Ahmed Naeel wins Under-18 title: Muzzamil Murtaza/Mohammad Shoaib claim Doubles’ titleSports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Rising tennis player, Muzzamil Murtaza dispatched Pakistan number one and top seed Aqeel Khan 2-1 in the first semifinal of the Men’s Singles of the 9th the 9th Benazir Bhutto Shaheed National Tennis Championships 2023 after beating their opponents here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) on Saturday. The final score-line was 6-3, 5-7, and 6-4.Muzzamil won the first set by 6-3 with ease while in the second set Aqeel controlled the game and took the set by 7-5. The 3rd set was thrilling, as both players toiled hard on the court to win the set as well as the semifinal. Muzzamil proved enough good to overcome heavyweight Aqeel Khan 6-4 in the decisive set. Ladies’ Single, Under 12, Under 10, and Under 18 Girls finals will be played at 10:30am while Men’s singles final will be played at 1pm. Farahat ullah Baber will be the chief guest at the closing ceremony.Results:Men’s Singles (Semifinals):Muzzamil Murtaza beat Aqeel Khan 6-3, 5-7, 6-4Mohammad Shoaib beat Yousaf Khalil 6-0, 6-1Men’s Doubles (Final):Muzzamil Murtaza/Mohammad Shoaib beat Mohammad Abid/Waqas Malik 7-6 (4), 6-3Ladies’ Singles (Semifinals):Amana Ali Qayum beat Mehak Khokhar 7-6 (5), 7-8 (2)Sara Mehboob beat Esha Jawad 6-3, 6-4U-18 Boys’ Single (Final):Ahmed Naeel beat Hamza Asim 3-6, 6-2, 6-3U-14 Boys’ Single (Final):Hassan Usmani beat Muzzamil Bhand 6-1, 6-0U-12 Boys Single (Semifinals):Shayan Afridi beat Arsh Imran 4-1, 4-0Razziq Sultan beat Ibrahim Gill 4-0, 4-0Boys’ Under 10 (Semifinals):Rashid Ali Bachani beat Arsh Imran 4-0, 4-0Mohammad Faizan beat Ibrahim Gill 5-3, 1-4, 4-1Veteran Doubles 45+ (Final):Rashid Ali/Israr Gul beat Amin Khan/Syed Murtaza 6-4, 6-3.

Aqeel Khan, Muzzammil Murtaza, Yousaf Khalil, and Mohammad Shoaib reach in semifinalsEsha Jawad, Sara Mehboob, Amna Ali, and Meheq Khokhar win quarterfinal contestsAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Pakistan number one tennis player, Aqeel Khan, Muzzammil Murtaza, Yousaf Khalil, and Mohammad Shoaib moved into semifinals of the ongoing men’s singles of the 9th Benazir Bhutto Shaheed National Tennis Championships 2023 after beating their respective challengers Muddassir Murtaza, Barkat ullah, Mohammad Abid, and Mohammad Shoaib here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) on Friday, as the all winners claimed straight games victories.Match of the day was between Aqeel Khan and Muddassir Murtaza which lasted 2 hours 30 minutes. Aqeel took the first 6-4, and in the second set Muddassir outplayed Aqeel khan and broke his serve at the beginning of set and won by 6-1, third set was a thriller and both players fought hard but at 4-4 Aqeel got the advantage of his experience and finished victorious by 6-4 in the third.Results: Men’s Singles (Quarterfinal):Aqeel Khan beat Muddassir Murtaza 6-4, 