News for 30 July 2021
All the news for Friday 30 August 2021
2020 Olympic Games - Day 8
Tokyo (JPN)
All times GMT +9
Men
29 Jul 2021 IND v ARG (Pool A) 3 - 1
29 Jul 2021 BEL v CAN (Pool B) 9 - 1
29 Jul 2021 RSA v GER (Pool B) 4 - 3
29 Jul 2021 NED v GBR (Pool B) 2 - 2
30 Jul 2021 AUS v ESP (Pool A) 1 - 1
30 Jul 2021 CAN v RSA (Pool B) 4 - 4
30 Jul 2021 JPN v IND (Pool A) 3 - 5
30 Jul 2021 ARG v NZL (Pool A) 4 - 1
30 Jul 2021 20:45 GER v NED (Pool B)
30 Jul 2021 21:15 BEL v GBR (Pool B)
Pool Standings
Pool A
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 13 |
| 2 | India | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 12 |
| 3 | Argentina | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 7 |
| 4 | Spain | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 5 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 16 | -5 | 4 |
| 6 | Japan | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 18 | -8 | 1 |
Pool B
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 7 | 17 | 12 |
| 2 | Germany | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 7 |
| 4 | Great Britain | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | South Africa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 24 | -8 | 4 |
| 6 | Canada | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 237 | -18 | 1 |
Women
29 Jul 2021 ESP v CHN (Pool B) 2 - 0
29 Jul 2021 GBR v NED (Pool A) 1 - 0
29 Jul 2021 JPN v ARG (Pool B) 1 - 2
29 Jul 2021 NZL v AUS (Pool B) 0 - 1
30 Jul 2021 RSA v GER (Pool A) 1 - 4
30 Jul 2021 IRL v IND (Pool A) 0 - 1
Pool Standings
Pool A
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 14 | 12 |
| 2 | Germany | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 3 | Great Britain | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| 4 | Ireland | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | -5 | 3 |
| 5 | India | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 11 | -8 | 3 |
| 6 | South Africa | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 15 | -13 | 0 |
Pool B
| Rank | Team | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals For | Goals Against | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 12 |
| 2 | Argentina | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 9 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Spain | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 6 |
| 5 | China | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 14 | -6 | 3 |
| 6 | Japan | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 0 |
Proud of the boys, but must work on spacing in the circle: Reid
S2H Team
India’s head coach Graham Reid was pleased as punch after the win over Argentina which took his team into the quarterfinals of the Olympic hockey competition.
Indian men's hockey team beat Olympic champions Argentina
India was up against a tough Argentinian defence that managed to keep them at bay for most of the game
By C.C. Chengappa
Indian Hockey Men Team Olympics Indian men hockey team against Argentina (Source: Hockey India)
The first quarter saw relatively less action as neither side managed to get on the scoresheet. India had more circle penetrations with 7 as compared to Argentina's 2. Mandeep and Simranjeet were particularly lively in their constant pressing but it seemed as though the Argentinian defence would always end up saving themselves with last ditch defensive attempts in the circle.
Indian men's hockey team display rare resilience to qualify for the quarterfinals
A brief analysis of India's Olympic campaign thus far and what to expect from the knock-outs Indian hockey men team defeated Argentina
By Subhashish Majumdar
Indian Hockey Men Team (Source Hockey India)
The Indian men's hockey team have registered two back-to-back wins against Spain and Argentina to book themselves a place in the quarterfinals of the Field Hockey completion of the Tokyo Olympics.
Men's hockey side praised after upset win over Germany
Olympic result came as no surprise to SA hockey boss
By Charles Baloyi
Samkelo Mvimbi of Team South Africa controls the ball during the Men's Preliminary Pool B match between South Africa and Germany on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Oi Hockey Stadium on July 29, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Image: Buda Mendes
SA Hockey Association CEO Marissa Langeni praised the men's hockey team after their big win against Germany at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan yesterday.
SA stunned Germany 4-3 at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo. Matt Guise-Brown, Keenan Horne, Nic Spooner and Mustapha Cassiem scored the goals for the Proteas team.
Langeni said she saw their impressive performance against the fifth-ranked team in the world coming after their display against the Netherlands in an eight-goal thriller.
SA, who are ranked 14th in the world, registered their first win in Group B after losing their first two games 3-1 against Great Britain 5-3 against the Netherlands 3-5 at the same venue.
Langeni said they threatened in the games they lost against Great Britain and the Netherlands and the win was a long time coming.
She said they would go into their game against Canada today at 12.15pm SA time high on confidence.
“We're excited by the performance of the men's team against Germany yesterday. They showed from the beginning of the Olympics that they threaten the best teams in the world. They have been threatening from every game they played. Against Germany, they have shown that they compete at the highest level. They showed South Africans that they could win against the best teams in the world. Congratulations to our players and the team management. It is a fantastic day and a historical day for SA hockey,” said a jubilant Langeni.
The Sowetan
SA hockey men fight back for famous Olympic victory over Germany
South Africa’s men’s hockey team scored a famous 4-3 win over Germany at the Tokyo Olympics, the fourth-ranked team in the world.
By Craig Ray
Matthew Guise-Brown of Team South Africa celebrates scoring the first goal with Timothy Drummond and teammates while Niklas Wellen of Team Germany walks away during the Men's Preliminary Pool B match between South Africa and Germany on day six of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Oi Hockey Stadium on July 29, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
South Africa’s men’s hockey players have been knocking on the door against the so-called “bigger” nations at the Tokyo Olympics, but on Thursday they barged right through, beating Rio 2016 bronze medallists and world No4 Germany for the first time in an international competition.
The 4-3 winning score reflected how close the match was and it has left South Africa with a minuscule chance of qualifying for the knockout stages.
South Africa meet Canada on Friday, but even if they win, they are unlikely to progress to the knockout stages due to Germany’s much better goal difference.
Germany have a positive seven-goal difference while South Africa has a negative eight difference. It would require a huge win over Canada, and a heavy Germany loss against the Netherlands for South Africa to progress.
If Germany secure one or more points through a draw or a win against the Netherlands in their final match, they will be guaranteed a place in the knockout stages.
But considering the level of competition and the lack of preparation and funding that the hockey team had to overcome, beating Germany was a massive result — the equivalent of Japan beating the Springboks at Rugby World Cup 2015.
South Africa last won a match at the Olympics in 2012, when they beat India 3-2. The hockey side did go to Rio 2016 and before this tournament they were forced to crowd fund their preparation programme.
South Africa were impressive in their previous three games — all defeats — in Pool B, but they took the fight to their higher-ranked opponents in all matches. They went down 3-1 to Great Britain, led 3-0 before losing 5-3 to the Netherlands and were involved in a 13-goal game against Belgium, losing 9-4.
On Thursday they came back from 2-1 down to overcome the Germans, showing typical resilience and no lack of skill.
Germany scored the opening goal with a variation that was eventually prodded home by a diving Timm Herzbruch but South Africa were not cowed.
They pulled level with their first penalty corner of the game as Matt Guise-Brown got his second of the tournament with a low, strong drive. That parity wouldn’t remain for long and South Africa’s next circle penetration created another goal with vice-captain Keenan Horne diving onto the ball and finishing superbly to give the African champions the lead.
Although it was a lead they would hold until the end of the first quarter, the European runners up would not lie down and back down. They fought back with two goals in the second quarter to lead at half-time 3-2.
Constantin Schaib netted the equaliser through a field goal, picking up a rebound, before Lukas Windfeder scored another goal from a penalty corner. Although Tobias Hauke would receive a yellow card just before half-time, the South Africans weren’t able to capitalise on it.
