Sports Bulletin

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Navy, Army, Punjab Red, and Customs have stormed into the semifinals of the 37th National Juniors Hockey Championship 2024 after beating their respective opponents WAPDA (4-3), Police (3-0), Punjab Blues (5-0), and Khyber Pukhtunkawa (4-3) respectively here at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex on Wednesday. The semifinals will be played on Friday at the same venue.In the first quarterfinal, Pakistan Navy overcame Pakistan WAPDA 4-3. Mohammad Wasim scored two goals for Navy while Basharat Ali and Waleed Ashraf scored each one goal for their team. Aaamir Sohail, Mohammad Hasan, Hanan Khan scored each one goal for the Pakistan WAPDA.Meanwhile, in the second quarterfinal, Pakistan Army stunned Pakistan Police 3-0 after 60 minutes game. Saud Amjad made two goals for the winning side while Mohammad Owais contributed solitary goal for Pakistan Army, set to meet Pakistan Navy in the first semifinal on Friday at the same pitch.Punjab Reds outclassed Punjab Blues by 5-0 in the penultimate quarterfinal at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium. Obaidullah Awan (2), Mubashir Khan (1) Mohammad Aziz (1), and Adeel Afzal (1) were the goal scorer for Punjab Reds. Punjab Blues players failed to reduce margin.In the last and 4th quarterfinal, Pakistan Customs defeated Khyber Pukhtunkawa (KPK) 4-3 in the well contest match of the day, as the players of both teams displayed skillful hockey and amused handful  spectators during the all four quarters. Customs will face Punjab Reds in the second semifinal of top national junior hockey showpiece. Bilal Aslam scored a couple of goals for Customs while Mohammad Ammad and Samiullah contributed each one goal. 

Lausanne (Switzerland): The International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced that the 30 top hockey athletes have been shortlisted to win the FIH Best Player, FIH Best Goalkeeper and FIH Rising Star Awards of the Year.FIH Player of the Year Award - Nominees:Women: Gu Bingfeng (CHN), Yibbi Jansen (NED), Nike Lorenz (GER), Stéphanie Vanden Borre (BEL), Xan de Waard (NED)Men: Thierry Brinkman (NED), Joep de Mol (NED), Hannes Müller (GER), Harmanpreet Singh (IND), Zach Wallace (ENG)FIH Goalkeeper of the Year Award - Nominees:Women: Cristina Cosentino (ARG), Aisling D’Hooghe (BEL), Nathalie Kubalski (GER), Anne Veenendaal (NED), Ye Jiao (CHN) Men: Pirmin Blaak (NED), Luis Calzado (ESP), Jean-Paul Danneberg (GER), Tomás Santiago (ARG), PR Sreejesh (IND)FIH Rising Star of the Year Award – Nominees:Women: Claire Colwill (AUS), Zoe Díaz (ARG), Tan Jinzhuang (CHN), Emily White (BEL), Linnea Weidemann (GER)Men: Bautista Capurro (ARG), Bruno Font (ESP), Sufyan Khan (PAK), Michel Struthoff (GER), Arno Van Dessel (BEL)The list of nominees was established by an Expert Panel, composed of players, coaches and officials selected by each of their Continental Federations. The expert panel was provided access to match data from all international matches held in 2024, including Test Matches, the FIH hockey Pro League, FIH Hockey Nations Cups, FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers and the Olympic Games Paris 2024 before establishing the final list of nominees. The voting process is now open! National Associations - represented by their respective national teams’ captains and coaches -, fans, players, coaches, officials and media can register their vote until 11 October.The votes of the Expert Panel count for 40% of the overall result. Those from National Associations count for a further 20%. The fans and other players (20%) as well as the media (20%) will make the remaining 40%.Fans and players can cast their vote here.Expert Panel:Europe: Janne Müller-Wieland (GER) and Simon Mason (ENG)Asia: Tahir Zaman (PAK) and Ms Deepika (IND)Pan America: Soledad Iparraguirre (ARG) and Craig Parnham (USA)Africa: Sarah Bennett (ZIM) and Ahmed Youssef (EGY)Oceania: Amber Church (NZL) and Adam Webster (AUS)List of Awards:FIH Player of the Year (Women and Men)FIH Goalkeeper of the Year (Women and Men)FIH Rising Star of the Year (Women and Men)FIH Coach of the Year (Women and Men)FIH Umpire of the Year (Women and Men) (Press Release) 

