The Netherlands women took a step closer to securing the FIH Hockey Pro League title without playing a match on Tuesday after their closest rivals, Argentina and Belgium, failed to win their respective matches in regulation time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Argentina went down 2-1 to Spain in a scorching London, while Belgium\u2019s women drew 1-1 with Australia before claiming a bonus point in the shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Pakistan\u2019s loss to India in an entertaining encounter confirmed their relegation from the men\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the other matches of the day, Spain\u2019s men also pulled off a victory over Argentina, while Australia\u2019s men beat the Netherlands 2-0, and Germany\u2019s women secured a win over Ireland by the same margin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Women\u2019s) Spain 2 \u2013 1 Argentina<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Spain came from a goal down to beat Argentina for the first time since January 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a tightly contested opening quarter, it was Argentina who struck first, as Agostina Alonso produced a superb reverse-stick finish from the edge of the circle in the 15th<\/sup> minute, driving the ball just inside the far post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Argentina enjoyed the better of the chances in the second quarter, though opportunities were limited. They earned a late penalty corner, but it was well dealt with, ensuring the score remained 1\u20130 at half-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another closely contested third quarter brought the breakthrough for Spain, with Luciana Molina reacting quickest after a save from Argentinian goalkeeper Cristina Cosentino to poke the ball back through her legs for the equaliser in the 41st<\/sup> minute. Argentina threatened an immediate response, but a superb goal-line stick save kept the scores locked at 1-1 heading into the final period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was still plenty of drama to come as Flo Amundson latched onto a beautifully weighted long pass on the 23 and drove into the circle. With Cosentino caught too far off her line, Amundson made the most of the opportunity, firing home a tomahawk to put Spain in front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Argentina piled on the pressure in the closing stages in search of an equaliser, but the Spanish defence stood firm to seal a memorable victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Flo Amundson was named Player of the Match for Spain and said: \u201cI think the team performed really good until the end. As a Spain team, we have a really hard schedule with eight games in 11 days\u2026 but I think we\u2019re doing a really great job\u2026 I\u2019m really happy that we won.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Women\u2019s) Belgium 1 \u2013 1 Australia (SO: 4-2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A 1-1 draw was probably a fair result for the tight contest between Belgium and Australia in Wavre, with the home side clinching an extra point in the shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Belgium raced into an early lead when they earned a penalty corner after just 24 seconds and Stephanie Vanden Borre\u2019s flick was deflected into the top right corner of the net off a defender. They won another penalty corner moments later but were unable to make it count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Australia responded positively, refusing to let the early setback dent their confidence as they piled pressure on the Belgian defence. However, their first penalty-corner opportunity went begging as the shot was pulled wide of goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hockeyroos\u2019 pressure paid off in the 19th minute, however, as Alice Arnott pounced on a rebound off the goalkeeper following some excellent build-up play and hammered home. The sides went into the break locked at 1-1, with the statistics reflecting an evenly contested opening half as both teams recorded 12 circle entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The third quarter remained evenly balanced, with goalkeeper Jocelyn Bartram producing a fine double save to prevent Belgium from regaining the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The home side upped the intensity in the final period but still couldn\u2019t break the deadlock, with their best opportunity hitting the post. The Australians then had a chance to win it right at the death, but the ball was kept out with seconds remaining, taking the match to a shootout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Brasseur, who was playing in her 100th<\/sup> match for Belgium, was named Player of the Match and said: \u201cIt\u2019s a really special moment. It\u2019s really an honour to be on the pitch with these girls every time again\u2026 so I\u2019m really happy and this is a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Women\u2019s) Germany 2 \u2013 0 Ireland<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany dominated play but they were made to work deep into the final quarter for a vital 2-0 win over Ireland that lifts them slightly above the relegation battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was one-way traffic in the first half as Germany launched wave upon wave of attack. Ayeisha McFerran was incredibly sharp in Ireland\u2019s goal, pulling off save after save, and Hannah McLoughlin assisted with a cool clearance under tremendous pressure from a penalty corner rebound. The Germans kept pressing high, and Ireland struggled with their 16-yard exits. Germany racked up six penalty corners without reward by half-time as the score remained 0-0.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A high-paced third quarter from both teams, coupled with uncompromising commitment on any 50\/50 contests, saw a high turnover rate throughout. Ireland started holding some possession, but it was mostly deep in their own territory and under huge pressure. They denied the Germans any real opportunities while earning a couple of penalty corners of their own. Ireland then enjoyed a period in the ascendancy at the start of the fourth quarter but came away empty-handed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Germany finally broke the deadlock in the 51st<\/sup> minute, Lynn Krings slapping in hard from a variation back to the injector. Ireland had a couple of penalty corners, and they sacrificed their goalkeeper with three minutes remaining to chase a result. This backfired when Germany took a quick free hit in midfield and threw an overhead to Sara Strauss behind the defence. She had the easiest of jogs to carry the ball into an empty goal to complete the scoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The player of the match was awarded to Jette Flesch\u00fctz of Germany, who said: \u201cReally happy, I think the three points are really important to us\u2026 On Wednesday we play again and that\u2019s where we have to