As the heat made things more difficult, the South Africans defended with heart in the third quarter denying a number of German opportunities before springing the perfect counter-attack with Nic Spooner bursting through the middle and finishing superbly into the bottom left corner. That made it 3-3 going into the final quarter.
There was almost a surreal feeling as Germany allowed South Africa into the circle, Dayaan Cassiem crossed the ball which took a massive deflection and Cassiem was awarded the goal. The South Africans took the lead, what would be the decisive lead with 12 minutes remaining.
There was a frantic finish to the match, as Germany attacked relentlessly, but South Africa held on for a famous victory.
“We’re disappointed,” Germany veteran Hauke told the media after the match.
“We weren’t on the pitch today in all of the little things… We never got the dynamic which you need against a team like South Africa.”
The Daily Maverick
How hockey reacted to South Africa’s stunning Olympics win
In one of Olympic hockey’s biggest upsets, the amateur side of South Africa, who had to mainly crowdfund to get to Tokyo, beat European finalists Germany 4-3 in an epic at the Oi Stadium.
Germany coach pleads for South Africa to embrace fringe sport
By Tom Pilcher
South Africa celebrate a momentous win against Germany PIC: REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Germany embraces hockey to the tune of two men’s gold medals and two bronze finishes in the past four Olympics.
India, Britain and Dutch progress to hockey quarter-finals
Harmanpreet Singh of India shoots to score past Juan Manuel Vivaldi of Argentina. — Reuters
TOKYO: India reached the quarter-finals of the men’s Olympic hockey tournament on Thursday thanks to an inspired 3-1 win over Rio gold medallists Argentina, while the Netherlands and Britain also progressed.
Argentina’s women’s team secured a spot in the knockout stages, after sending hosts Japan out of the tournament, while the Spanish team’s win over China meant they also took a big step to progressing to the next round.
In the men’s tournament, India fought back after conceding an early goal to their South American opponents, pulling level in the second half and then scoring another two late on.
In the other group, the Netherlands led Britain 2-0 when the game went into the final quarter but gave up their lead after their opponents stepped up the pressure.
Britain levelled with two goals by Sam Ward, including a penalty corner with four minutes to go.
The result still gave both teams a ticket to the quarter-finals.
South Africa pulled off a 4-3 surprise win over 2016 Olympic bronze medal winners Germany despite being down a goal at halftime.
South Africa levelled in the second half before sealing the win when a pass from 19-year-old rookie Mustaphaa Cassiem deflected off the stick of an opponent behind the German goalkeeper.
South Africa are unlikely to progress to the knockout stages due to a negative goal difference but they avoided being sent home by the Germans, who need one more point to advance.
World champions Belgium sent Canada packing with a 9-1 victory to stay perfect in Pool ‘B’.
In the women’s event, Argentina’s Las Leonas joined Australia — who had already qualified — in the knockout stages by beating Japan 2-1.
Spain, whose coach has been quarantined due to a positive Covid-19 test, got closer to making it to the next round thanks to a 2-0 victory over China.
The Netherlands, who were also already sure of making the quarter-finals, claimed a 1-0 win over Britain in an intensive game in which British goalkeeper Madeleine Hinch played an outstanding role with a dozen saves.
Australia beat rivals New Zealand 1-0.
Dawn
Spain draw valuable lead in for Kookaburras
Written by Catriona Dixon.
A blistering Spanish goal in the final 48 seconds has ended the Kookaburras’ winning run at Tokyo 2020 but the 1-1 result ensured the Australians finish top of Pool A heading into the Quarter Finals.
After Tom Wickham had given the Kookaburras an 18th minute lead, in a nail-biting finish three-time Olympian Pau Quemada Cadafalch kept Spain in the Tokyo tournament, scoring off a penalty corner in the dying moments of the match.
The result foiled the Australians perfect record, but the tough encounter against a Spain team that sat deep in their own half for much of the contest was an ideal tonic for what lies ahead for the Kookaburras as the tournament heads into the business end.
Not since the 1988 Olympics have the Kookaburras had a clean sweep of the Pool matches, but perhaps today’s draw is a good omen, after that team finished fourth at the Seoul Games.
“Spain was very motivated today, they needed a result, they got a point from it so that keeps them in the competition,” Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch said.
“It’s easy to be disappointed about that result and straight after the game the guys were.
“The reality is we have been playing strongly for the five pool matches and we finished on top of the Pool.
“We qualified easily for the Quarter Finals, it is important to acknowledge that, and now we need to review this game, get the learnings out of it and move on to Sunday.”
Co-captain Aran Zalweski noted the importance of the Kookaburras playing against their first European opponent in 18 months.
The Margaret River product, who is two matches off reaching the 200 game milestone, believes the experience will hold the Kookaburras in good stead for what is to come.
“We came out against a really desperate and good Spanish team that defended really well today and made it really difficult for us,” Zalewski said.
“It’s a great challenge for us heading into a Quarter Final, we might play someone similar, we’ve had lots of different opponents playing different styles – so it was another challenge today with Spain.”
In a match delayed by rain and lightning, the Kookaburras dominated from the opening whistle, but exceptional goalkeeping by Spanish number one Francisco Juncosa Cortes that defined the opening half.
A four-time Olympian, Cortes, 38, signalled his intention to retire after the Tokyo competition in top form saving two shots, including a penalty corner, to keep it scoreless at the first break.
Wickham then pounced on a penalty corner opportunity in the first three minutes of the second quarter, knocking in a rebound from a Blake Govers’ drag flick to put the Aussies in front.
The Kookaburras tried to build on their lead before half time, but Cortes proved too good saving two penalty corners and four field shots to keep Spain in the contest at half time.
Exceptional defence by Jeremy Hayward kept a motivated Spanish side at bay with just two circle penetrations, before he was unable to convert a penalty corner for the Kookaburras at the other end in the third quarter.
Spanish forward Marc Bolto was denied a goal in the first five minutes of the final quarter after a rebound off goalie Andrew Charter’s pads hit the foot of teammate Cadafalch Quemada.
Alejandro Alonso had three attempts from three penalty corners with just six minutes to go but was unable to outsmart the fiery defence of front-runner Tim Brand who was making his 50th international appearance.
But it was the do-or-die approach of the Spanish defence which saw them equalise from a penalty corner in the final 60 seconds – and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Kookaburras’ Quarter Final opponent is still undecided, with it set to be either of Great Britain, Germany or the Netherlands depending on the results later today.
Match Details
Kookaburras 1 (Wickham 18’)
Spain 1 (Quemada Cadafalch 60’)
@ Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo
Kookaburras: 5.Tom Wickham, 6.Matthew Dawson, 10.Josh Beltz, 11.Eddie Ockenden (c), 12.Jake Whetton, 13.Blake Govers, 14.Dylan Martin, 15.Josh Simmonds, 16.Tim Howard, 17.Aran Zalewski (c), 22.Flynn Ogilvie, 23.Daniel Beale, 25.Trent Mitton, 29.Tim Brand, 30.Andrew Charter (gk), 32.Jeremy Hayward
Hockey Australia media release
Spain march into men's quarters, India's women win
Alvaro Iglesias Marcos © Gallo Images
Spain reached the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic hockey tournament on Friday after scoring a last-minute equaliser against group winners Australia, which gave them the draw they needed to advance.
India's women's team also celebrated a late-game goal which gave them a 1-0 victory over Ireland, keeping the South Asian nation's Olympic dreams alive.
South Africa's men's team failed to make it through their group after a 4-4 draw against Canada, which had already been eliminated. The draw meant Germany's men will advance to the knockout stages.
Spanish veteran Alvaro Iglesias Marcos said it was unbelievable the team scored their late penalty corner to finish the match against the in-form Kookaburras 1-1.
