The third day of the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships in Boom today were a men's day, with the four encounters of the second round of men's pool matches. Germany defeated Spain to stay in the race for the semi-finals, Ireland defeated Poland, Belgium dashed past the Czechs, and the Netherlands finalized semi-final status with a win over England.
Spain - Germany 3-6 (2-1)
Spain had a good start against the Germans, taking an early lead with a Pau Quemada flick, and re-establishing their lead with a goal from Manel Terraza after Thilo Stralkowski had equalized.
The Germans' halftime talk must have impressed however, as they returned from the break fierce and fiery, staving off certain elimination from the semi-finals in the shape of their second defeat in as many matches with an impressive turnaround.
Four goals in 11 minutes let the air out of the Spanish ambitions, and put the Olympic champions back on track for the semi-finals. Spain managed one more goal, but Germany replied in kind for a final scoreline of 6-3.
Ireland - Poland 4-2 (2-1)
Ireland recorded their first win against Poland today, keeping them in the race for the top four and putting their fate in their own hands in the all-important encounter with England on Wednesday.
In a scrappy game, Ireland started the scoring early through Conor Harte but soon saw Poland catch up through Adam Chwalisz. Shane O'Donoghue reclaimed the lead shortly before halftime, the boys in green pulled away for good with goals from Eugene Magee and Michael Watt. Adam Chwalisz scored his second goal in the dying seconds of the match, but it couldn't endanger Irish victory.
Belgium - Czech Republic 4-0 (2-0)
The home team have their sights firmly set on the semi-finals, picking up their second win today with a pair of goals in each half.
John-John Dohmen and Tom Boon established a two-goal lead in the first half, and a quick double hit sealed the Czechs' fate midway through the second half, with the first goal an own goal, the second scored by Cédric Charlier. The victory puts Belgium top of the group before the last round of pool matches with a very good chance of moving through to the semi-finals.
England - Netherlands 1-2 (0-2)
The day ended with the encounter between England and the Netherlands. Two first half goals for the Dutch through Billy Bakker and veteran Robert van der Horst, who celebrated his 200th cap today, were enough to claim the match, despite a second half consolation goal for England through Barry Middleton.
The win puts the Netherlands into the semi-finals independent of their result in the last pool match on Wednesday.
To follow the TriFinance EuroHockey Championships in more detail, please visit www.trifinanceeurohockey2013.be or www.eurohockey.org.
