First wins for Korea and India and big wins for Australia and Belgium. Oh, and another win for the hosts. Read on for a round-up of all the day 7 action here at the Hockey World Cup.
Women’s Pool A: Korea 4-2 Belgium.
Korea’s Park Mihyun discovered her scoring touch with a brace of strikes in a hugely entertaining encounter with Belgium. Park’s first goals of the tournament were somewhat overshadowed by the start to eh second half where Belgium were still coming out of the changing rooms when Korea started the second period. A frantic race to get to the D first ensued which fortunately for Belgium did not result in any damage from their point of view.
Korea took the lead in the 12th minute with a goal form Cheon Eunbi but just three minutes after, Jill Boon levelled the scores at the second attempt.
Despite the frantic start to the second half Belgium took the lead. Boon went close again but her effort was saved by Jang Soo Ji but Alix Gerniers was on hand to finish it off to make it 2-1.
Park nabbed the equaliser and then on 55 minutes she put her side ahead. Cheon squeezed in her second from a tight angle and secured the points on her 100th appearance.
Men’s Pool A: Spain 2-5 Belgium.
Five goals from four different scorers were enough to give Belgium an empathic win over a tired looking Spain in what was at times a bad tempered affair.
Tanguy Cosyns opened the scoring from bullet penalty corner on 13 minutes and then Alexandre de Saedeleer tucked away a second, also from a penalty corner, just three minutes later. Spain had a goal disallowed with the score at 2-0 and both skipper Santi Freixa and Xavier Reckinger were given a spell on the naughty step as the arguments over the goal continued. Emmanuel Stockbroekx scored a nice reverse stick shot just before the break and then Cosyns fired home another penalty corner a minute after half time to make it 4-0. Spain conceded a fifth when John-John Dohmen lifted a rebound over Quico Cortes after the goalkeeper had made the initial save. Eddie Tubau and Freixa scored twice in the dying minutes for Spain but the damage was already done.
Men’s Pool A: India 3-2 Malaysia
Two goals from Akashdeep Singh in the space of two second half minutes saw off Malaysia and gave India that elusive first win of the tournament.
India had the better of the first half and scored in the 14th minute through Jasjeet Singh Kular who improvised well off a broken down penalty corner to find the net.
Once again Kumar Subramiam in the Malaysian goal was in inspired form seeing off a splendid effort from Sardar Singh in amongst a series of excellent blocks.
Malaysia drew level in the 46th minute as Razie Rahim scored a penalty corner but India then hit back with a wonderful deflection from Akashdeep. He then scored an even better goal, teeing the ball up and volleying crisply into the net beyond the goalkeeper. With nine minutes remaining Marhan Jalil reduced the arrears but this time India were able to ride out the rest of the game and there was to be no late drama.
Men’s Pool A: England 0-5 Australia
Full Match Report Here.
Women’s Pool A: Japan 1-4 New Zealand
Two goals from Anita Punt kept New Zealand just about in contention to reach the semi-finals as they put Japan to the sword with a 4-1 win.
The Kiwis forced a series of penalty corners in the opening exchanges and it was from one of these that they took the lead. Punt found Sophie Cocks who deflected in to make it 1-0.
Three minutes after the break Punt scored from a penalty corner, finding the roof of the net and then Katie Glynn added a third with a nice strike from close in. Hazuki Nagai produce a calm finish to beat the Blacksticks keeper on 51 minutes but Punt had the last word with an excellent reverse stick strike to round off the scoring.
Women’s Pool A: Australia 0-2 Netherlands.
The hosts came out on top in the clash of the titans in Pool A but it was far from a straightforward task. They were indebted to some inspired goalkeeping from Joyce Sombroek who kept the Australians at bay with some stunning saves before Kim Lammers and Naomi Van As secured the points with two second half goals. Emily Hurtz went close for the Hockeyroos early on but her deflection flew over the bar.
Sombroek showed her class in the eight minute with a wonderful save diving to her right to get a glove on a fierce reverse stick strike from Kellie White and then just before the break she was out quickly to deny Hurtz. At the other end Maartje Paumen;s radar was slightly off as she flicked a penalty corner wide. The home crowd were starting to get edgy but then a wonderful run and cross from Kelly Jonker was turned in by Lammers to send the crowd into a frenzy. With five minutes left on the clock, Van As found some space and shot through the goalkeeper’s legs to make the game safe and secure a semi final berth for the Netherlands. They will take some stopping in this form.
The Top of the D 