"We knew it would be the toughest game of the group and we played a perfect defensive match," said Iglesias Marcos.
"At the end, we had our chance and we made it, so it was perfect."
The draw meant that Spain occupied third place with five points in Pool A, trailed by New Zealand and Argentina, who both have four points each.
New Zealand and Argentina will decide in their game later on Friday which team will get the pool's remaining ticket to the knockout stage.
Argentina will have to beat New Zealand to make it through. For the Kiwi's, a draw will be enough.
Host Japan, who are sixth in the group with one point, were sent packing as they will be unable to get enough points to get the fourth spot in the pool.
In the women's competition, Navneet Kaur delivered India their first triumph out of four matches against Ireland after pushing in a shot behind the Irish goalkeeper from within the striking circle.
"After we missed so many opportunities, we scored at the end. It's awesome," Kaur said.
"Now we are more confident for the next match."
India and Ireland, who are making their Olympic debut in women's hockey, both now have three points in their group.
While India and Ireland are equal in points, the Irish are still holding the fourth position in the group - which is good for a ticket to the knockout rounds - thanks to a better goal difference.
Both teams have one match left to play and both can still qualify depending on the results of the final round in the group.
In another match in the women's tournament, Germany beat South Africa 4-1.
Supersport
South Africa and Canada play out a pulsating 4-4 draw
The South Africans and Canadians were already eliminated from the Quarter Final stage, however they had one last go at each other to end with pride. In a pulsating match at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo the two teams dished up a meal that any neutral would devour in an eight-goal thriller.
South Africa continued where they left off against Germany with a superb start to the game at frenetic pace which Canada couldn’t do anything to stop. The first counterattack goal was converted by Bili Ntuli after superb work by Taine Paton and Dayaan Cassiem. The Cassiem brothers then combined to create a simple tap in for Nic Spooner, his second of the tournament. Despite looking in control the South Africans allowed Canada back into the game with a harshly awarded penalty corner being converted by Pearson off a deflection just in front of Rassie Pieterse.
Canada restored parity early in the second chukka as they took advantage of extra space awarded to them and Keegan Pereira fired a bullet past Pieterse in the SA Goal. Canada claimed they had a third and the lead in the second chukka with a touch, but the video umpire ruled they had missed it and the deadlock remained 2-2 at the half time break.
In the third quarter South Africa were back at it and moved back into the lead through Matt Guise-Brown. His initial pc was charged down, but the rebound fell to him, and he finished superbly for his third of the tournament. South Africa looked comfortable in the lead but as soon as they had received a green card Canada levelled with a moment of quick thinking from Boothroyd deflecting past Pieterse. The humidity was also proving to be really tough after the early morning rainstorm as the third quarter came to an end.
A pretty sluggish final quarter offered Canada a chance to go ahead with a penalty corner with 7 minutes remaining on the clock. But they fired the shot narrowly wide of Pieterse’s goal. But South Africa thought they had won it with 2 minutes remaining on the clock Sam Mvimbi produced a moment of sensational quality to produce South Africa’s 16th goal of the tournament, their most of any campaign.
But Canada surged forward, and Garcia slid in to finish a cross to end the game 4-4 and share the points. A wonderful entertaining end to the tournament for both teams.
SA Hockey Association media release
Canada draws South Africa in thrilling final round action in Tokyo
Back and forth affair finishes knotted 4-4 and ends Canada’s Olympic tournament
With both teams eliminated from contention, national pride and an Olympic victory was on the line Friday afternoon at Oi Hockey Stadium. When the final buzzer sounded to indicate the 4-4 match complete, it was a bittersweet mix of emotions on the turf.
The last time these Commonwealth Rivals met at a major competition was at the 2018 World Cup, which they also drew. This match, however had more fireworks. South Africa opened the scoring with a pair of early goals. Just when it looked like Canada was down and out in another game, their veteran leadership stepped up.
Three-time Olympians Scott Tupper and Mark Pearson have been a driving force on both sides of the ball all tournament and they picked a clutch moment to deliver a blow. It was a carbon copy of the penalty corner set play from the Netherlands match. Tupper sliding the backdoor pass for a Pearson. It was a thing of beauty. It was Pearson’s team-leading third goal of the tournament. He said that he and Tupper are close friends and teammates and scoring a goal in the final Olympic game today was a special feeling.
“We probably have over 2500 games together between club and country,” Pearson said, talking about his connection with Tupper. “We seem to have a knack for finding each other. It was nice to end it that way.”
For Pearson, this tournament was a culmination of rehab from his major injury, the challenges of the pandemic and the postponement of the games. And as for the future of the Red Caribou, Pearson sees nothing but good things coming.
“We’re obviously disappointed, but I’m still incredibly proud of our group and some of the moments we did have in this tournament,” he said. “There are some great young guys coming through the system — Jamie [Wallace] scored, you saw Fin [Boothroyd] score today — and we’re all hoping the team can keep that positive momentum going forward to the World Cup.”
For Fin Boothroyd, the 22-year-old from West Vancouver, this was his first Olympic experience. He notched the crucial third goal for Canada, tying the score line at the time. He was relentless in his attack all tournament and said he knew he had a goal in him at some point.
“I felt like I had one coming and I also left a few on the pitch that I felt I could have buried, so yeah, getting one today was an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “Sure, it’s good to get an individual goal, but I’m just proud of the guys. Today it was just two teams that left it all out on the pitch. It’s a complete team effort, I’m just so proud of the team.”
Boothroyd, Jamie Wallace and Brendan Guraliuk are a part of the Team Canada youth movement, all 22-year-old or younger, that took part in these Olympic Games. With the Junior Pan American Cup and the ensuing 2022 World Cup, Canada no doubt has the makings of a strong youthful core to go along with the veteran experience.
Team Canada fought back to even the score line on three separate occasions. They got two back in the first half, one off the PC deflection from Pearson and the other a smashing drive from Keegan Pereira — his second of the event. in the dying minutes of the game, South Africa jumped ahead again. But in true Red Caribou fashion, Canada tied it up immediately as Gabe Ho-Garcia deflected in a Wallace crossing pass. Captain Tupper said the team showed a lot of grit fighting back on multiple junctures in the game.
“We had patches where I think we should have been better, including the start of the game,” he said. “But I am so proud of the fight we showed. It can be demoralizing falling behind but to hit right back immediately, that’s really impressive, so I’m proud of that effort.”
Tupper reflected on the event as a whole and admits the team never put the full 60 minutes together. The team does get on the points table with the draw this afternoon against a plucky South African team.
“We had ambitions to get some results this week. So in that sense, I know we’re going to feel disappointed overall with how the tournament went,” Tupper said. “At these top events, if you slip up for a second, that can be the difference.”
Tupper closed with comments about the Olympic experience and the future of the Red Caribou.
“We were a little disappointed on the pitch but what a place to play; they’ve done such a good job with the venues and it was an enjoyable event from an athlete’s perspective,” he said. “Our young guys are out there scoring goals in the Olympic Games. I’m thrilled for them and I hope they can drive our program forward.”
Field Hockey Canada media release
For one of these teams it could be their last game
Black Sticks defender Kane Russell says there will be no lack of urgency in tonight’s must-win final pool match with defending Olympic champions Argentina.
The Kiwis, who are third-equal on the table with Spain and Argentina, need to beat the South Americans to secure a quarterfinals spot and not have to rely on other results going their way.
“For one of these teams it could be their last game so everyone will leave everything on the paddock. This team does well when we have no choice but to fight.”
Russell who added two more drag flick penalty corner goals against Australia to take his Olympic tally to four, said if they can repeat their efforts against the Kookaburras they should take three points in today’s match.