Traditional oppositions defending champions India and Pakistan set to meet on September 14Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Asian Champions Trophy Men’s Hockey Tournament will get underway on September 8, 2024 in China, as Pakistan will face Malaysia in their opening contest of prestigious regional field hockey fixture. Green Shirts will take on traditional foes India on September 14, as the Indian lads will defend their title. All matches will be played at the Moqi Hockey Training Base in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China.Besides hosts China, Pakistan, India, Korea, Malaysia, and Japan will fight for top honour during the 10-day international fixture. Pakistan will play their first match against Malaysia on September 8 at 12:45 pm according to Pakistan Standard Time (PST). Pakistan will meet arch-rivals India on September 14 at 12:45 PST.Pakistan (Squad): Abdul Rehman, Ahmad Ajaz, Ali Ghazanfar, Butt Ammad, Hammadudin Muhammad, Hayat Zikriya, Khan Abdullah Ishtiaq, Khan Sufyan, Liaqat Arshad, Mahmood Abu, Nadeem Ahmad, Qadir Faisal, Rana Waheed Ashraf, Razzaq Salman, Rooman, Shahid Hannan, Shakeel Moin, Ur-Rehman MuneebMalaysia (Squad): Abd Razak Syawal, Abdu Rauf Muhajir, Albert Adrian, Anuar Akhimullah, Azahar Amirul, Azrai Abu Kamal, Harizan Faris, Hassan Najib, Hassan Shafiq, Jali Faiz, Jalil Marhan, Kamaruddin Azimuddin, Mat Deris Zaimi, Mat Syarman, Rozemi Aiman, Saari Faizal, Saari Fitri, Silverius Shello, Sumantri NorsyafiqIndia (Squad): Krishan Bahadur Pathak, Suraj Karkera, Jarmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh (C), Jugraj Singh, Sanjay, Sumit, Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Vivek Sagar Prasad (VC), Manpreet Singh, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Abhishek, Sukhjeet Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Gurjot SinghChina (Squad) : Ao Weibao, Ao Yang, Chao Jieming, Chen Benhai, Chen Chongcong, Chen Qijun, Deng Jingwen, E Kaimin, E Wenhui, Gao Jiesheng, He Yonghua, Huang Ziyang, Lin Changliang, Lu Yuanlin, Meng Dihao, Meng Nan, Wang Caiyu, Wang Weihao, Zhang Taozhu, Zhu XiaotongKorea (Squad): Bae Jongsuk, Bae Soung Min, Cheon Min Su, Hyun Jigwang, Jung Hyunho, Kim Hyeonhong, Kim Jaehan, Kim Junghoo, Kim Minkwon, Kim Sunghyun, Kong Yoonho, Lee Gangsan, Lee Hyeseung, Lee Jungjun, Oh Daewon, Oh Seyong, Park Cheoleon, Park Geonwoo, Sim Jaewon, Yang JihunJapan (Squad): Chiba Yuki, Fujishima Raiki, Kashiwagi Ren, Kawabe Kosei, Kawahara Yamato, Kawamura Yusuke, Kimura Naru, Kitagawa Takumi, Matsumoto Kazumasa, Matsuzaki Yuito, Nagai Yuma, Nagayoshi Ken, Oba Yosei, Tanaka Seren, Tanaka Tsubasa, Watanabe Keita, Yamada Shota, Yamashita Manabu Schedule (Asian Champions Trophy 2024):September 8, Sunday (South Korea vs Japan) 11:00 AMSeptember 8, Sunday (Malaysia vs Pakistan) 1:15 PMSeptember 8, Sunday (India vs China) 3:30 PMSeptember 9, Monday (South Korea vs Pakistan) 11:00 AMSeptember 9, Monday (India vs Japan) 1:15 PMSeptember 9, Monday (China vs Malaysia) 3:30 PMSeptember 11, Wednesday (Pakistan vs Japan) 11:00 AMSeptember 11, Wednesday (Malaysia vs India) 1:15 PMSeptember 11, Wednesday (China vs South Korea) 3:30 PMSeptember 12, Thursday (Japan vs Malaysia) 11:00 AMSeptember 12, Thursday (South Korea vs India) 1:15 PMSeptember 12, Thursday (Pakistan vs China) 3:30 PMSeptember 14, Saturday (Malaysia vs South Korea) 11:00 AMSeptember 14, Saturday (India vs Pakistan) 1:15 PMSeptember 14, Saturday (Japan vs China) 3:30 PMSeptember 16, Monday (5th-6th place play-off)10:30 AMSeptember 16, Monday (Semifinal 1) 1:10 PMSeptember 16, Monday (Semi-final 2) 3:30 PMSeptember 17, Tuesday (Third-place play-off) 1:00 PMSeptember 17, Tuesday (Final) 3:30 PM. 

