed a back-hand shot that beat Pirmin Blaak low, glove side. With 15 seconds to go in the second quarter, Rupert Shipperley made quick work of his defender and fed Phil Roper, whose sliding touch made it 2-0 for Great Britain. The Dutch edged in possession in the first half but the third quarter showed a lot more possession strides for Great Britain. Late in the third quarter patient ball movement around the Dutch circle gave Jack Waller a blast at goal was brilliantly deflected by Sam Ward but stood up by Blaak. The second shot from Roper hit the foot of Jip Janssen on the line to give GB a penalty stroke. Wallace finished with class from the spot to secure the third and eventual final goal. “It was our first match as a team since the Tokyo Olympics and then for a lot of us since the Commonwealth Games,” said Great Britain’s Zacharay Wallace. “We didn’t really know where we were as a team so we have been training hard the last few months so it was nice to see whether all the hard work and training paid off.” FIH Pro League – 13 December 2022 Santiago del Estero, Argentina (ARG) Result: Women’s Match 7 Great Britain 1, Netherlands 2 Player of the Game: Xan de Waard (NED) Umpires: Laurine Delforge (BEL), Maggie Giddens (USA), Federico Garcia (URU-reserve), Ayanna McClean (TTO-video) Great Britain 3, Netherlands 0 Player of the Match: Zachary Wallace (GBR) Umpires: Federico Garcia (URU), Sean Rapaport (RSA), Ayanna McClean (TTO-reserve), Laurine Delforge (BEL-video)

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Spain and India continued their hot starts in the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022, making it two wins out of two, with Spain registering a comfortable 3-0 win over Korea, and India pulling out a close 2-1 win over Japan. Ireland beat Italy (2-1): Ireland and Italy are two teams who play each other frequently on the continental level and the first half showcased their familiarity with each other’s style of play. The possession was split between the teams evenly as both teams struggled to split open their opponent’s defenses. Ireland managed to get the ball into the goal in the second half, from a penalty corner, but the goal wasn’t given due to the shot being too high from the attempted hit. Ireland changed their tactics coming into the second half, using wings to progress the ball, instead of the center of the field, and the impact was immediate. Italy were caught out on multiple occasions with Ireland captain Kathryn Mullan acting as the chief instigator for her team’s attacks. She set up the opening goal that was deflected in by Naomi Carrol, and scored Ireland’s second goal with a brilliant defense-splitting run, that culminated in a flick over the on-rushing keeper and into the net.. Spain beat Korea (3-0): Spain are proving themselves to be really fast starters, taking just 110 seconds to open the scoring in their first match against Ireland yesterday, and it took them an additional 40 seconds to open the scoring against Korea. The stadium was packed with Spanish fans and the team responded to their energy by flying out of the gates, getting 5 shots on target in the first quarter. Florencia Amundson scored the first goal with a powerful shot from the right of the circle that went in off the far post. Patricia Alvarez then doubled their lead, when she cleverly deflected a Torres-Quevedo shot from the top of the circle, to beat the Korean keeper. Korean keeper Eunji Kim played the best game of her young career, thwarting scores of Spanish attacks. Spain could have scored at least 4 or 5 more goals as they kept finding spaces behind the Korean defense, but Kim’s brilliance kept the score respectable for Korea. India beat Japan (2-1): India and Japan played out a tense and closely contested encounter that ended in an Indian win, which keeps them at the top of the table with 6 points, while Japan stay in the second position, with 3 points. India started the game on the front foot and nearly found an opening in the very first minute, when Vandana Katariya found space in the circle to get a shot away, but her swinging hit failed to make contact with the bouncing ball and Japan survived an instant scare. India kept up the pressure however, and turned the ball over in the Japanese half in the 4th minute. This time the ball fell to Salima Tete in the circle who made no mistake in dispatching a powerful hit into the Japanese goal, to give India the lead. Chile beat South Africa (2-1): Chile and South Africa played earlier in the year at the World Cup where Chile secured a narrow 1-0 win, and while that was a slow and defensive affair, the rematch in the Nations Cup was an end-to-end thriller that could have gone either way. Chile snatched all 3 points, scoring with less than a minute left in the game to take all three points and set-up a winner-takes-all game against Japan in the final pool game. Chile had the better start to the game finding players behind the South African defense twice in the opening 5 minutes, but the momentum swung South Africa’s way towards the end of the first quarter and they managed to score in the first minute of the second quarter through the impressive Ntsopa Mokoena, who has been their best player in the tournament so far..