“I think if we play like that against Argentina we should be able to put them away and maybe secure third spot in the pool,” he said after the 4-2 loss to the Kookaburras late on Wednesday.
Russell said Argentina were a bit of an unknown with the lack of international hockey in the past year.
“We haven’t played them a lot and they’re got some new players. We just need to look after their counter-attack as they’ve got some pretty skilful strikers up front and a strong penalty corner. If we can take care of their threats we can do a good job.”
The Otago defender said he was pleased the Black Sticks had an extra rest day compared to Argentina who had to play in the blistering heat early yesterday morning.
“That’s a big bonus for us especially at this stage of the tournament when teams start to run out of legs. They played at 9.30am today in the heat and it’s pretty draining here then.”
Official Blacksticks site
Preview: Great Britain v Belgium (M)
Great Britain’s men will be looking to rise in the Pool B standings with victory in their next match at the Tokyo Olympics.
They’ll come up against a Belgium side that are in sensational form and currently sit top of the Pool.
When is the match being played?
The sides meet on Friday 30 July at 13:15 BST.
How can I follow the game?
The game will be streamed live on Discovery+ and potentially shown on BBC iPlayer/Red Button as well – we will know more information closer to pushback. You can also keep up to date with live text updates on our dedicated Match Centre by clicking here.
How have the teams fared at Tokyo 2020 so far?
Both sides have already secured their place in the quarter-finals, Belgium guaranteeing top spot having taken four straight victories. With the most goals scored (24) and fewest conceded (7) in the entire men’s hockey competition, Belgium looks like one of the teams to beat.
Great Britain booked their place in the knockout stage with a dramatic comeback against The Netherlands in their previous match with a 2-2 tie.
Having just made his senior international debut the week prior, Ollie Payne impressed against Belgium in October 2020. Credit: World Sport Pics
How do the teams match up in their Olympic history?
The sides have previously met on four occasions at the Olympics, Great Britain holding the upper hand with two victories compared to Belgium’s one, the sides drawing on one occasion.
They first met way back in 1920 when GB took an emphatic 12-1 victory on the way to gold – Belgium would go on to take bronze, which is one of only two medals they’ve ever claimed in 14 Olympic appearances.
GB were again victorious in 1952 as a narrow 1-0 victory eliminated Belgium from the competition, the teams then drawing eight years later at Rome 1960.
Nearly sixty years on, the most recent meeting between the two saw Belgium come out on top with a 4-1 victory at Rio 2016.
What does the recent history look like?
The two have met eight times during this Olympic cycle, Belgium coming out on top with six victories during that period of time and GB taking just the one win.
Recent meetings between the sides have largely been test matches, though Belgium have been victorious of all four matches that have occurred during the FIH Hockey Pro League between 2019-2020.
Though Belgium did record 3-2 and 2-1 victories in Brussels in October/November 2020 during their most recent meetings, the matches were incredibly close and very competitive.
Thank you to The Hockey Museum for their help in sourcing these stats.
Great Britain Hockey media release
Michelle Meister earns her Golden Whistle
Photo: Yan Huckendubler
Spain vs. China was the 100th international match of German umpire Michi Meister, a very significnt achievement in the umpiring world. Congratulations
GB's Women Edged Out By Dutch In Gripping Encounter%20Header-min.png?auto=format&w=1411&fit=crop&q=85)
Great Britain’s women went down to a narrow defeat by The Netherlands in their fourth pool match of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Frederique Matla’s first quarter penalty stroke was enough to separate the two teams in a closely fought encounter at the Oi Hockey Stadium.
Maddie Hinch made several crucial saves while Great Britain had chances of their own as they took the game to the current World and European champions.
The result means Great Britain currently sit third in the group; a point in their final group game would be enough to secure their passage into the last eight.
Having won three from three at the Games so far, the Dutch started firmly on the front foot as Marloes Keetels and Maria Verschoor forced Hinch into early saves.
Shona McCallin then produced a brilliant goal line block to keep out one corner before Hinch and Giselle Ansley combined to thwart a charging Lidewij Welten. The Great Britain goalkeeper then produced two more saves to deny Caia van Maasakker from corners.
There was nothing she could do to keep out Matla’s emphatic penalty stroke in the 13th minute though, awarded for a foul on Welten as she was winding up to shoot.
Lily Owsley then charged down another van Maasakker corner before Great Britain grew into the game in the final five minutes of the half, winning three corners of their own. But Josine Koning was on hand to deny Fiona Crackles and Ansley as The Netherlands took the lead heading into half-time.
Maddie Hinch made several superb saves. Credit: World Sport Pics
They almost added a second moments into the second half as they won a corner but Hinch and McCallin combined to keep another effort out before Laurien Leurink’s snap shot whistled over the crossbar.
Hinch then produced arguably her best save of the day as she dived full length to stop Malou Pheninckx from close range.
Great Britain battled hard and gave the Dutch no time to play on the ball, forcing them into mistakes and turning the ball over regularly. However, despite the best efforts of the likes of Lily Owsley, Sarah Jones and Sarah Robertson, they were unable to force any clear-cut chances.
The Dutch had further attempts in the final quarter, with Owsley and Hinch on hand to block yet more corners, while in the dying moments the ball fell kindly to Crackles in the circle but she couldn’t get a clean connection on her shot.
After the game, captain Hollie Pearne-Webb said: "Overall, we've played four games so far and 75% of the time we’ve been really pleased with how we’ve played. I think, as we all know, games are won or lost at either end and the finer details on the day are where we need to sharpen up. We’ve been extremely disappointed to lose, we feel, almost six points [today and against Germany].
"In the first quarter we weren’t at it, but for the rest of the three quarters we certainly matched them. They’re the world’s number one side for a reason and are a very good side, but we had as many opportunities as them to come out with a point. I’m disappointed that we’ve missed out of those six points, but equally we can take huge amounts of confidence going into our next game against Ireland on Saturday.”
Head Coach Mark Hager told media after the game that Ellie Rayer suffered a broken nose in the game against the Dutch. She will be assessed further ahead of our next match on Saturday.
Great Britain’s last group game sees them take on Ireland at 12:45 BST on Saturday 31 July.
Great Britain 0 (0)
Netherlands 1 (1)
Matla (13’, PS)
Starting XI: Hinch (GK), Unsworth, Toman, Jones, Townsend, Robertson, Rayer, Ansley, Pearne-Webb (C), McCallin, Owsley
Subs: Martin, Petter, Wilkinson, Crackles, Balsdon
Great Britain Hockey media release
Great Britain's men earn thrilling draw but women beaten by Netherlands
Maddie Hinch made a succession of saves to keep Great Britain in the fixture
Team GB's women must wait to confirm a place in the Olympic knockout stages after a 1-0 loss to the Netherlands in a repeat of the 2016 final.
The British side, who beat the Dutch in a shootout to win gold in Rio, fell behind to a Frederique Matla penalty stroke in the opening quarter.
Goalkeeper Maddie Hinch made key saves to keep Great Britain in it and Giselle Ansley came closest to an equaliser.
Great Britain face Ireland on Saturday and are still expected to qualify.
By the time that fixture is played, Mark Hager's side - currently third - could be sure of a place in the four qualifying positions in their group, if the teams below them do not find key wins.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, move to 12 points from a possible 12 and they deserved this latest victory, notching 17 shots on goal.
Great Britain's Sarah Jones said Hinch's performance between the posts was "inspired", adding: "I thought we dominated the second half and yes we are disappointed, but I think games are about getting through but also about building momentum.
"In tournament hockey it is all about building momentum and it is all about playing the same style of hockey regardless and not bringing out a different style of play when you get to the knockouts."