Sports Bulletin ReportRAWALPINDI: The 37th National Junior Hockey Championship will be played from September 21 to October 10, 2024 at Lt. Gen (Retd) Ishfaq Nadeem Hockey Stadium, Ayub Park Rawalpindi.Regarding the top national junior hockey fixture, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has written a letter to all its affiliated unites including all provinces and advised them to prepare their teams for the national junior hockey event.  

Lausanne (Switzerland): Hockey at Paris 2024 came to a conclusion on 9 August, with a historic double gold for Netherlands, as the men's and women’s teams of a nation won the hockey gold in the same edition of an Olympics for the very first time! Germany men and China women added a silver medal to their trophy cabinets, while India men and Argentina women made it back-to-back medal finishes, claiming the bronze medals in Paris.The competition for medals was wide open, and there were plenty of surprises and upsets as the jostling for medal finishes shook up the world rankings. Join us as we take a look at the updated rankings, following the conclusion of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.In the men’s world rankings, Olympic champions Netherlands (3168) stand at the top of the rankings. Netherlands came into the games in the top spot, but dropped to third in the pool stage following a draw against Great Britain and a loss to Germany, but four consecutive wins to finish with the title, sees them climb back into the first place.Germany (3035) once again showed their big tournament prowess, as they came into the event ranked fifth in the world, but registered big wins over the likes of Netherlands, Great Britain, Argentina and India to climb into second place in the world rankings, on the way to the silver medal.England* (2973), Belgium (2959) and India (2849) complete the top-5 places. Belgium in particular will be disappointed with their quarter final exit, coming in as defending champions. The Red Lions had a near perfect pool stage with 4 wins and a draw that had catapulted them to the top of the world rankings, but a loss to Spain in the quarterfinal saw them drop down to fourth. Germany’s ascent also sees England drop down one spot from their pre-Olympics ranking of second place, to third, while India have climbed one spot up bridging the gap to the top-4, following a second consecutive bronze medal finish at the Olympics.Australia (2714), Argentina (2643) and Spain (2470) find themselves in the sixth, seventh and eighth positions respectively. Australia began the Olympics ranked fourth in the world, and climbed into the top-3 after the first win over Argentina, but a disappointing campaign where they endured losses to Belgium, India and got knocked out by Netherlands in the quarterfinals, sees them drop down to sixth, less than 100 points clear of Argentina in seventh. Spain fell just short of the bronze medal and while their ranking remains unchanged, the gap to seventh place is less than half of what it was before Paris 2024.Ireland (2078), France (2016), South Africa (1982) and New Zealand (1958) take up the ninth to twelfth spots in the world rankings with all four teams competing at the Olympics, but failing to make the quarterfinals. Ireland’s victory over New Zealand in their final pool stage game, lifted them two spots into ninth place at the expense of France who ended their pool stage of the games with just one point following a draw against Spain. South Africa moved up one place thanks to their draw against Great Britain and win over France, while New Zealand’s failure to collect any points at the Olympics sees them drop two spots down from tenth.In the women’s world rankings, Netherlands (3641) remain infallible, adding a fourth Olympic gold medal from the last five editions of the Games! While China gave them a big scare in the gold medal match, Netherlands prevailed in the end, completing a perfect campaign with 8 wins in 8 matches.Argentina (3059) continue to remain in a distant second place, following their bronze medal performance at Paris 2024. Belgium (2852) climbed one place to third in the world after narrowly missing out on their first ever Olympic medal, with back-to-back shoot-out losses to China in the semi-final, and Argentina in the bronze medal match, but it was still an impressive campaign from the Red Panthers in just their second ever Olympic appearance!Germany (2739) exited in the quarterfinals at Paris 2024, a result which saw them drop down one spot, into fourth. Australia (2720) continue to remain in fifth place and similar to Germany, would be disappointed in their quarterfinal exit, following a stellar pool phase where they finished top of their pool with 4 wins and a draw.China’s (2567) incredible run in