Sports Bulletin Report Valencia (Spain): With less than 24 hours to go for the inaugural FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022, the coaches of all teams have spoken to express their expectations. Sergio Virgil, Head Coach (Chile) “The possibility of playing the Nations cup in Valencia is a great new dream for Chile. We will play with teams that, years ago, we saw on television, and we will learn from them. Our goal is to continue improving as a team.” Adrian Locke, Head Coach (Spain) “I'm really looking forward to the tournament. It's a new tournament with lots of exciting teams who are pretty evenly matched. I'm sure there are going to be some surprising results along the way. All the players and staff can't wait to get started.” Janneke Schopman, Head Coach (India) “We are very excited to play in the FIH Nations Cup, it will be a very exciting tournament and we are hoping to show our progress made in the last couple of months. I hope all our fans will follow us and watch us on watch.hockey and we can use all of the support, and go India!” Sean Dancer, Head Coach (Ireland) “Results are important for us, and we will be focusing on managing games, and doing the simple things well to give ourselves the best chance of being successful.” Jude Menezes, Head Coach (Japan) “Our focus is on winning the nations cup as it will provide us with the opportunity to compete in the Pro League and play against the best teams in the world.” Han Jin Soo, Head Coach (Korea) “We have brought some new players who have never played internationally but I expect them to do very well. The Nations cup is a good opportunity for us and we hope to win so we can play in the Pro League.” Giles Bonnet, Head Coach (South Africa) “This is the beginning of a new and exciting cycle for the South African Women’s Hockey Team. The FIH Nations Cup presents us with our first opportunity to match up and test ourselves against higher ranked teams. We look forward to the opportunity and the challenge!” Robert Justus, Head Coach (Italy) “We are here to perform to our maximum abilities. We want to grow with every international game we play and are hoping for some good results. We dream of that. This tournament will give us a good perspective of our qualities.”

Pakistan beat Canada by 4-3 to earn seventh place in the Tournament Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: A Dayaan Cassiem master-class led South Africa to victory over Ireland in the thrilling final of the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022, securing qualification into the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 season for the hosts. The packed crowd in Potchefstroom was treated to an end-to-end display of attacking hockey in a closely fought match that ended in a 4-3 win in favor of South Africa. The attacking stars from both teams showed up in the big finals with Dayaan Cassiem and Shane O’Donoghue scoring twice, while Tevin Kok, Mustaphaa Cassiem and John McKee also getting on the scorecard. Dayaan Cassiem was especially brilliant, scoring two fantastic goals for the hosts in the first half before winning the penalty stroke, scored by younger brother Mustaphaa that gave South Africa the win in the final quarter. Pakistan beat Canada (5-4) in 7th place match: Pakistan started the 7th place playoff game on the attack, scoring two goals inside the first 6 minutes of the game. Canada didn’t let Pakistan run away with the game, and found two goals of their own to end the first half on level terms. Both teams scored a goal each from penalty corners and open play. The second half continued to follow a back and forth pattern. Pakistan struck first in the 4th quarter after a scoreless 3rd, but Canada answered back within a minute. Canada then took the lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes left, through a second Sean Murray goal, from a penalty corner. Pakistan responded instantly as a brilliant move from the right by Abdul Rana split the defense and allowed him to lift the ball over the keeper, into the net. Pakistan carried the momentum into the final minutes and a brilliant counter attacking move resulted in a goal scored by a diving Usama Bashir, to give Pakistan the lead with 3 minutes left to play that they carried to the end. Usama Bashir, the winning goal scorer for Pakistan, was awarded the player of the match and said: “It came a bit late but as the tournament went on we started implementing the plan that coach Aikman had devised for us. That is what has got us the win today and we will improve further in the future.” France vs Japan 2-2 (Shoot-out: 4-2) 5th place match: The French resurgence at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup continued as they finished their campaign on a high with a shoot-out win against Japan to claim the 5th position. Japan finish in the 6th place at the end of a good campaign that could’ve ended very differently had a few key moments gone their way. France were quicker off the block and threatened to run away with the game, scoring twice in the first quarter. Captain Victor Charlet added the 5th goal of his campaign from a thundering penalty corner and Timothée Clément scored his first goal, diving across the goal to deflect a cross sent in by Gaspard Xavier. Korea beat Malaysia (4-0) in Bronze medal match: The Bronze medal match set-up a replay of the opening day match between Korea and Malaysia, where Korea had edged Malaysia in a narrow 1-0 win. While Korea once again emerged victors in the repeat contest, the margin between the two teams was much wider this time, thanks to the offensive masterclass the Korean attack put in. After a goalless first quarter, Korea added two goals that gave them a lead they fully deserved. Seo Inwoo scored the opener before captain Namyong Lee doubled the lead with a great deflection at the back post. If Malaysia were looking for a reset at the interval, they did not get one. It was all Korea again in the 2nd half