GB men reach last eight
Earlier on Thursday, Great Britain's men qualified for the men's hockey quarter-finals with a game to spare after a thrilling late fightback to draw 2-2 with the Netherlands.
Sam Ward struck twice in the closing minutes at Oi Hockey Stadium as Britain responded to a 5-1 drubbing from Germany in their previous match.
His finishes cancelled out a superb team goal from Thierry Brinkman and a Jip Janssen strike for the Dutch.
"To come back from 2-0 down to get a draw so late is massive," said Ward.
"It's the springboard we need to plough on.
"It shows that some days you can just grind out the work-rate. We are a bunch of very fit blokes and that is what shone through.
"We are building into the tournament. We had two cracking results, then we got a bit of a pumping [against Germany], but sometimes you need a bit of a slap in the face."
Ward's side take on Belgium in their final group fixture at 12:15 BST on Friday.
BBC Sport
Hockeyroos get one back on Black Sticks
Written by Catriona Dixon
The scoreboard may have read 1-0, but there were other scores settled at Oi Hockey Stadium when the Hockeyroos claimed their fourth straight victory of the Tokyo Olympics, defeating arch rivals New Zealand.
One of those pieces of unfinished business dates back to the previous Olympic Games in Rio where the Black Sticks knocked Australia out of the tournament with a stunning, and very painful, 4-2 victory.
But according to Hockeyroos Head Coach Katrina Powell, her team helped to ease the pain of that memory with a win that puts them at the top of Pool B, in what is their best run in the round matches in Olympic history.
“It’s always a tough game against New Zealand and one that we get up for,” Powell said.
“Hopefully, the win atones a little bit for those players from 2016 that are sitting watching at home…maybe they are feeling a little bit of comeuppance and are satisfied with that.
“We are doing it for Australian hockey, but sometimes, there are a few specific people out there that we are trying to get the job done for.”
The Hockeyroos went into the match confident coming off three straight wins against Spain (3-1), China (6-0) and Japan (1-0).
They penetrated the Kiwi circle three times in the opening quarter but were unable to convert despite some valiant playmaking by 19-year-old debutant Amy Lawton to leave the score 0-0 at the break.
Shining in the second quarter was West Australian defender Karri Somerville who tamed the experienced Black Sticks attack, including the nation’s most prolific scorer, Olivia Merry, to keep their opponents scoreless at half time.
After what was a frustrating opening half with both teams failing to capitalise, the hard-working Lawton combined with Savannah Fitzpatrick to set up Emily Chalker to take the lead in the 34th minute.
The goal was Chalker’s fourth for the tournament and a belated birthday gift after turning 29 on Wednesday.
New Zealand was stoic in defence foiling the Hockeyroos who weren’t able to convert despite 11 circle penetrations and five attempts on goal by the end of the third quarter.
Trailing with just over three minutes left in the match, the Black Sticks withdrew goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon to give themselves more chance in attack, but despite the extra field player and an open goal neither team were able to score.
Despite the win, Powell knows the Hockeyroos’ lack of field goal conversions and lacklustre penalty corner batteries will need to lift heading into the Knockout Stage where they could face the highly-fancied Dutch, Brits or Germans.
“Australians have been complaining for a long time in hockey circles that we don’t convert enough of the chances that we create,” Powell said.
“Certainly, that is continuing with our group in the last couple of games, so getting those outcomes in the circle is what we are focused on.
“There’s not an easy solution or it would have already been solved by someone well before my time, but we just need to keep peppering it, keep going, persist and eventually they will start to come.
“New Zealand are a good team; they have a really strong defence and a fast attack that can threaten and hurt you. Let’s not take anything away from New Zealand. They always bring it to Australia no matter what the situation and they certainly did that tonight.”
The Hockeyroos’ final Pool match is against second placed Argentina on Saturday.
Match Details
New Zealand 0
Hockeyroos 1 (Chalker 34’)
@ Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo
Hockeyroos: 2.Rosie Malone, 3.Brooke Peris (c), 4.Amy Lawton, 10.Maddy Fitzpatrick, 13.Edwina Bone, 14.Steph Kershaw, 15.Kaitlin Nobbs, 18.Jane Claxton, 20.Karri Somerville, 21.Renee Taylor, 22.Kate Jenner, 24.Mariah Williams, 26.Emily Chalker, 27.Rachael Lynch (gk), 30.Grace Stewart, 32.Savannah Fitzpatrick
Hockey Australia media release
One goal separates trans-Tasman rivals
In another close trans-Tasman battle between the Black Sticks women and the Hockeyroos, a solitary third quarter goal for Australia was the difference in Tokyo early this morning.
After four draws and two Australian victories in recent clashes between the two sides, the Hockeyroos took the three points today with a 1-0 victory to remain unbeaten at the top of Pool B.
The Black Sticks women now drop to third in the pool behind Australia and Argentina, and they will need some points from their final pool match with China for goal difference not to come into the equation in determining the quarterfinalists.
New Zealand were today without their skipper Stacey Michelsen, with her match time being managed after a month out with a hamstring injury, as well as defender Tarryn Davey with a minor groin strain.
Captain Sam Charlton said while today’s result was disappointing they needed to move on quickly for a big match with China tomorrow.
“We didn’t execute some things as well we would have liked and maybe didn’t create as many opportunities as we would have hoped, but it’s just really important we build on it for the next game.”
The Kiwis had earlier collected two wins in Tokyo – with a 3-0 upset against world no. 2 Argentina and 2-1 victory over Japan before going down 2-1 to Spain.
“We’re disappointed not to have a couple more points on the board. I think we’ve left some games out there probably against Spain and against Australia,” said Charlton.
After a scoreless and very quiet first half in today’s game, Australia finally opened the scoring four minutes into the second half with Emily Chalker very cleverly touching in a cross to collect her fourth goal in Tokyo.
The goal spurred the Black Sticks into action winning a penalty corner minutes later, where Hockeyroos goalkeeper Rachael Lynch saved the shot from Olivia Merry.
Despite taking off goalkeeper Grace O’Hanlon for the final few minutes, the Kiwis couldn’t find the equaliser and the match finished at 1-0 to the Hockeyroos.
While the Black Sticks were strong in defence today with Australia having 15 circle entries, five shots on goal and three penalty corners, they made very little enterprise on attack.
Australia 1 (Emily Chalker 34 min) New Zealand 0. Halftime: 0-0
New Zealand Women: Ella Gunson (Northland); Stephanie Dickins (North Harbour); Katie Doar, Julia King, Grace O’Hanlon (GK), Elizabeth Thompson (Auckland); Samantha Charlton – captain, Frances Davies, Rose Keddell (Tauranga); Holly Pearson, Hope Ralph (Taranaki); Olivia Shannon (Manawatu); Megan Hull (Wairarapa); Kelsey Smith (Nelson); Olivia Merry (Canterbury), Tessa Jopp (Otago)
Next up the Black Sticks play China at 12.30pm (NZ time) tomorrow in their final pool game.
Official Blacksticks site
Black Sticks Women defeated by Australia in Olympic hockey clash
The bad news for New Zealand sports fans - the Black Sticks women have slumped to a second straight Olympic hockey defeat.
The good news? At least it was close.
After starting their campaign with two wins, the Black Sticks lost 1-0 to Australia, a result that will disappoint the Kiwi team, but by ensuring it was a tight game, they have kept their goal difference in a relatively healthy position to all but secure safe passage through to the quarter-finals.
Now, in their final game against China, comes the trickier part - securing a more favourable quarter-final opponent to enhance their chances of finally breaking through for a medal.