1-6, 6-4Muzzammil Murtaza beat Barkat ullah 6-2, 6-4Yousaf Khalil beat Mohammad Abid 6-3, 6-0Mohammad Shoaib beat Mohammad Salar 6-0, 6-3Men’s Doubles (Semifinals):Mohammad Abid/Waqas Malik beat Yousaf Khalil/Barkat ullah 4-6, 6-4, 10-3Muzzamil Murtaza/Mohammad Shoaib beat Aqeel Khan/Shezad Khan 1-6, 6-3, 10-5(Super tiebreak)Ladies’ Singles (Quarterfinal):Esha Jawad beat Kainat Ali 6-2, 6-2Sara Mehboob beat Shiza Sajjid 7-5, 6-4Amna Ali Qayum beat Asifa Shebaz 6-1, 7-5Meheq Khokhar beat Laiba Iqbal 6-1, 6-1 U-18 Boys’ Single (Semifinal):Hamza Asim beat Mahatir Mohammad 6-4, 5-7, 7-5Ahmed Naeel beat Hamza Roman 6-1, 6-4U-18 Girls’ Single (Semifinal):Amna Ali Qayum beat Zunaisah Noor 6-2, 6-2Shiza Sajjid beat Manha Khalid 6-0, 6-1U-14 Boys’ Single (Semifinal):Hassan Usmani beat Rohab Faisal 4-1, 3-5, 4-0Muzzamil Bhand beat Mahd Shezad 4-2, 4-1U-12 Boys’ Single (Quarterfinals):Shayan Afridi beat Abdul Wasay 4-2, 4-0Arsh Imran beat Zaid Zaman 3-5, 4-1, 4-0Ibrahim Gil got w/o against Ahmed HussainRaziq Sultan beat Rashid Bachani 4-1, 4-2Boys’ U10 (Quarterfinals):Arsh Imran beat Majid Ali Bachani 4-1, 4-0Ibrahim Gil beat Ehsan Bari 4-1, 4-0Rashid Bachani beat Qasim ul Khair 4-1, 4-0Mohammad Faizan beat Salar Khan 4-1, 4-0Veteran Doubles 45+ (Semifinal):Mohammad Amin/Syed Murtaza beat Azeem Khan/Mehmood Khan 6-3, 6-3Rashid Ali/Israr Gul beat Sohail Bulant/Yasin Abbassi 6-2, 6-1.

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: FG/Din Polo and Team Remounts emerged victorious in their respective semifinals played here at the Lahore Polo Club on Friday, qualifying for the main final of the Hamadan Lahore Open Polo Championship sponsored by Hamadan and Samsung. Lahore Polo Club President, Malik Azam Hayat Noon, along with executive committee members, the secretary, and a multitude of players and families, gathered to witness the captivating and exciting matches. In the first semifinal, FG/Din Polo narrowly triumphed over Newage Cables with a 7-6 scoreline. Bilal Haye and Juan Cruz Greguol stole the spotlight with three goals each, securing their team's victory. Amin Rahman contributed the remaining one goal. Hamza Mawaz Khan shone for Newage Cables, scoring four goals, while Shah Shayml Alam and Mohammad Ali Malik each added one. The second semifinal witnessed a clash of titans as Remounts faced off against Rijas Polo. In a hard-fought battle, Rijas Polo emerged victorious with an 8-7 victory. Loa Abelenda led Remounts to victory with an impressive six-goal tally, supported by Omar Asjad Malhi and Mohammad Naeem, each contributing one goal. Despite Juan Manuel Grossi's stellar performance with six goals and Mohib Shahzad adding one, Rijas Polo fell short by a single-goal margin. The main final, set for Sunday (December 24, 2023), promises an intense showdown between FG/Din Polo and Remounts. Meanwhile, in the subsidiary final, Diamond Paints/Platinum Homes will go head-to-head against Master Paints. 