and they further added to their lead from a 39th minute penalty corner. The Malaysian rushers went straight for Jonghyun Jang, the top scorer at the Nations Cup, but Korea went for a variation with Jang passing it off to Jeon, and his pass to the far post was deflected in by Taeil Hwang. Jang still managed to get his 7th goal of the tournament though, with Korea winning a penalty corner in the 59th minute that Jang dispatched into the bottom left corner of the goal putting a cherry on top of the Korean win. South Africa beat Ireland (4-3) in gold medal match: South Africa started the second half strongly once again, and doubled their lead in the opening minute through a piece of individual brilliance by Tevin Kok who found the ball in a crowded space inside the circle, but calmly tapped it up, on to his stick, and lifted it over the keeper to double South Africa’s lead. South Africa could have sealed the win with another goal, but it was the Irish who scored the next goal of the game, with Shane O’Donoghue scoring his 5th goal of the campaign. John McKee then brought Ireland level with a goal right at the stroke of the 3rd quarter buzzer that took a deflection off Keenan Horne’s stick and sailed over the head of Kriek who was left stranded by the deflection. With 15 minutes left for both teams to look for a winner, Ireland committed too many players forward and an errant back pass was intercepted by the sharp Dayaan Cassiem who charged at the Irish goal with just the keeper to beat, but was brought down by O’Donoghue, resulting in a penalty stroke. It was Dayaan’s younger brother, Mustaphaa Cassiem who stepped up to take the penalty stroke and calmly slotted the ball past David Fitzgerald to get the lead back for South Africa.

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: The high quality hockey in both semi-finals were settled with moments of brilliance as Ireland and South Africa booked their spots in the first ever finals of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022, with the winning team earning a promotion into the FIH Hockey Pro League for the 2023-24 season. France beat Canada (7-1): France came into the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup as strong favorites but so far had flattered to deceive, with losses against Ireland and South Africa followed by a draw against Pakistan. Their defense had done reasonably well through most of the three matches, barring an errant 2nd half display against Pakistan, but their attack, which boasts of some real stars, never got going in the pool stage. Things turned around big time today, as France met Canada in the 5-8 classification match. It took France 15 minutes to open the scoring through captain Victor Charlet, but that goal opened the floodgates and France scored 6 more goals over the course of the match. Blaise Rogeau was the pick of the players scoring the first hat-trick of the Nations Cup. Canada scored a cracking goal of their own through a Matthew Sarmento tomahawk shot from the edge of the circle, but it was little more than a consolation as the game ended 7-1 in favor of France. Japan beat Pakistan (3-1): Pakistan’s best performance in the Nations Cup ends up in a loss, as their failure to convert chances, and Japan’s  helps Japan earn a victory and the opportunity to face France in the 5th place playoff. Pakistan looked threatening through the first three quarters of the game, often getting into the Japanese circle with chances to score, but for all their attacking intent and opportunities, the final touch was missing. Their defense lived dangerously too, conceding far too many penalty corners, and Japan finally broke the deadlock right before half-time, through their 6th opportunity from the set piece. As Pakistan’s looked to mount a comeback, they overcommitted on attack, and Japan exposed the space behind the Pakistani defense with two goals on the counter-attack. Pakistan scored one goal of their own in the 4th quarter through the impressive Rooman, but it wasn’t enough, as Pakistan will now face Canada in the 7th place play-off, while Japan will face France in the battle for 5th place. Ireland beat Malaysia (3-0): Two moments of pure magic from Ireland in the third quarter broke a stalemate leading them to a win and a spot in the finals of the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022, in a tough, tactical battle against Malaysia. In a tense and fairly even game, the momentum swung from one team to another, but neither team could find a breakthrough until the 41st minute, when a brilliant piece of control by Benjamin Walker in the Malaysian circle allowed him to swivel and smash a shot past the Malaysian keeper to give Ireland the lead. Two minutes later, yet another Irish attack from the left saw the ball pass around beautifully, allowing Jeremy Duncan to pass the ball into an empty goal. And while Malaysia searched for a way back into the game in the final quarter, it was Ireland through Duncan again, who created a wonderful 3-on-1 opportunity and scored the goal that sealed Malaysia’s fate. South Africa beat Korea 1-1 (2-3 shootout): Korea and South Africa met in the second semi-finals which proved to be another cagey affair with neither team able to produce a goal in the first half. But much like the first semi-final, a moment of brilliance broke the deadlock. For South Africa it was 25 year-old Tevin Kok, who has scored some belters already in the Nations Cup, coming up big once again, with a smashing reverse shot to open the scoring. Jonghyun Jang, the leading scorer of the Nations Cup stepped up once again from the penalty corner, to get his 6th goal, to level the score for Korea and the match headed into a shoot-out. The shoot-outs are always a nervous affair, but that was not the case for South African keeper Anton van Loggerenberg, who was substituted in for the shoot-out, and showed no nerves as he showed remarkable composure in the goal throughout the shoot-outs.