They'll hope to avoid Australia along the way after what was a rather professional effort from the group leaders, keeping possession well and preventing the Black Sticks from getting much ball into their circle, and the 1-0 victory was no more than they deserved.
Australia had four penalty corners but scored from none, with Grace O'Hanlon called on to make a few good stops, while the Black Sticks were unable to convert their sole PC opportunity.
After New Zealand managed to negate Australia in the first half – albeit not creating many chances themselves - Australia turned their pressure at the start of the third quarter into a goal with a smart finish on the angle from Emily Chalker.
With the Black Sticks attack failing to flatter, that was enough for a victory that sees Australia move to four wins from four with an impressive 11-1 goal difference, while New Zealand sit third, ahead of Spain on goal difference.
They are still well placed to make it out of the group, with China needing a five-goal win in the teams' final game at 12.30pm on Saturday to leapfrog the Kiwis.
A New Zealand victory over China would likely see them finish second in the group and earn an easier quarter-final, with second-placed Argentina having to take on the dominant Australians in their final group game.
A defeat, however, and it would likely be fourth place and a daunting quarter-final that awaits for the Black Sticks, with Spain favoured to at least get a point against the winless Japan in their final clash.
Pool B standings
Australia 12 points (+11 goal difference)
Argentina 9 (+2)
New Zealand 6 (+2)
Spain 6 (-2)
China 3 (-8)
Japan 0 (-4)
The New Zealand Herald
Germany overcome delayed start and South African Challenge
A very early morning became just an early morning as the SA Womens Hockey team and Germans had to wait for the action to start after the Oi hockey Stadium was hit by a tremendous rain storm. Incredible work at the stadium meant that the game was able to get started, just after South Africans watching at home had been able to see Tatjana Schoenmaker win the Olympic Gold Medal first!
Once the game did get underway it was the Germans who started brilliantly and took just 80 seconds to take the lead. A drive into the D fell onto the stick of Lisa Altenburg who finished superbly off the left upright. Germany would add a second before the end of the first quarter with Sonja Zimmerman converting from the PC off the post. It could have been more but for a few timely interventions from Tarryn Mallet and Phumi Mbande.
Altenburg netted her second in the 24th minute with another superb finish into the top left corner giving Mbande no chance over her shoulder. The South Africans were resolute but it was a dominant first half from the European silver medallists who are looking to step up and take home the Olympic Gold medal.
South Africa showed a much improved second half, competing more in the middle of the park and holding out a goal-less third quarter. Celia Seerane was sensational in defence clearing twice off the line and reading play superbly. South Africa were also showing improved discipline which was making it hard for the Germans to break them down.
The Germans did manage to get a fourth when a speculative drive into the D managed to get the deftest touch from Schroder and guided it past Mbande in goals. It was a sucker punch for the African champions as they had been growing into the game as the time progressed.
There was however a beautiful moment for the South Africans to end with a glimmer. A beautiful build up from Kristen Paton saw her create a pocket of space which she exploited superbly. A quick interchange with Quanita Bobbs, the captain on the day, saw a fine cross which Toni Marks finished superbly. It was a moment of true quality for the South Africans that will give them a lift ahead of the game against India tomorrow.
SA Hockey Association media release
Rani has a task as team's hopes hang by a thread
Sjoerd Marijne, head coach of the Indian women’s team, had this to say on the official website of the Tokyo Olympic Games.
India strike late to see Irish quarter hopes go down to the wire
Anna O'Flanagan. COPYRIGHT WORLDSPORTPICS FRANK UIJLENBROEK
Ireland’s quarter-final hopes will go down to the wire as Navneet Kaur’s 57th minute winning goal denied the Green Army what would have been a crucial point at the Oi Stadium.
The deflection from Rani Rampal’s reverse-stick cross finally broke the Irish defences as India eventually took advantage of their large volume of control on the game.
Sean Dancer’s side defended heroically with Ayeisha McFerran producing another slew of brilliant saves. But just as it looked like a vital draw was on the cards, India nicked their winner.
It means Ireland remain in fourth place on three points in the chase for the fourth quarter-final berth, just ahead of India on goal difference. India face bottom side South Africa while Ireland conclude their group against reigning champions Great Britain (12.45pm, Irish time).
The tie was initially delayed for an hour due to a torrential downpour which left the pitch flooded earlier in the day but the camp was in no mood to look to that as a mitigating factor.
“There’s no excuses for it,” said assistant coach Gareth Grundie. “We weren’t at it. They put us on the back foot early and we didn’t really get back into it.
Photo: Ayeisha McFerran and LALREMSIAM. COPYRIGHT WORLDSPORTPICS FRANK UIJLENBROEK
“Disappointing to concede with so little time left but, on the balance of play, we didn’t deserve it. We weren’t good enough today. Ayeisha was good; our penalty corner defence was good but you can’t go through 60 minutes, give away that much and expect to get a result. We have to accept that, pick ourselves up and go again tomorrow.”
Deirdre Duke – who played her 150th cap – concurred: “That was a game that we needed to win and we didn’t so that’s my overwhelming feeling. Quick turnaround tomorrow. Depending on other results now, that quarter final spot is still up for grabs, so we’re going to have to park this pretty quick and get ourselves up for a big one tomorrow.
“We win as a team and we lose as a team. We are going to have to regroup and take a look at ourselves individually but it is always a collective effort and we always rally together.”
It was a shaky start with Ireland penned back for long periods of the first quarter as the Indians – gunning for revenge for their 2018 World Cup quarter-final elimination – burst into life from the start.
Oustanding penalty corner running from the likes of Sarah Torrans and Katie Mullan charged down the majority of chances from the set piece. Navneet Kaur and Neha both tested Ayeisha McFerran’s pads from play while the Green Army’s big moment was a break-out which ended with Deirdre Duke – in her 150th cap – seeing her strike well blocked.
Quarter two saw Ireland grasp a measure of control, picking up a couple of corners and Anna O’Flanagan’s bullet of a shot was excellent padded away by Savita.
A sequence of five more India corners closed out the first half but with no tangible benefit on the scoreboard as McFerran and Róisín Upton batted away the chances.
And they carried that flow of corners into the second half. Navneet Kaur contrived to miss two huge chances, one from their 13th corner when she swept into the outer boarding of the goal, the next a deflection from Lalremsiami’s clever under the arm pass.
Photo: Irish line up. COPYRIGHT WORLDSPORTPICS FRANK UIJLENBROEK
As time wore on, with Nicci Daly getting more and more onto the ball, Ireland carved out more meaningful chances. Again, O’Flanagan’s rising shot was saved by Savita and, with five minutes to go, the pair showed down again, the goalkeeper again doing enough to palm out of reach of the rebounding Duke.
The game was becoming more and more open, though, and India profited from the extra space. Rani was found in the right corner and she worked it back to a nice angle to deliver the killer pass for Navneet to touch home the key touch.
Women’s Olympic Games – Pool A
Ireland 0 India 1 (Navneet Kaur)
Ireland: A McFerran, S McAuley, H McLoughlin, R Upton, L Tice, C Watkins, K Mullan, A O’Flanagan, S Hawkshaw, D Duke, S Torrans
Subs: S McCay, H Matthews, L Holden, N Carroll, N Daly
India: Savita, Navjot Kaur, G Kaur, D G Ekka, Monika, Nisha, V Katariya, Udita, Navneet Kaur, Rani, Neha
Subs: S Devi, N Pradhan, Lalremsiami, S Pukhrambam, S Tete
Umpires: A Rostron (RSA), A Neumann (AUS)
Irish Hockey Association media release
India eke out a hard earned 1-0 win, but will it take them to QF?