Mohammad Shoaib, Mohammad Salar, Yousaf Khalil, Barkat ullah register winsAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: Mohammad Shoaib, Mohammad Salar, Yousaf Khalil, and Barkat ullah advanced into next round of Men’s Singles discipline of the 9th Benazir Bhutto Shaheed National Tennis Championships 2023 after beating their opponents here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) on Thursday.In the Men’s Singles, Mohammad Salar overcame Abdullah Adnan in thrilling three sets and made the upset of the day. Both players exhibited a highest level of the game but in the third set Mohammad Salar showed his excelled game and broke the serve at 3-3 and won the third set by 6-3.Results:Men’s Singles (Pre-Quarterfinals):Mohammad Shoaib beat Ahmed Naeel 6-2, 6-1Mohammad Salar beat Abdullah Adnan 4-6, 7-5, 6-3Yousaf Khalil beat Hamza Asim 6-2, 6-1Barkat ullah beat Hamza Roman 6-2, 6-3Men’s Doubles (Round-2):Yousaf Khalil/Barkat ullah beat Sami Zeb Khan/Ahmed Naeel 7-5, 6-1Mohammad Shoaib/Muzzamil Murtaza beat Hamza Asim/Mohammad Salar 6-3, 6-2Ladies’ Singles (Pre-Quarterfinals):Sarah Mehboob beat Daliah Ashraf 6-2, 6-0Asifa Shabaz beat Labika Durab 6-2, 6-1Mehak Khokhar beat Syeda Ajwa 6-0, 6-1U-18 Boys’ Single (Quarterfinal):Hamza Roman beat Asad Zaman 6-4, 6-3Mahatir Mohammad beat Mohammad Salar 6-2, 6-2Hamza Asim beat Ehtisham Himayun 6-4, 6-2U-14 Boys’ Single (Quarterfinals):Muzzamil Bhand beat Mohammad Yahya 4-0, 4-1Hassan Usmani beat Haziq Asim 2-4, 4-0, 4-0Mahd Shezad beat Haziq Areejo 5-4 (7), 2-4, 4-2Rohab Faisal beat Nabeel Ali Qayum 4-5 (5), 4-2, 4-2U-12 Boys’ Single (Pre-Quarterfinal):Ahmed Hussain beat Ansar ullah 4-1, 4-2Shayan Afridi beat Mohammad Shakeeb 4-1, 4-1Raziq Sultan beat Mohammad Faizan 4-1, 4-0Abdul Wasay beat Majid Ali Bachani 4-1, 4-1Zayed Zaman beat Raja Mohammad Taha 4-1, 4-0Rashid Ali Bachani beat Waniya Khalid Raja 4-, 4-0Arsh Imran beat Behroze Memoon 4-0, 4-1Boys’ Under 10 (Pre-Quarterfinals):Qasim ul Khair beat Umer Zaman 4-1, 4-2Majid Ali Bachani beat Ali Nasir 4-0, 4-1Rashid Ali Bachani beat Fatima Maqsood 4-0, 4-2Arsh Imran beat Beroze Memoon 4-0, 4-0Salar Khan beat Amna Maqsood 4-1, 4-2Ibrahim Gil beat Amir Masood 4-0, 4-1;

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The qualifying round of the 9th Benazir Bhutto (Shaheed) National Tennis Championships 2023 has kicked off here at Islamabad Tennis Complex (ITC) G-6/4 on Monday. Over 300 players are participating in 10 different categories.Results (Men’s Singles):Qualifying (Round-1): Abdul Farooq beat Ali Zafar 7-5; Azan Shahid beat Bilal Taibzada 6-2; Sikandar Amin beat Amjid Nasir 6-4; Ali Zain beat Fahad Habid 6-1; Hamid Ali beat Khurram Razaq 6-4; Abrar ul Haq beat Ehtisham 6-2; Kaleem Zaib beat Mustansar Ali 6-2; Jibran Khan beat Haroon Bajwa 6-0; Ahmad Usman beat Abid Ali 6-1; Danish Raza beat Ali Anwar 6-3; Hassan Ahmed beat Hafiz Talib 6-0; Noor e Mustafa beat Rafay Tarar 6-2; Shazaib Akran beat Abubakar 6-1; Asad Zaman beat Omer Masood 6-1; Mohammad Afaq beat Raza Ali 6-2; Talha Mujeeb beat Mohammad Amin 6-3; Aqib Hayat beat Taimur Ansari 6-3; Qasim Khan beat Syed Sameer 6-1;Qualifying (Round-2): Hasam Khan beat Noor e Mustafa 6-1; Syed Hamza beat Moiz Ahmed 6-1; Hamza Asim beat Mohammad Arshad 6-2; Asad Zaman beat Mohammad Afaq 6-2; Nalian Abbas beat Rayan Khan 6-1; Huzaima Rehman beat Raja Farzam 6-2; Jibran ul haq beat Mujtaba6-1; Haqib Hayat beat Qasim Khan 6-3; Ozair beat Adil 6-3; Sikandar beat Azan 6-1; Ali beat Mohammad Shakeel 6-1; Murtaza khan beat Hammad 6-1; Waqas Malik beat Inam Qad-0ir 6-0; Kaleem beat Ibrar 6-0; Kamran beat Hamad 6-1; Zaryab beat Hamza 6-0; Israr Gul beat Hassan 6-3; Aqil beat Hazrat 6-2; Ilham Khan beat Danish 6-2; Saifullah beat Akbar 6-1;Qualifying (Round-3): Ozair Khan beat Sikandar 6-3; Syed Murtaza beat Ali 6-4; Waqas Malik beat Kaleem 6-4; Kamran beat Jidraan 6-1; Mohammad Zaryab beat Mohammad Huzaifa 6-0; Danish beat Ahmed 6-0; Israr Gul beat Aqil Khan 6-1; Ilham Khan beat Saifullah 6-2; Hassam beat Shazaib Akram 6-1; Daisuki