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

Korea, Ireland and South Africa seal semi-final berths Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 saw a plethora of attacking displays as all teams managed to get themselves on the scoresheet. But it was joy for some and despair for others as the semifinals picture started to take shape as the day progressed. Korea, Ireland and South Africa made it two wins in two matches, and qualified for the semi-finals, with one pool match still to go. Meanwhile Pakistan, Canada and France can no longer qualify after taking no points from the first two games. Korea beat Japan (3-1): Japan came racing off the blocks in the battle between two Asian rivals, but a combination of poor finishing and excellent keeping from Jehyeon Kim kept Korea in the game; who then made Japan pay for the missed opportunities by scoring on either side of the first quarter break through Jonghyun Jang and Sunghyun Kim. Japan pulled one back before the half as a speculative shot by Takuma Niwa snuck through the legs of Jehyeon Kim. The pace of the game slowed down significantly in the 3rd quarter, with both teams prodding, without committing too many to attack. Japan conceded a penalty corner with one second left in the third quarter, and Korea snatched the opportunity with a perfect top corner flick by Jonghyun Jang again. Ireland beat Pakistan (3-1): Ireland came into the game as heavy favorites after their impressive win against France yesterday, while Pakistan had suffered a heavy defeat against South Africa, but the first quarter proved how close all teams at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022 are, with neither team giving an edge. Pakistan opened the scoring through a smart finish by Abdul Shahid at the start of the 2nd quarter, but Ireland struck back almost instantly via Conor Empey. Both teams looked for attacking opportunities in the second half, but Pakistan could not make theirs count, while Ireland added two goals; the first, a beautiful team move with intricate passing that was knocked into an empty goal by Benjamin Walker, and a second via a Shane O’Donoghue penalty corner. The two second half goals were enough for Ireland to see the game out and make it 6 points from 2 matches so far. Malaysia beat Canada (3-2): Through most of the game Malaysia looked like they were going to be on the losing end of yet another frustrating encounter, where they had plenty of chances, but couldn’t find a way to get the final shot. But a 4th quarter surge reversed their fortunes and earned them 3 crucial points, which makes their next encounter against Japan, where a victory will see them qualify for the semi-finals. Canada took the lead in the game twice, but the Malaysian attack kept pressing on, despite failing to find a final touch on multiple occasions. With just 15 minutes to go in the game and Malaysia trailing by a goal, Canada’s Matthew Sarmento picked up a 10-minute suspension that handed Malaysia the impetus, and they capitalized on the player advantage through an Abu Azrai goal, leveling the score. Azrai then found himself in the right spot once again in the 57th minute of the game, as his shot deflected off a Canadian stick and looped over the keeper and into the goal to earn Malaysia a huge win. South Africa beat France (2-1): South Africa and France produced attacking masterclasses when they faced off in the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier in the year and it was no different today as the two teams went head-to-head in the Nations Cup. Corentin Sellier opened the scoring for France in the 12th minute with a brilliant move inside the circle to make room for himself and bury a shot into the roof of the net. South Africa answered back within a minute as a pinpoint long range pass by Ryan Julius found Tevin Kok, whose brilliant first touch allowed him to put the ball past the onrushing French keeper to level things up. Dayaan Cassiem has been the heart and soul of the South African team and showed once again why he is so highly regarded as his brilliant 3d skills cracked the French defense open in the 4th quarter and Keenan Horne had an easy tap-in to give South Africa a well-deserved lead. South Africa continued to play attacking hockey despite the lead, while their defense stood firm and repelled all French attacks, earning them a win and confirming their spot in the semi-finals, with a game still to play in the pool stage, against Ireland.