A few minutes after Indian women boxer Lovlina Borgohain assures India of another Olympic medal by booking a place in the Welterweight Semis, Indian women’s hockey team too gave moments of joy. Rani Rampal’s outfit showed enormous energy and character to beat the last World Cup finalists Ireland 1-0, the goal coming through Navneet Kaur’s deflection off Rani Rampal’s strong forehand shot in the 37th minute. The goal came as a relief the much marauding Indian team — but who showed mediocrity in the process of converting penalty corners — just three minutes before the hooter.
Indian Women's hockey team wins an Olympic match after 41 years
The Indian women's hockey team, today, has won a match at the Olympics after a gap of 41 years.
By Abhijit Nair
The Indian Women's hockey team (Source: Hockey India)
The Indian Women's hockey team today registered a 1-0 win over Ireland and kept their dreams of making it to the quarterfinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics alive.
Ireland women hopes go down to Great Britain finale
Anna O'Flanagan after India's tight win over Ireland PIC: WORLDSPORTPICS/ FRANK UIJLENBROEK
During all those warm-up matches against Great Britain women pre-Olympics, the talk simmered about one date: July 31 and the final round of Pool matches at the Tokyo Olympics.
India women keep Tokyo Olympics hockey quarter-final hopes alive after win over Ireland
India beat Ireland 1-0 in their penultimate group match and registered their first win at Tokyo 2020. Navneet Kaur scored the goal for India.
By Ritu Sejwal
Picture by WORLDSPORTPICS.COM/FRANK UIJLENBROEK
The Indian women’s hockey team registered its first Tokyo Olympics win at the Oi Hockey Stadium on Friday, defeating world No. 7 Ireland 1-0 in its group Pool A match. This is India's first win in the tournament in four outings.
Navneet Kaur (57th minute) scored the winning goal for India.
Friday’s match was a decider for both teams. Ireland’s win would have sealed their place in the quarter-finals while India's victory keep their quarter-finals hopes alive.
The Netherlands are leading the group ahead of Germany (12 points each) and Great Britain (six points). Ireland are fourth ahead of India (three points each) by goal difference. Only the top four advance to the quarter-finals.
The Indian women’s hockey team will play its final group match against world No. 16 South Africa on Saturday. Ireland will take on defending Olympic champions Great Britain later in the day.
In their match against Ireland, India dominated the first quarter, restricting the ball in the opposition’s half with nine circle penetrations and five penalty corners. Led by Rani Rampal, the Indian hockey team kept attacking but couldn't capitalise.
Ireland returned in the second quarter with a goal attempt from Kathryn Mullan and then a penalty corner in the 18th minute, but failed to convert on both occasions.
A successful video referral from Ireland’s Sarah Hawkshaw in the 25th minute earned the team another penalty but Hannah McLoughlin missed with India launching a quick counter.
The Indian women’s hockey team continued its dominance in the field to get four consecutive penalty corners towards the end of the second quarter. India again had their chance with the 10th penalty corner and tried a variation this time, but the scoreline remained unchanged.
India dominated both the quarters but the Irish defenders were too good to give Rani Rampal’s team any headway. Irish goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran denied the Indians on four occasions in the first half.
The third quarter brought another hope for India with their 11th penalty corner. Rani Rampal took the shot but Neha, who was standing close to the Irish goal post, failed to hit the board.
India got a long corner and their attack got them two successive penalty corners in the 31st minute. India had missed 13 penalty corners till that point. Incidentally, penalty corner specialist Gurjit Kaur was on the bench every time India got a penalty.
Ireland were awarded their penalty in the 33rd minute but Elena Tice’s attempt was averted.
In the 34th minute, India’s Vandana Kataria made a run from the right flank and passed to Lalremsiami, who dodged two Irish defenders to pass to the unmarked Navneet Kaur, but she missed.
Sharmila Devi launched an attack from the midfield to open space but the Irish goalkeeper Ayeisha averted the threat. Another attack from the Indians got them a penalty in the 40th minute but Monika’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
India looked for a breakthrough in the final quarter with continued attacks. An Irish opening in the 50th minute with Anna O'Flanagan taking a shot was easily saved by Indian goalkeeper Savita Punia.
Three minutes before the final hooter, Rani Rampal’s shot from the right was correctly deflected by Navneet Kaur to give India the much-needed goal.
Under pressure, Ireland substituted their goalkeeper with a player but India ended victorious.
Olympic Channel
India score late winner to keep QF hopes alive in Olympic women's hockey
India will now need to win their final Pool A match against South Africa on Saturday
India midfield Neha Neha (32) knocks the ball away from Ireland midfield Chloe Watkins, right, during a womens field hockey match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 30, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. AP/PTI
The Indian women's hockey team scored a late goal to eke out a narrow 1-0 victory over Ireland in a must-win penultimate pool match to stay alive in the Olympics here on Friday.
Needing a win to keep their hopes alive after three consecutive losses, India waited anxiously for 57 minutes before Navneet Kaur scored the winner to keep her side in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth.
India will now need to win their final Pool A match against South Africa on Saturday and hope for Ireland to face defeat at the hands of Great Britain to seal their quarterfinal berth.
The top four teams from each pool qualify for the knockout stage.
The Tribune
Ireland quarter-final hopes suffer setback with 1-0 defeat by India
Ireland's Chloe Watkins in action against Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam of India
Ireland's hopes of making the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo suffered a significant setback as they lost 1-0 to India in Pool A on Friday.
The heroics of Ireland goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran helped keep India at bay for most of the game.
A late 57th-minute goal from Navneet Kaur three earned India their win.
Ireland must match India's result against South Africa when they play Great Britain in their final group game if they are to make the last eight.
Both games will take place on Saturday with India facing South Africa first, then Ireland taking on GB at 12:45 BST.
Ireland lie fourth in their group on three points after their defeat at the Oi Stadium, with India fifth on the same points but behind on goal difference.
Ireland defeated South Africa in their opener, before losing to the Netherlands and Germany.
The start of the match with India was delayed by an hour, to 04:45 BST, because of a torrential downpour which left the pitch flooded.
Sean Dancer's side defended resolutely but just as a vital draw looked to be on the cards, India scored their winner.
Navneet Kaur's deflection from Rani Rampal's reverse-stick cross finally broke the Irish defences as India were eventually rewarded for controlling large spells of the game.
'We have to park this pretty quick'
Deirdre Duke, who won her 150th cap, commented after the game: ""That was a game that we needed to win and we didn't so that's my overwhelming feeling.
"Quick turnaround tomorrow. Depending on other results now, that quarter final spot is still up for grabs, so we're going to have to park this pretty quick and get ourselves up for a big one tomorrow.
"We win as a team and we lose as a team. We are going to have to regroup and take a look at ourselves individually but it is always a collective effort and we always rally together."
Resolute Ireland defence
Ireland were penned back for long periods of the first quarter as the Indians - gunning for revenge for their 2018 World Cup quarter-final elimination - burst into life from the start.
Outstanding penalty corner running from the likes of Sarah Torrans and Katie Mullan charged down the majority of chances from the set piece.
Navneet Kaur and Neha both tested McFerran's pads from play while Ireland's big moment was a break-out which ended with Duke seeing her strike well blocked.
Quarter two saw Ireland grasp a measure of control, picking up a couple of corners and Anna O'Flanagan's bullet of a shot excellently padded away by Savita.
A sequence of five more India corners closed out the first half but with no tangible benefit on the scoreboard as McFerran and Róisín Upton batted away the chances.
And they carried that flow of corners into the second half. Navneet Kaur contrived to miss two huge chances, one from their 13th corner when she swept into the outer boarding of the goal, the next a deflection from Lalremsiami's clever under the arm pass.