Unemi beat Syed Hamza 7-5; Mohammad Hamza beat Taimoor Adil 6-0; Asad Zaman beat Nalian Abbass 6-1; Talha Mujeeb beat Mamoon Kiyani 6-4; Uzaima beat Azeem Khan 6-2; Jibran ul Haq beat Abdullah 6-2; Hamza Roman beat Aqib Hayat 6-1;Qualifying (Round-4): th round: Waqas Malik beat Kamran Khan 6-1; Mohammad Zaryab beat Danish 6-1; Uzaima beat Talha Mujeeb 6-0;Boys’ Under-18 Singles (Qualifying Round-1): Hassan beat Hazrat Ali 6-1; Syed Hamza beat Raja Yahya 6-0; Hashir Alam beat Azan Shahid Khan 7-5; Waqas Janas beat Abdullah Khan 6-4; Syed Hammad Shahid beat Mohammad Arsalan 6-1; Mohammad Ozair beat Bazil Rizwan 6-2; Rohab Faisal beat Sameer Maqsood 6-0;Round-2: Hassam beat Mohammad Kiyani 6-1; Hashir beat Anis 6-1; Waqas Janas beat Ammar Masood 6-2; Mohammad Ozair Khan beat Mohammad Mahd 6-2; Juniad Mehr beat Laraib Shamsi 6-2; Wahab beat Ali Zafar 6-1; 

Abdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Former captain of national Pakistan hockey team, goalkeeper and Olympian Ahmed Alam has said that the federation politics ruined the national game in the country and players should not be involved in the federation’s affairs.While talking to Editor www.sports-bulletin.com during an exclusive sitting here at a local hotel Pak-Punjb, Ahmed Alam lamented over the declining standard of the national game hockey in the country. “The inside politics of the federation is hurting the game of hockey and unfortunately we have involved the players too in the dirty politics. At least players should not be a part of this thing. If an official is replaced with another one, one who comes changes the team’s players. This is not good for hockey, “he said.“There is a musical-chair game in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and one goes, another comes and one who goes out starts leg pulling. At present, the federation has adopted the policy to adjust the people, who criticize the top officials of the federation. You can compromise with 15 to 20 men but this is not a good approach. We should bring merit to the federation first and other things will run smoothly automatically. Merit in the PHF is important to put the national game of hockey on the right track, “he elaborated.Former captain further said that no doubt the foreign coaches always produced remarkable results and it might be more fruitful after engaging them with the juniors and rising players. “There must be criteria of coaches. We should give qualified coaches assignments at national level then budding hockey lads learn better and basics of hockey. Also, the government should provide financial assistance to the Pakistan hockey federation. Finances are the fundamental need to run sports and you cannot compromise on it. Players must be facilitated, “he said.Regarding a question about the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023, Ahmed Alam said he could not blame anyone. “Our boys did well in the pool matches against Holland, Belgium and New Zealand but unfortunately owing to lack of international exposure and experience our players failed to overcome heavyweights Spain in quarterfinal despite displaying excellent skill of hockey. Our goalkeeper Abdul Rafay saved over half a dozen goals during the first thirty minutes of the game. Because of pressure and inexperience he conceded the goals on penalty corners, “he asserted.“We will have to strengthen hockey at gross-root level, especially departmental hockey to boost the standard of the game at domestic level. The future of the hockey players must be safe and secure. They must be provided job opportunities and other facilities. At the school and colleges level hockey sticks should be provided free and there should be players’ cotta in admissions. We will have to make joint efforts with the support of the government to take the national game on peak once again. All ex international Pakistani hockey players should play their role in the promotion of the national game hockey and for raising the green flag at the international hockey stadiums, “he concluded. 