Paris 2024, which saw them come within a whisker of claiming the gold medal, has resulted in a two-place climb in the world rankings table as they now sit in the sixth spot, ahead of England* (2419) and Spain (2322) in seventh and eighth respectively.India (2087) and New Zealand (2024), who missed out on Olympic qualification, round out the top-10 world rankings.Among the teams that competed at the Olympics outside of top-10, are Japan (2010) in eleventh place, narrowly trailing New Zealand. United States (1898) were extremely competitive throughout the pool stage of the Olympics and registered points through a draw against Spain and a win over South Africa, and find themselves in thirteenth place in the world rankings.South Africa (1403) and France (1371) both ended Paris 2024 without scoring any points and are placed twentieth and twenty second in the world respectively. Both teams have plenty of positives to take away from the Olympics though, with this being the first appearance for France at an Olympics, while South Africa, given their very young squad, were competitive, not losing by more than one goal in any of their matches except one, which came in the form of a 4-2 loss to Argentina, where South Africa were leading 2-1 until the final ten minutes. (PR)

Club appoints Nawaz Rana as a captain of team for World Cup AucklandAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Pakistan born, International Player, Nawaz Rana has been nominated as captain of Alliance International Hockey team men45+ to represent in upcoming Masters Hockey World Cup, which will be held from November 7 to 16, 2024 at National Hockey Centre Auckland, New Zealand.According to available information from abroad, besides hosts New Zealand, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Germany, Malaysia, Holland, Oman, South Africa, Sri Lanka, United States of America (USA), England, and Wales will be participating in the 10-day international hockey showpiece.International hockey player Nawaz Rana said: “I have been selected successively thrice for the international hockey world Cup fixture, as a player with Alliance International Hockey Team. Previously I earned the silver medal in the Master Hockey World Cup 2022 in South Africa. This time, we built a strong team and the best players are part of our squad. We are expecting, our players will produce sparking and notable performance in the Masters Hockey World Cup 2024 and will lift the title.”Names of selected players (45+): Kosoof David William, Wilson Nigel John, Roberts Mark Ian, Aminder Pal Singh, Chetan Rangilads, Gurpreet Singh Khndola, David Gailey, Daniel John Hollyman, Dalpit Singh Gill, Navtej Singh, Kamal Deep Singh Brewal, Raman Deep Singh Bara, Amar Preet Singh, Manjinder Pal Singh, Jagdish Singh, Pamandeep Singh Rai, Shanavas Naduvath ValappilTeam Officials: Sohail Akram Janjua (Manager), Shahbaz Ahmed Junior (Coach), Nawaz Rana (Assistant Coach) DR. Amer Farooq (Physio).

Sports Bulletin ReportParis (France): The women’s hockey final at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be contested between reigning champions the Netherlands and China, with the Asian giants reaching their first Olympic final since Beijing 2008.The Netherlands women – the reigning Olympic, World, European and FIH Hockey Pro League champions – proved simply too strong for semi-final opponents Argentina, claiming a 3-0 triumph over their fierce rivals to reach the Olympic final for the sixth successive Games. Netherlands beat Argentina (3-0): In front of an enthusiastic sell-out crowd, the Netherlands were in irresistible form against Las Leonas, dominating their illustrious opponents with goals from Luna Fokke, Laura Nunnink and Yibbi Jansen.The result means that the possibility of the Netherlands winning both hockey gold medals remains very much on, with the men playing their final, against Germany, tomorrow (8 August). For Tokyo 2020 silver medallists Argentina, the result means that they will play for bronze on Friday (9 August). China overcame Belgium (1-1 and 3-1 on shoot-out): In a match filled with huge drama, China opened the scoring through Zou Meirong’s penalty corner, successfully defending their lead until the final two minutes when Emma Puvrez slapped home a fabulous leveller, sending the huge numbers of Belgian fans into raptures. Capitalising on the momentum, the Red Panthers lead early in the shoot-out when goalkeeper Aisling D’Hooghe denied Chen Yang before Vanessa Blockmans produced an outrageous lob that clipped the crossbar on the way to establishing a 2-1 advantage. However, China showed incredible character to score their next three attempts, with goalkeeper Ye Jiao denying Ambre Ballenghien, Justine Rasir and Delphine-Daphne Marien to break Belgian hearts.

