New Zealand and Germany were the first men’s teams to take to the field today. The Blacksticks handed the injury-plagued Germans their third defeat in the tournament which makes tomorrow’s match between Germany and Mexico a decider: only the winner reaches the quarter-finals.
The other Oceanian men’s team, Australia, did not fare so well. They suffered another frustrating one-goal defeat, succumbing to Spain 7-6 after an early three-goal lead. The Bangladeshi men had to give in to South Africa by the same one-goal margin, and are out of the quarter-finals, while Zambia, despite losing to Pakistan today, depend on tomorrow’s result between Germany and Mexico.
In the women’s competition, the Netherlands delivered a daunting demonstration of power, dispatching Argentina with six goals that received no response.
Japan women inflicted the highest score line of the competition so far on Fiji, pushing forward relentlessly to reach the exact number of goals that ensures they take second place in the pool over Argentina on goal difference if the two teams draw in tomorrow’s direct encounter.
China women kept a flawless record with a win over New Zealand, and the German women booked a first win to secure their place in the quarter-finals independent of tomorrow’s results.
Results
Women
Argentina – Netherlands 0:6 (0:1; 0:2)
Fiji – Japan 1:26 (0:10; 0:16)
China – New Zealand 8:3 (0:1; 5:3)
Zambia – Germany 2:5 (1:1; 1:2)
Men
New Zealand – Germany 6:3 (1:0; 4:2)
Spain – Australia 7:6 (1:3; 5:4)
Bangladesh – South Africa 3:4 (0:1; 2:3)
Zambia – Pakistan 2:9 (2:3; 2:7)
You can keep up to speed on all of the action from the 2014 Youth Olympic Games on the official event website - www.nanjing2014.org, with hockey specific info available by clicking here. To learn more about the Youth Olympic Games, click here.