Germany beat France 2-1 in final, Spain claim bronze, Pakistan compromise on 8th spotAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Germany have won the title of Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 after overcoming France 2-1 in the final here at National Hockey Stadium Bukit Jalil on Saturday night. Spain got third place in the tournament after thrashing India 3-1 in a play-off at the same venue before the final.France’s Gaspard Xavier was named player of the tournament and also received the FIH Rising Star award while Germany’s Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji was named best goalkeeper of the tournament.Argentina beat Pakistan (6-3): Argentina beat Pakistan 6-3 to finish their tournament on a winning note. The South Americans scored first, a Tomas Ruiz drag flick looping back to him off the keeper for an easy hit in. Arbaz Ahmad responded for Pakistan with a drag flick but Argentina regained the lead from a low Ruiz drag flick. Just five minutes later they turned over possession weakly for Ahmad to then score from the resulting penalty stroke. The half ended 2-2.Argentina survived another poor turnover in the opening minute of the second half before going ahead again, Joaquin Toscani making a devastating run from midfield to feed Ramiro Infanzon for a deflection. The Argentinians extended their lead when Ignacio Nardolillo stole a ball 60m out and fed Bautista Capurro who screamed in his reverse shot. Ahmad then handed Pakistan a lifeline, completing his hat-trick from another penalty stroke, but Argentina responded immediately with an Ignacio Persoglio drag flick. Juan Fernandez then sealed the match and 7th place in the tournament for Argentina with a deflection from open play.Netherlands beat Australia (2-1): The Dutch dominated the statistics and were patient with possession in a deserved 2-1 win over Australia. The Australians created dangerous chances for deflections in the opening half but the Dutch simply had the better opportunities throughout. Australian keeper Max Larkin made a great stick save to deny Timo Boers from a penalty corner in the 14th minute and added two more saves from open play before failing to clear a loose ball, Dylan Lucieer pouncing on the scraps for Netherlands to lead 1-0 at half time.The Dutch controlled the second half, starving Australia of possession and testing the excellent Larkin repeatedly before Bouwe Buitenhuis popped a delicate overhead to unmarked Casper van der Veen on the p-spot for their second goal. Cooper Burns gave Australia faint hopes after rifling in a drag flick from a penalty corner just 90 seconds from time, but the Dutch secured the win and with that, fifth place in the tournament.Spain beat India (3-1): Spain proved the better team on the day and emerged as 3-1 winners against India in the third-place playoff. The first half was evenly contested, India starting better but unable to beat Jan Capellades in goal. The momentum then shifted towards the Spanish who were patient in possession, and Nicolas Alvarez fired in a field goal to take the lead. India hit back off a penalty corner, Sunil Jojo, reacting fastest to the rebound and levelling the scores at 1-1 before the break.Spain dominated in the third quarter, but Indian goalkeeper Mohith Shashikumar proved up to the task. Capellades then made an excellent save for Spain before Pau Petchame finally snuck one through the Indian defence to regain the lead. Spain put the game out of reach in the final quarter, Pol Cabre Verdiell crossing to Alvarez for a deflection. India had opportunities to claw their