Sports Bulletin ReportParis (France): Reigning Olympic men’s gold medallists Belgium recorded an astonishing victory over Tokyo 2020 silver medallists Australia, with Tom Boon netting a sensational hat-trick as the Red Lions triumphed 6-2 to move top of Pool B in an absorbing Olympic Games Paris 2024 hockey encounter.On a day that featured only men’s matches, India and Argentina were also winners in Pool B, while Pool A leaders the Netherlands were pegged back by Great Britain as the race for the quarter-finals heated up on a scorching hot day at the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium. Men’s Pool A: The Netherlands (7pts) finished Day 4 sitting at the top of the standings thanks to a 2-2 draw against Great Britain (5pts), who rescued a valuable point thanks to a brilliant late double from Lee Morton. “I don't score many” said GB’s Morton on his brace. “It’s my first Olympic goal, and I get to score two.” Third placed Great Britain sit one point behind second placed Germany (6pts), who bounced back from Sunday’s loss to Spain in brilliant style. Gonzalo Peillat (2), Christopher Rühr, Justus Weigand and Mats Grambusch all netted in a 5-2 win over South Africa (1pt), who are fifth in the table. “South Africa showed (by drawing against Great Britain on Sunday) that they can compete on the highest level”, said Germany scorer Rühr. “So we had to play our A-game today, and we played really well and scored five goals, which is not even undeserved.”Spain (4pts) ended the day occupying fourth place in Pool A having twice trailed host nation France (6th - 1pt) – who led early thanks to two wonderful goals from Timothee Clement – before a Pepe Cunill’s 51st minute penalty corner earned a 3-3 draw for the Red Sticks. “We obviously wanted to win this match because we would have had six points and would be in a very good position”, said Spain’s Cunill. Although we drew the match, we know that we gained a really important point that gives us more chances to qualify.” Men’s Pool B: Belgium (1st - 9pts) produced easily their best performance of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, crushing Australia (3rd – 6pts) 6-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Tom Boon and additional goals from Alexander Hendrickx, Florent van Aubel and Antoine Kina. The Red Lions thrilled the thousands of watching Belgian fans by securing their place in the competition quarter-finals, although Belgian midfielder Victor Wegnez was cautious in his post-match assessment. “I think we got lucky a few times, and while it is a great result it is only a pool match so we don’t want to get too excited”, said Wegnez, a gold medallist from Tokyo 2020. “It was just amazing to play in front of those fans. It was a pretty much a home crowd, which is the beauty of Belgium being so close to Paris.” Earlier in the day, eight times Olympic champions India (2nd - 7pts) – who are yet to face Australia and Belgium – claimed their second win of the competition, seeing off Ireland (6th - 0pts). Harmanpreet Singh scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over the Green Machine, a result which also confirmed their safe passage through to the quarter-finals. “It was a good result for us”, said India striker Sukhjeet Singh. “We played well in a structured way to stop the Ireland team, so we are very happy.”Rio 2016 gold medallists Argentina (4th – 4 pts) battled to their first victory in Paris, with New Zealand (5th – 0pts) being downed by goals from Tomas Domene and Lucas Martinez.

ISLAMABAD (faisal): Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has invited 40 players from different departments for a national training camp, which will get underway here at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex from July 31. The final selected team will participate in the Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament.Pakistan Hockey Federation asked players to report to Camp Commandant Olympian Sheikh Usman at 2 pm on July 31 at the Naseer Banda Hockey Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad. Asian Men’s Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament will be held in Hollenbeur, China from September 8 to September 17, 2024.Names of invited players: Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan (Mari Petroleum), Muneebur Rahman (ZTBL), Ali Raza (Punjab), Mohammad Abdullah (Mari Petroleum), Ehtisham Aslam (ZTBL), Mohammad Sufyan Khan (Mari Petroleum), Imad Shakeel Butt (National Bank), Abubakar Mahmood (National Bank), Arshad Liaquat (Mari Petroleum), Rana Abdul Waheed Ashraf (WAPDA), Moin Shakeel (WAPDA), Mohammad Salman Razak (WAPDA), Murtaza Yaqub (WAPDA), Abdul Hanan Shahid (WAPDA), Ijaz Ahmed (WAPDA), Abdul Rehman (Air Force), Osama Bashir (Air Force), Zakaria Hayat (Navy), Ghazanfar Ali (Customs), Hammaduddin Anjum (WAPDA), Roman (WAPDA), Abdul Rehman (WAPDA), Aqeel Ahmed (WAPDA), Abdul Manan (Customs), Arbaz Ahmed (Mari Petroleum), Afraz (Mari Petroleum), Basharat Ali (Navy), Mohammad Nadeem Khan (KPK), Junaid Manzoor (National Bank). Ahmed Nadeem (Punjab), Mohsin Khan (Air Force), Rao Arsalan (Pak Army), Waseem (Pak Army), Rizwan Ali (Air Force), Samin (Punjab), Aleem Usman (WAPDA), Faisal Qadir (National Bank), Shahzeb Khawar (Punjab), Hammad Ali (Navy), Abdul Rehman (Punjab Rangers). 

