The final day of Pool action at the BDO FIH Hockey World Cup saw The Netherlands confirm their place as Pool A winners, while Germany defeated Australia to complete the Semi Final line-up.
The Netherlands booked a Semi Final meeting against England - the second ranked team in Pool B - by thrashing Japan 5-2, with penalty corner star Maartje PAUMEN scoring twice to take her tournament tally to ten.
They were joined in the Semi Finals by Germany, who battled past Australia to take the one remaining place in the last four. A draw would have been good enough for Germany to reach the Semi Finals, but they went one better thanks to a solitary penalty corner goal from Tina BACHMANN, giving the Europeans a 1-0 win. It was a superb performance by a Germany, who gave a masterclass in limiting the Hockeyroos' goal scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Wednesday is a tournament rest day, with the BDO FIH Hockey World Cup action resuming on Thursday 9th September. The first match of the day will see Japan and Spain take to the field for the 11th / 12th place classification match, which begins at 13:30 local time (GMT +3). That game is followed by the first Semi Final, with The Netherlands doing battle against England (16:30). The final match sees the host nation taking on Germany at 19.30. The day is another sell-out, with over 12,000 people expected to create an electrifying atmosphere in the stadium.
For more information about the tournament as well as links to live match streaming, please visit the FIH microsite: http://www.bdofihworldcup2010.sportcentric.com/
Germany edge past Hockeyroos to reach Semis
A solitary penalty corner goal from Tina BACHMANN was enough to book Germany's place in the Semi Finals of the BDO FIH Hockey World Cup, giving the Europeans a 1-0 win over Australia.
Germany started the game knowing that a draw would be enough to put them into the Semi Finals, but went one better by netting the only goal of the game in the second half. The result means that they finish their Pool A campaign in second place, setting up a Semi Final meeting against Argentina on Thursday.
In an intense and physical match, Germany thought they had scored in the opening minutes of the game, but the penalty corner strike was ruled too high thanks to a video referral from Australia. It was one of the few clear-cut opportunities in the first half, with the defensive lines of both teams in outstanding form.
The key moment in the match arrived in 43rd minute when Tina BACHMANN struck from a penalty corner. The goal forced Australia to go on the offensive, but Germany's excellent defence proved extremely difficult to break down. Australia won a penalty corner in the final three minutes of the match, but more fine defending ensured that the Hockeyroos were unable to grab a life-line.
In the post match press conference, Australia coach Frank MURRAY admitted that he was disappointed with result but admitted that his team were beaten by the better side. 'Germany were too good for us today ... we have a fair bit of work to do before London [2012 Olympics].'
Match 30 - Australia v Germany 0-1
> Germany have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals for the ninth time and the first time since 1998, when they finished third.
> Germany will take on Argentina in the semi-finals.
> Australia will take on Korea for fifth place at Rosario 2010.
> Today's 1-0 win over Australia marked Germany's 50th win in 82 World Cup matches.
> Tina Bachmann's PC goal was her second this tournament and the third World Cup goal of her career.
Five Star Netherlands win Pool A
The Netherlands booked a Semi Final meeting against England - the second ranked team in Pool B - by defeating Japan 5-2. The win means that they have won Pool A by a big margin, having collected maximum points from their five games. Even more impressively, the Olympic Champions won the pool with a huge advantage in terms of goal difference. The team scored 25 and conceeded only eight, giving them a goal difference of +17, which is far better than any other team in the competition.
The Netherlands took just two minutes to open the scoring, when the current joint holder of the WorldHockey Player of the Year award Naomi van AS found the net from open play. For van AS it was her first goal of the tournament, but The Netherlands second goal was the ninth of the World Cup for Maartje PAUMEN, who sizzled in a tenth minute penalty corner to extend the advantage.
Lidewij WELTEN made the score 3-0 just after the break from open play (38mins) before Kim LAMMERS hit a perfect squeeze-shot into the turf which went over the legs of onrushing keeper Sakiyo ASANO and into the bottom left corner (49mins). The Netherlands made it five when PAUMEN launched yet another unstoppable penalty corner flick into the roof of the net in the 54th minute. Japan took advantage of a relaxing Netherlands team to score two late although extremely well taken field goals from Kaori CHIBA (67 / 69 mins), but the result was never in doubt. The Netherlands win the Pool and look to be in sparkling form ahead of the Semi Finals.
Match 29 - Netherlands v Japan 5-2
> Netherlands finish top on Pool A, collecting five straight wins like Argentina did in Pool B. They will play England in the semis.
> Japan join Spain as only teams winless in the Pool phase. They will face each other in the 11th place play-off.
> New Zealand will play China for 7th place. India and South Africa will battle for ninth place.
> Tournament top scorer Maartje Paumen (NED) is now on 10 goals. Only two other players have ever scored 10 or more goals at a World Cup tournament: Fieke Boekhorst (NED) 13 goals in 1981 and Jane Swinnerton (ENG) 10 goals in 1983.
> Lidewij Welten (NED) scored her first goal at a world level tournament (CT, OG, WC).
> Kim Lammers (NED) scored her fifth field goal this tournament. She also scored in Holland's last win over Japan at the 2007 Champions Trophy.
> Kaori Chiba (JPN) scored twice today. She also scored against the Dutch the last time these teams met at the 2008 Champions Trophy, when she became match winner (1-0). Chiba is now on four goals at Rosario 2010.
Sharland guides Black Sticks to triumph over India
New Zealand claimed their first victory of the tournament with a great performance against India, running out 3-0 winners. Team captain Kayla SHARLAND struck twice in the second half either side of goal from Katie GLYNN to defeat team from Asia. New Zealand temporarily moved up the table to fourth place, but must wait for the outcome of Japan's match against The Netherlands later today before knowing which classification match they will take part in.
There were no goals in the first half of the match, but few could dispute that the Black Sticks were the better side for the majority of the period. Krystal FORGESSON saw a high shot from the left end up in the back of the net via an Indian defender, but the goal was disallowed as her initial effort was adjudged to have been travelling wide of the target. Clarissa ESHUIS sent penalty corner flick wide of the mark, while reverse stick shots from both Charlotte and Samantha HARRISON failed to trouble Indian goalkeeper Deepika MURTHY. In the final minute of the half, a slipped penalty corner routine found Kayla SHARLAND in acres of space, but the New Zealand captain sent her shot wide of the left post when she really should have done better.
New Zealand got the goal that they deserved in the 44th minute when Kayla SHARLAND atoned for her earlier miss with a stunning reverse stick drive that when through the legs of MURTHY. Eight minutes later, Katie GLYNN added a second to delight the New Zealand fans in the crowd, who were soon witnessing a third goal when SHARLAND struck again with a well placed high penalty corner (55mins). New Zealand pushed for further goals in the last ten minutes of the match, while India's chances were limited by excellent Black Sticks defending.
Match Review 28 - New Zealand v India 3-0
> The kiwi's won their first World Cup match since beating Scotland 3-0 in the Final 11-12 in 2002.
> New Zealand finish fourth in Pool A unless Japan beat the Netherlands in the next game.
> India are ranked fifth in Pool A for now, but can go down to sixth if Japan beat Holland.
> Captain Kayla Sharland scored twice today and became the first NZL player to score against India at a World Cup tournament since Tina Bell-Kake scored twice against India in 1998 (2-1).
> Sharland's second goal was the first penalty corner NZL converted at this tournament (18 attempts).
