Unbeaten Australia were held to their first draw of the FIH Hockey Pro League by India on the penultimate day of the mini-tournament in Rourkela.
The Kookaburras held their nerve to outgun the hosts in the resulting shootout, however.
Earlier in the day, an Alvaro Iglesias hat-trick saw Spain wrapping up their mini-tournament on a positive note, with a massive 7-0 victory over Ireland.
(Men’s) Spain 7 - 0 Ireland
Alvaro Iglesias celebrated the first hat-trick of his nine-year international career to guide Spain to a 7-0 hammering of Ireland. The Irish earned two penalty corner opportunities within two minutes of the push-back but they failed to capitalise. The Red Sticks then unpicked Ireland’s defence twice in the opening quarter. José Basterra opened the scoring in the third minute, finishing sharply off his reverse stick as Ireland failed to clear their circle. Alvaro Iglesias made it two with a sublime deflection directly in front of Jamie Carr, giving the keeper no chance to adjust his line. Ireland had a good second quarter and Luis Calzado had plenty of work to do in the Spanish goal, but the score remained 2-0 to Spain at half-time.
Spain took full control in the third quarter, throwing the ball around patiently and constantly probing the Irish defences. Iglesias extended their lead with a tap-in behind the keeper in the 31st minute, and Eduard De Ignacio-Simo showed excellent skills to finish four minutes later with Irish defenders breathing down his neck. The Red Sticks were rampant in the final quarter. Borja Lacalle punched in off a rebound from the post man’s stick in the 47th, and Iglesias pounced on a loose ball to complete his hat-trick in the 50th. Marc Reyne then made it 7-0 with the faintest deflection from a hard ball into the circle to wrap up the emphatic victory.
The player of the match went to Spainard Alvaro Iglesias who reflected on his first hat-trick, saying: “First I’m happy, but the most important thing was to win the game and finish this part of the Pro League in the best way, and I think we did it pretty well.”
(Men’s) India 2 – 2 Australia (SO: 0 – 3)
Hosts India and Australia played out a thrilling 2-2 draw to grab a point each, with the Australians then going on to win the shootout 3-0 and claim a bonus point. The Kookaburras couldn’t find a goal from their early dominance, and it was Harmanpreet Singh who put the Indians ahead in the 20th minute, beating the post man with a well-placed drag flick. Blake Govers responded with a penalty stroke for Australia three minutes later, and Johan Durst made some good saves in the Australian goal to keep matters level. Amit Rohidas eventually put a drag flick past the post man just before half-time for a 2-1 Indian lead.
Both teams looked dangerous in the third quarter although neither could produce anything more than half-chances until the final minute, and it was Durst who pulled off a brilliant save to deny India. It remained anybody’s game going into the final period and the Kookaburras asked plenty of questions. Sreejesh saved a penalty stroke, his defence ran down a penalty corner, and the Indians made several successful video referrals on defence, but Tom Craig delivered what seemed an inevitable equaliser with seven minutes remaining. Australia had the momentum but couldn’t find a winner and it ended 2-2. Durst then saved all of India’s attempts in the shootout to give the Aussies a 3-0 win.
Australian goalkeeper Johan Durst received the player of the match award and said: “There’s a lot of work at training, we’re always doing our scouting, and always looking for ways to improve our game so I think I really have to thank our Australian strikers for sharpening me up. It’s probably one of the most incredible hockey experiences you ever have playing India in India, you never get a crowd as big as this or as loud or as entertaining so it’s always a special memory.”
Top Scorer Armband
To celebrate the talented goal-scorers throughout the season the FIH has introduced the Top Scorer Armband, which is being worn by the leading goal-scorers in the men's and women's competitions in the current season, as a visual mark for the fans, and for the players to wear proudly, match after match.
Current Top Scorers:
Women - Yibbi Jansen (NED) (15 goals)
Men – Jip Janssen (NED) (11 goals)
To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.
FIH Pro League – 24 February 2024
Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela (IND)
Result: Match 29 (M)
Spain 7 - 0 Ireland
Player of the match: Alvaro Iglesias (ESP)
Umpires: Kristy Robertson (AUS), Gareth Greenfield (NZL), Junko Wagatsuma (JPN-video)
Result: Match 30 (M)
India 2 - 2 Australia (SO: 0 - 3)
Player of the match: Johan Durst (AUS)
Umpires: Martin Madden (SCO), David Tomlinson (NZL), Gareth Greenfield (NZL-video)