Paris (France): With the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium bathed in sunshine, the women’s team of Belgium, Germany, Australia and Spain all secured victories in their first matches at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. In the men’s competition, Germany suffered defeat at the hands of Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands emerged triumphant, and South Africa and Great Britain played out a pulsating draw.Women’s Pool A: Belgium started their Olympic campaign with a hard fought 2-1 victory over China thanks to a superb, roofed finish from Charlotte Engelbert with five minutes remaining. “There were good things and bad things”, said Belgium’s Emma Puvrez on the occasion of her 200th international appearance. “China is a very good team to play against, they're very technical as well as physical so it was a difficult start for us.”Germany also began their quest for gold positively as goals from Charlotte Stapenhorst and Nike Lorenz secured a 2-0 win over Japan. "We created loads of chances but they defended really well”, said Stapenhorst. “I think we're just glad that we got this tournament started."Germany and Belgium moved level on points with Day 1 winners the Netherlands, with the Oranje’s superior goal difference keeping them top of the standings. Women’s Pool B: Australia and Spain kept pace with Day 1 winners Argentina by snatching narrow wins against South Africa and Great Britain respectively. The Hockeyroos fought back from a goal down to beat the African continental champions, with Stephanie Kershaw and Tatum Stewart on target to give the three-time Olympic gold medallists a 2-1 win. "It was very tough”, said Australia’s Kaitlyn Nobbs. “They came out with a lot of energy and we tried to match it. But I think we built really well into the game and eventually got the results."Rio 2016 gold and Tokyo 2020 bronze medallists Great Britain suffered defeat in their competition opener, with Barcelona 1992 gold medallists Spain earning a 2-1 triumph courtesy of early goals from Laura Barrios and Lola Reira."[Great Britain] compete very well in these kinds of tournaments”, said Spain’s Reira. “This match was important because it was the first one, but also because we faced them. They have a lot of experience and it gives them strength."Men’s Pool A: Spain recorded the most eye-catching result of the day with a superb 2-0 victory over Germany, with goals from Jose Maria Basterra and Pepe Cunill kickstarting the Red Sticks’ Olympic challenge. The result left Spain sitting fourth in the table, level on points with Germany who are third due to their superior goal difference.The Netherlands sit proudly at the top of Pool B thanks to a comprehensive 4-0 win against France, with the home fans once again making an incredible noise throughout the contest. Tijmen Reyenga, Koen Bijen, Jonas de Geus and Duco Telgenkamp all netted for the Oranje, with Bijen describing scoring his first Olympic goal as “a really special and emotional moment, with my family watching in the stands”.The contest was also noteworthy for being the first Olympic hockey match to feature mixed gender on-field umpiring teams, with Irene Presenqui (ARG) and Sean Rapaport (RSA) calling the contest. More details about this story can be found here. Great Britain ended the day second in Pool A after a late penalty corner deflection from Rupert Shipperley snatched a 2-2 draw against South Africa. Despite being disappointed on missing out on all three points, South Africa’s Dayaan Cassiem felt proud of his team’s performance. “Our energy was much better today, I think we really came out firing”, said Cassiem. “I’m really proud of the boys. Men’s Pool B: In the day’s only Pool B match, reigning Olympic champions Belgium overcame a monumental challenge from New Zealand’s Black Sticks to emerge 2-1 winners thanks to goals from Alexander Hendrickx and Florent van Aubel. The result puts Belgium clear at the top of the pool, although they have played a game more than nearest rivals India and Australia, who are both in action on Monday (29 July).Notable figures in attendance on Day 2 included Spanish royals Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofia as well as Bollywood actor Amol Palekar, Spanish National Olympic Committee President Alejandro Blanco Bravo and Chris Jenkins, the President of the Commonwealth Games. (PR)