way back through several penalty corners, but Capellades kept them out, with some assistance from the crossbar, and Spain secured a well-deserved bronze medal.Germany beat France (2-1): Germany came from behind to beat France 2-1 as both teams enjoyed periods of dominance in a fitting final. French goalkeeper Marius Clément got his angles exactly right in the opening minute to deny the Germans an early lead. A German defender then miss-trapped a ball and it sat up beautifully for Tom Gaillard who unfortunately failed to connect with his shot. Clément again reacted quickly to shut down Ben Hasbach as the first quarter ended. Jules Verrier opened the scoring for France in the second period, receiving a glorious pass from Louis Haertelmeyer and evading numerous defenders to beat the keeper from close range. The rest of the half was tightly contested, and France led 1-0 at the break.The momentum was building for Germany though, and Jan Cordes pounced on a poor French clearance to slap in an equaliser for Germany in the second minute of the half. Liam Holdermann added an excellent field goal, holding his shot until Clément committed himself. Paul Glander nearly made it three from a penalty corner, but Clément made an incredible save to keep France in the hunt. The French attacked freely in the final quarter but couldn’t find a way through, and Germany claimed the gold medal for the seventh time.Final standings: 1 Germany, 2 France, 3 Spain, 4 India, 5 Netherlands, 6 Australia, 7 Argentina, 8 Pakistan, 9 Belgium, 10 South Africa, 11 New Zealand, 12 Malaysia, 13 Korea, 14 Egypt, 15 Chile, 16 Canada 

Abdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): Head Coach of Pakistan national juniors’ hockey team, Roelant Oltamans lamented over the team’s performance in the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 saying that Under-21 player produce sparking and notable performance in the first round of the mega event against Holland and Belgium and they failed to maintain such pace and performance in the knock-out stage.While talking to a group of sports reporters after losing against Argentine 6-3 in a play-off, he further added that the first part of the competition was appreciable enough, however, Pakistan conceded 9 goals in the last 30 minutes. “We took a remarkable start in the group matches, as we played draws against Netherlands and Belgium, the best side of the hockey world. We defeated New Zealand with a margin of 4-0 and we were in confidence to do well in the next round. Due to some injuries we could not make-up the thing according to our wishes. We were good defenders and good finishers in the starting of the tournament, “he said.While responding to a question, foreign Pakistani coach said that some boys could go in the senior. “The players need to improve their basics and footwork. Things cannot be changed at once; it needs time to remove the flaws. There is a need to change the hockey system at junior level. Captain Hanan Shahid is an intelligent guy and has good communication skills and he plays a vital role during the camps to communicate with the guys. He speaks good English, “he maintained. Oltamans said that he did not sign any further contract with Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). “I do not know what will be next, whether there will be any assignment for me or not. The Pakistan team can qualify for the Olympic Games 2024, which will be held in Paris next year and Green Shirts will have to produce acceptable results in the Olympic Qualifying Round in Oman next month in January, “he replied to another question.  