Sports Bulletin Report POTCHEFSTROOM (South Africa): Besides hosts South Africa, Japan, Korea and Ireland posted victories on the opening day of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 after winning their respective matches played at Potchefstroom, South Africa. Japan beat Canada (3-0): Japanese coach Akira Takahashi mentioned before the game that his team wouldn’t be afraid to play to their strengths and his team backed up his words with a dominant display in the opening encounter against Canada with a clinical 3-0 win to open their campaign. Japan started the game on the front foot and opened the scoring through Ken Nagayoshi beating Zachary Coombs on the fifth time of asking from a penalty corner midway through the 2nd quarter. Japan added two more goals from penalty corners on either side of the half-time through Taiki Takade and a second goal for Ken Nagayoshi, ending Canadian hopes of a comeback, taking all 3 points in the first game of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2022. Japan’s Kaito Tanaka was awarded the player of the match for a dominant display in the middle of the field. Speaking about the importance of winning the first game, Tanaka said: “It is important to win the first game, but the next two matches are just as important, so our focus is going to shift on the next game right away.” Ireland beat France (2-1): France came into the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022 as one of the prohibitive favorites, but suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at the hands of continental rivals Ireland, in their campaign opener. Ireland opened the scoring against the run of play midway through the first quarter, catching France out on a quick counter attack, as John McKee played a perfect pass into the path of Jeremy Duncan, who lifted the ball over the keeper, into the goal. France found a response inside 5 minutes, from a thundering penalty corner goal, scored by Victor Charlet. Ireland had the chance to go into the break with their lead restored but Arthur Thieffry pulled off a spectacular save from a penalty stroke to keep the teams level. The second half saw the game start to open up as the teams took turns to launch attacks. Ireland found the breakthrough in the final minute of the 3rd quarter, through a Shane O’Donoghue penalty corner. France continued to probe through the 4th quarter, even taking their keeper off for the final 5 minutes, but Ireland denied them possession for long periods and deservedly took all 3 points. John McKee who set up the first goal for Ireland was adjudged the player of the match and said: “It was a really good game for us and a massive result in the group. I am looking forward to the next two games and we are not going to get ahead of ourselves.” Korea beat Malaysia (1-0): Korea drew first blood in the battle of the Asian giants, scoring inside 5 minutes, through a Jonghyun Jang penalty corner and that goal was enough to get all 3 points for Korea. It was a game of missed chances as Korea and Malaysia both won penalty strokes in the 2nd quarter, but failed to capitalize, as Jang took too long to take a shot attempt and blew an opportunity to double Korea’s lead, while Rahim, who had the chance to pull Malaysia level, put his penalty stroke attempt wide to the right. The second half saw yet another penalty stroke opportunity missed, as Jang’s second chance of the game was deflected on to the post and out by Hafizuddin Othman to keep Malaysia in the game. As the game went on, Korea became more defensive, and Malaysia couldn’t get anything past Jaehyeon Kim, who had an outstanding performance in the Korean goal. Kim was adjudged the player of the match and said: “Happy with the 3 points, as it’s always good to get a win over Asian rivals Malaysia, because they aren’t an easy team to beat. Looking forward to the upcoming matches in the tournament now.”   South Africa beat Pakistan (6-2): Hosts South Africa gave the home crowd a lot to cheer for, as they produced a fluent attacking performance winning 6-2 against Pakistan, who showed plenty of promise, but were let down by the lack of defensive solidity. South Africa were clinical from the set pieces, scoring from two penalty corners and a penalty stroke in the first half. Tyson Dlungwana penalty corner opened the scoring for the hosts, and while Pakistan pulled level through Rooman, South Africa were not bogged down and continued to attack, scoring twice in the second quarter to take a comfortable lead into the interval. The pace of the game remained frantic in the second half as well, with South Africa striking first through a magical deflection by Tevin Kok, with his back to the goal that snuck in between the keeper’s legs. Skipper Dayaan Cassiem scored South Africa’s 5th goal in the final quarter to seal the win for his team in style. Pakistan pulled a goal back in the final quarter through Arshad Liaqat, but it proved to be little more than a consolation, as South Africa found a 6th goal on the counter to close the game out. Captain Dayaan Cassiem was awarded the player of the match award for his excellent performance in leading the line for South Africa. Samkelo Mvimbi, scorer of South Africa’s third goal, said: “It was a great start to the tournament for the team, and good to be involved amongst the goals as well. It’s a great feeling to play at home in front of the supporters and it gives us extra motivation to come out and play with a lot of passion, heart and fire as we are known to do.”