As time wore on, with Nicci Daly getting more and more onto the ball, Ireland carved out more meaningful chances.
Again, O'Flanagan's rising shot was saved by Savita and, with five minutes to go, the pair showed down again, the goalkeeper again doing enough to palm out of reach of the rebounding Duke.
Ireland: A McFerran, S McAuley, H McLoughlin, R Upton, L Tice, C Watkins, K Mullan, A O'Flanagan, S Hawkshaw, D Duke, S Torrans
Subs: S McCay, H Matthews, L Holden, N Carroll, N Daly
BBC Sport
Hockeyroos v Argentina
If you'd told newly-crowned head coach Katrina Powell prior to the Olympics her side would be at the top of their group at the end of the preliminary rounds – she would have raised her eyebrows in hopeful jest.
If you’d told newly-crowned head coach Katrina Powell prior to the Olympics her side would be at the top of their group at the end of the preliminary rounds – she would have raised her eyebrows in hopeful jest.
Having taken on the role just over 100 days before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the three-time Olympian was hopeful but realistic about how the Hockeyroos would fair at the pinnacle of world sport.
A lack of international competition and a disrupted preparation would be reason enough for the side to falter in the opening pool matches. Powell’s reality is far from that.
The Hockeyroos have achieved their best Olympic round results to finish at the top of Pool B (barring a big loss to Argentina in their final Pool match) and set themselves up for a place in Monday’s quarter finals.
“If you had of told me at this stage of the competition we would be sitting at the top of the ladder, I would have been knocked over with a feather,” Powell said.
“Credit to the girls, their persistence, their fitness to get to this point.
“It’s not easy to play two back-to-back matches in these conditions at the Olympics against quality opposition, so that perseverance will hold us in good stead for the rest of the competition.”
But prior to the quarter-finals, the Hockeyroos will take on South American powerhouse Argentina in their final pool match on Saturday at 11:45am local time (12:45pm AEST).
Argentina sits in second place in Pool B with wins over Japan (2-1), China (3-2) and Spain (3-0). Their solitary loss came against New Zealand (3-0).
Ambrosia Malone #2 of Team Australia is congratulated by her teammates after scoring a goal against Team China.
Ambrosia Malone #2 of Team Australia is congratulated by her teammates after scoring a goal against Team China.
The two nations have had a very long – and even – match record, with the Hockeyroos just ahead winning 42 of their 102 matches. Argentina’s claiming 33 wins and 27 draws.
While a place in the quarter-finals is secured for the Hockeyroos, Powell says it’s essential for the team to focus on areas of improvement which starts with converting attacking opportunities.
“The match before the quarter-finals is critical,” Powell said.
“At this stage of the competition it’s making sure you are prepared for that one-off game that will see you into the semis or see you on the flight home.
“Any time you take your foot off the accelerator at the Olympics you pay the price for it, so we will be looking to go hard against Argentina and to continue our winning form.”
Hockey Australia media release
Rani Rampal's Inspiring Journey From Broken Hockey Sticks To Olympics
"Everyday, I'd ask the coach to teach me too. He'd reject me because I was malnourished," said Rani Rampal.
By Sanya JainUpdated
Rani Rampal is captain of the Indian women's hockey team.
Rani Rampal, Indian women's hockey team captain, is determined to repay her coach and family for their support with a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Rani Rampal's journey from a child who could not afford a hockey stick to becoming the youngest player in the national women's hockey team to participate in the 2010 World Cup (she qualified when she was only 15), is nothing short of inspirational. The 26-year-old opened up about her journey in an interview with Humans of Bombay.
"I wanted an escape from my life; from the electricity shortages, to the mosquitoes buzzing in our ear when we slept, from barely having two square meals to seeing our home getting flooded when it rained," she said.
Rani Rampal's mother worked as a maid, her father was a cart-puller. There was a hockey academy near their home, and Rani would spend hours watching the teams play, and longing to join them. Her father, who earned around ₹ 80 a day, could not afford to buy her a hockey stick, she recalls.
"Everyday, I'd ask the coach to teach me too. He'd reject me because I was malnourished," said Rani.
Undeterred, she found a broken hockey stick and began practicing on her own. Finally, after a lot of convincing, the coach decided to give her a try - but it wasn't all smooth-sailing from there.
At the academy, all children were expected to bring 500ml of milk every day. "My family could only afford milk worth 200 ml; without telling anyone, I'd mix the milk with water and drink it because I wanted to play," Rani told Humans of Bombay.
Moreover, everyone was expected to start training early in the morning. With no clock at home, her mother would stay up and look at the sky to check if it was the right time to wake Rani up.
But the hockey player found support in her coach too, not just her family. "He'd buy me hockey kits and shoes. He even allowed me to live with his family and took care of my dietary needs. I'd train hard and wouldn't miss a single day of practice," Rani Rampal remembered.
After earning her first salary - ₹ 500 on winning a tournament - Rani handed the money to her father. "He hadn't ever held so much money in his hands before. I promised my family, 'One day, we're going to have our own home'; I did everything in my power to work towards that."
After several state championships, Rani Rampal got the national call when she was 15. "With my family's support, I focused on doing my best for India and eventually, I became captain of the Indian hockey team!" she said.
Four years ago, Rani was able to fulfil the promise she had made her family - she bought a house for them. " We cried together and held each other tightly! And I'm not done yet; this year, I'm determined to repay them and Coach with something they've always dreamed of- a gold medal from Tokyo," she concluded.
Rani Rampal's inspiring journey from broken hockey sticks to the Tokyo Olympics has struck a chord with social media users. While her post has racked up thousands of 'likes', the comments section has been flooded with people congratulating and complimenting the athlete.
"Brought tears to my eyes. This woman from Madagascar will be rooting for India's hockey team!" wrote one Facebook user.
"As a hockey player myself, I salute you. Your determination and courage in the face of so adversity, is encouraging. I am glad that you are an inspiration," another said.
NDTV
T&T's hockey umpire McClean busy at Olympic Games
T&T’s top international hockey umpire Ayanna McClean took charge of her fourth match in the Women’s preliminary round match in the hockey tournament between Argentina and Japan at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday.
T&T’s top international hockey umpire Ayanna McClean took charge of her fourth match in the Women’s preliminary round match in the hockey tournament between Argentina and Japan at the Oi Hockey Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on Thursday. Argentina won 2-1.
On Wednesday she did the Netherrlands and South Africa match-up at the same venue. The Dutch won 5-0. On Monday, she had her second game between Argentina vs Spain, and Argentina won 3-0. He first outing was on last Saturday when she did the match that involved the host country Japan and China. China won 4-3.
The Trinidad Guardian
GB hockey captain makes powerful diversity statement with rainbow armband
By Tom Pilcher
When the International Olympic Committee relaxed their previously rigid stance on political statements to a degree before the Tokyo Olympics, the world opened up too.
England Hockey Masters – International Invitation Series
After the disappointment of the cancellation of all World Hockey Masters’ competitions this year, England Hockey Masters are due to hold an International Invitation series over two weekends in August at the new world class facility at Nottingham Hockey Centre.
The first will take place from Saturday 14 to Monday 16 August and involve international women’s squads from England, Scotland and Wales teams from the English Regions and the English University 035 squad.
The event will see teams from 035 to 065 competing. In addition, the men’s 060 and 065 will entertain squads for Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The second weekend, from Friday 20 to Sunday 22 August, sees men’s 035 to 055 activity, with Ireland, Scotland and Wales providing the opposition.
This is a perfect opportunity to watch International Masters’ hockey and the entry is free!
The match programme can be seen on https://masters.altiusrt.com where the results will also be posted during the event.
England Hockey Board Media release