Sarah Mehboob outclasses Sheeza Sajid in straight sets 2-0 in Ladies’ Singles finalSports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top national woman, Sarah Mehboob outclassed Sheeza Sajid in straight sets 2-0 in Ladies’ Singles final of the 9th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Championships 2023 here at PTF-SDA Tennis Complex, Garden Avenue on Saturday. Men’s Singles final between Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Shoaib will be played on Sunday at the same venue.Results:Men’s Singles (Semifinals): Aqeel Khan beat Mohammad Abid 6-4, 6-0Mohammad Shoaib beat Mudassir Murtaza 6-4 (Retd)Ladies’ Singles (Final): Sarah Mahboob Khan beat Sheeza Sajid 6-4, 6-1Boys’ Singles Under-18 (Final: Ahmed Nael Qureshi beat Hamza Roman 6-3,6-1Boys’ Single U14 (Semifinals):Abdul Basit beat Mohammad Haziq Aasim 4-0, 1-4, 5-4(1)Mohammad Hassan Usmani beat Hazik Areejo 4-2, 4-0Boys / Girls Singles U12 (Semifinals):Rashid Ali Bachani beat Razik Sultan 4-2, 4-0Shayan Afridi beat Ahmed Hussain 5-3, 4-0

Australia get-rid-of Pakistan 7-5 in a play-off fixture: Final on SaturdayAbdul Jabbar FaisalKuala Lumpur (Malaysia): France and Germany set their championship clash of the Men’s Juniors Hockey World Cup 2023 after defeating their challengers in the semifinals Spain 3-1 and India 4-1 respectively here at National Hockey Stadium, Bukit Jalil on Thursday.Netherlands beat Argentina (1-0): The Holland players made the most of their opportunities and defended well to beat Argentina 1-0.The 2021 champions had a series of half chances in the opening 30 minutes, but Dutch keeper Daan Taphoorn got his lines right and wasn’t tested. The best opportunity of the half fell to Argentina with a penalty corner against four defenders (because of a green card) but Taphoorn gloved the shot over the bar and it remained goalless at the break.The Dutch dominated the third quarter and were rewarded with a sharp field goal, Jan van ’t Land receiving a long pass deep in the circle and slipping it across goal where Dylan Lucieer’s quick hands beat the scrambling Joaquin Ruiz. The Spanish keeper denied the Dutch a second with a good save to keep Argentina in the hunt but, despite applying great pressure in the final quarter, they couldn’t find an equaliser.Australia beat Pakistan (7-5): Australia dominated a busy third quarter in their 7-5 victory over Pakistan. The Australians started well, Nathan Czinner opening the scoring in the third minute with a well-finished field goal. Abdul Qayyum levelled matters for Pakistan, but Cambell Geddes scored a drag flick for Australia to lead 2-1 at half-time.The third quarter started with Brodee Foster and Umar Mustafa trading field goals before Australia took control with three goals in four minutes, Geddes completing his hat-trick with two penalty corners and Czinner adding a field goal. Foster bagged a penalty stroke early in the fourth quarter for an unassailable 7-2 lead. Pakistan fought hard, adding field goals from Ahtisham Aslam and Qayyum, and a penalty corner from Sufyan Khan, but it was all too little too late.Germany beat India (4-1): It was a story of penalty corners as Germany defended all 12 of India’s and scored both of their own in a tricky 4-1 win to progress to the final. India dominated the first half but Germany opened the scoring, Ben Hasbach pouncing on loose ball after a scrambling Indian defence made two saves. Sudeep Chirmako hit back for India, cleaning up loose ball and finishing with a blistering reverse stick shot. The Germans then absorbed immense pressure, defending 10 penalty corners in the half before scoring from their first on the stroke of half time, Hasbach getting the faintest overhead deflection for an unlikely 2-1 lead.The third quarter was much tighter. India failed off their 11th penalty corner while Germany’s Paul Glander made no mistake with their second. The Germans sealed the game in the final quarter, captain Matteo Poljaric working the baseline skillfully before setting up Florian Sperling who needed two attempts to beat goalkeeper Shashikumar Mohith Honnenahalli.France beat Spain (3-1): France secured their spot in the final with a hard-earned 3-1 win over Spain. The French scored in the second minute, Brieuc Delemazure bulleting his drag flick through goalkeeper Jan Capellades. A sliding Jules Verrier then nearly made it two but the ball struck his body on the goal line. Marius Clement and Capellades made good penalty corner saves at opposite ends of the field, and Spain’s Oriol Bozal received a 10-minute suspension for an off-the-ball incident. The Spanish then drew level on the first quarter hooter, Aleix Bozal firing in a low drag flick. The second quarter remained tight, and the teams went into the break with the scores still locked at 1-1.France went ahead again early in the third quarter, the umpire playing good advantage in the circle for Stanislas Branicki to slap into an open net, keeper Capellades having been drawn off his line to shut down an attack. Louis Haertelmeyer then extended the lead, beating the last defender with a good touch and smashing it in. Spain had several opportunities in the final period but could not capitalise as the seventh-ranked French celebrated securing their place in Saturday’s final.