focus and keep fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Men\u2019s) Pakistan 3 \u2013 4 India<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pakistan put up a mighty fight but just couldn\u2019t get the better of arch-rivals India, who secured a vital 4-3 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n India dominated the early exchanges, but it was Pakistan who struck first. They earned the opening penalty corner of the match in the eighth minute and, although the initial routine broke down, Ahmad Nadeem was perfectly positioned in front of goal to pop the ball up into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead against the run of play. India responded by earning five penalty corners of their own, but goalkeeper Ali Raza produced a string of superb saves to preserve Pakistan’s advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raza came under relentless pressure as the second quarter wore on, and he was finally beaten in the 22nd<\/sup> minute when Abhishek’s bouncing push from the top of the circle found the bottom right corner to level the scores. Just two minutes later, India completed the turnaround from their eighth penalty corner of the match as the ball rebounded off the first runner, allowing Nilakanta Sharma to blast home from the top of the circle for a 2-1 lead. Were it not for Raza’s outstanding performance in goal, Pakistan could have found themselves trailing by a far greater margin at half-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Pakistanis created several promising chances in the third quarter, but it was India who struck next. In the 40th<\/sup> minute, Sukhjeet Singh rifled a stunning effort into the roof of the net to bring up his 40th<\/sup> international goal and extend India’s lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A powerful drag flick from Rajinder Singh off yet another Indian penalty corner appeared to put the result beyond doubt in the 52nd<\/sup> minute, making it 4-1. But Pakistan responded almost immediately, with Abu Mahmood squeezing a penalty-corner effort through the goalkeeper’s legs less than a minute later. Abu Mahmood added another from a penalty corner awarded with just 15 seconds left on the clock, as Pakistan ran out of time in their comeback effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n India\u2019s Manpreet Singh was named Player of the Match and said: \u201cIt was a good game today, but I think we could have done much better because we got really good chances but couldn\u2019t convert them into goals, but we still won. Now we have to look at our next game, which is against England, and definitely we will play much better than this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Men\u2019s) Argentina 2 \u2013 3 Spain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Three unanswered goals from Spain saw them come from a goal down to get the better of Argentina in Berlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was plenty of end-to-end action in the opening stages, with Argentina making the first breakthrough from a seventh-minute penalty corner. Tomas Domene’s drag flick took a deflection off the first runner before finding the back of the net to give his side a 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spain found the equaliser via a penalty stroke, with Jose Basterra not connecting as well as he would have liked, but putting enough on the ball to beat the keeper in the 22nd<\/sup> minute. They struck again before the end of the second quarter when an unmarked Marc Recasens received the ball in the circle with plenty of time and space to blast it in for the 2-1 lead at half-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An excellently taken penalty corner at the start of the second half saw Pepe Cunill extend Spain\u2019s lead even further. And the Spanish continued to dominate play and possession, denying the Argentinians any real opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever was said during the final break must\u2019ve worked as Argentina pulled one back within 27 seconds of the start of the fourth quarter. This time Nicolas della Torre’s drag took a deflection off the second runner to beat the keeper on the left. Spanish goalkeeper Luis Calzado made some important saves to keep his team in the lead as they held on for a 3-2 victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Spain\u2019s Pol Cabre Verdiell was named Player of the Match and said: \u201cIt was a really tough match. The start was difficult for us, but we trust each other and we played really good and we won.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Men\u2019s) Australia 2 \u2013 0 Netherlands<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A disciplined defensive effort from Australia gave them the edge in their 2-0 win over the Netherlands, who led in all the stats except goalscoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dutch were in the driving seat for most of the first quarter and they had some early opportunities to open the scoring. Australian goalkeeper Ashleigh Thomas made an exceptional reflex save to keep things level, and there were a couple of missed penalty corners before Tim Brand snatched the lead for the Kookaburras in the 14th<\/sup> minute. He scrambled the ball over the line in the complete chaos that followed a penalty corner rebound. It was an even contest overall in the second quarter with chances at both ends of the pitch, but it remained 1-0 to the Australians at half-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A heavy tackle in the opening minute of the second half earned Australia a penalty stroke, and Jeremy Hayard stepped up to double Australia\u2019s lead. The Dutch enjoyed a sustained period on the attack midway through the third quarter, but they were nearly caught by a fast break-out. Meijer did well to shut down the shot from close range, conceding a penalty corner that his runners then dealt with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Netherlands enjoyed a numerical advantage after Ky Willott\u2019s green card was upgraded to yellow for backchat in the 47th<\/sup> minute, and they started to press more aggressively in search of a goal as time ticked away. There was plenty of space to exploit in the final two minutes with both teams having a player serving a suspension, but they simply couldn\u2019t find the net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Australia\u2019s Ashleigh Thomas was named the player of the match and said: \u201cIt was just really tough out there in the heat and we tried to stick together as a team. And I suppose it\u2019s good for me when a few good (saves) come off, but we fought really hard out there and just really pleased with the performance of the team.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Netherlands women took a step closer to securing the FIH Hockey Pro League title without playing a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[60],"class_list":["post-14164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","tag-hockey"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t