Goals galore on Day 1 as FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 begins

    17 Feb, 2025 The opening day of the inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2 Oman 2025 got off to a blistering start with all 8 teams in action across 4 games that saw a combined total of 25 goals scored! In Pool A Egypt and Poland got off to winning starts, with both sides claiming three points in close encounters against China and Chile respectively. The scoreline in Poland’s 4-0 win over Chile was particularly deceptive with the game hanging on a knife’s edge until a late flurry by the Polish side. In Pool B, USA and Austria faced off in another tight battle with USA impressing in attack, but their failure to convert on a plethora of big chances meant they had to rely on their equally amazing defence in the final quarter to come away 1-0 winners. The last game of the day saw hosts Oman face off against Scotland in what turned out to be a one-sided contest with the visitors stunning the hosts with a huge 10-1 win. Egypt 5 – 4 China China started the game on the front foot creating two circle penetrations within the first two minutes, but it was Egypt who scored first through Ahmed Elganaini, catching the Chinese out with a quick counter attack, to score the first goal in the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 history! China stormed back in the second quarter with two quick fire goals to take the lead, but Egypt would not go away and two goals in the final minute of the half gave them a 3-2 lead and all the momentum going into the break. The teams continued to trade goals in the second half with China striking first to pull level, but Egypt blitzed again late in the third quarter to add two more goals and build a lead they would not lose till the final whistle. Although China made the African side sweat by pulling within one goal late in the final quarter, Egypt held on to win 5-4 and take all three points from the opening encounter. Ahmed Elganaini was awarded player of the match for his two goals that helped get Egypt over the line. Chile 0 – 4 Poland The second match of the day ushered in a more controlled style of hockey following the breathtaking action of match one. Poland were dominant in the opening half but it took them until the 17th minute to make their possession count with Tomasz Bembenek opening the scoring through a penalty corner and that would be the only goal to be scored in the opening 30 as both teams felt each other out without committing to an all out attack. Penalty corners once again proved to be the difference in the third quarter as Poland capitalised and scored from their third corner of the game, Chile failed to convert their own PCs, allowing Poland to take a 2-goal lead into the final quarter. Poland finished the game off with a second penalty corner goal of the half from Maksymilian Koperski and a field goal from Mikolaj Gumny to come away comfortable 4-0 winners from the Pool A match-up. Mateusz Popiołkowski was awarded player of the match for his stellar performance in the goal for Poland and said: “Around 10 players in the squad today have come from the Indoor Hockey World Cup and we wanted to show we can compete just as well in the outdoors as well, so we are proud of the big result to open the tournament.” Austria 0 – 1 USA USA made a fast start to the game scoring through an early penalty corner by Sekayi Charasika in the 6th minute, but much of the first half was played with the teams playing watchfully. The teams traded spells of possession without causing either defence much headache. Austria couldn’t trouble USA keeper Klages from their two penalty corners in the second quarter as the United Wolves took a slender lead into the half-time break. USA had a spectacular third quarter, creating multiple chances including a penalty stroke taken by Aki Kaeppeler, but failed to convert any of them, with Austrian keeper Jakob Kastner starring for the Red Capricorns. Austria came back with a much better final quarter but the USA defence, particularly their penalty corner defence with some incredible rushing and last line keeping by Jonathan Klages helped them maintain their 1-0 lead and get to the final whistle to pick up the crucial 3 points in the Pool B. Jack Heldens was awarded player of the match and said: “We are thrilled to be here and we left everything out there on the pitch today, so glad the result came our way. All credit to the team for playing so hard and sticking to the plans.” Scotland 10 – 1 Oman The final game of the day saw hosts Oman take on Scotland in the Pool B encounter. Before Oman could settle into the game, Scotland had blitzed them multiple times to win penalty corners galore and by the time the first half ended, the visitors had run up the score to 7-0 with five penalty corner goals and two field goals virtually sealing the three points for them by the time the half-time hooter sounded. Scotland added two more goals in the third quarter with Andrew McConnell completing his hat-trick of goals from penalty corners and Ali Douglas flying in to put the finishing touches to a great team move by the Scottish. Oman finally got on the board in the final quarter scoring via an Ammaar Al Shaaibi drag flick from a penalty corner, but the goal counted for little more than consolation, especially with Craig Falconer adding a late goal for the Scottish side taking their goal tally into the double digits. Struan Walker was awarded the player of the match and said: “We are buzzing after the performance. We are a particularly young team with some players

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    The Women In Sport High-performance (WISH)

    “The Women In Sport High-performance (WISH) training programme is a transformative experience”

      12 Feb, 2025 On 16 January, 28 coaches graduated from cohort 4 of the Women in Sport High-Performance (WISH) training programme, bringing the total to 120 female coaches from 22 sports disciplines – including hockey – who have not completed the programme. Backed by Olympic Solidarity funding, this initiative aims to address the underrepresentation of women in elite coaching. Among the graduates were Sofie Gierts and Joy Jouret, both former Red Panthers (Belgium’s national hockey team), who benefited from one-on-one leadership mentoring as well as ongoing support from a sport-specific mentor. “The graduation was an emotional and inspiring milestone, marking both an end and a new beginning. It was a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve all been on, celebrating the growth, achievements, and bonds forged through the programme,” said Joy Jouret. Reflecting on key takeaways, Joy highlighted the power of community: “Being surrounded by like-minded, ambitious women from around the world, all pushing boundaries in high-performance coaching, was truly motivating. The ceremony also reinforced the importance of mentorship and collaboration in achieving our goals. Overall, the WISH programme has been a transformative experience. It has given me not just technical skills but also the confidence and support network to push forward in a male-dominated field. The ‘closure’ was less about an ending and more about stepping boldly into the next chapter—equipped and inspired to make a difference.” As a former international player and an experienced high-level coach for the International, European, and Belgian Hockey Federations, Joy Jouret remains committed to accelerating gender equality in hockey. Since graduating from WISH, she has hosted the “Breaking Boundaries”, an FIH Academy Masterclass, part of the FIH Women in Hockey Empowerment Project, where she shared insights and strategies to help other women overcome barriers in high-performance coaching. She is also pursuing a Master’s thesis in Psychology at the University of Louvain-La-Neuve (Belgium), focusing on the underrepresentation of women in high-level coaching. “I aim to implement cutting-edge techniques and leadership skills gained through WISH in my own coaching practice, helping my athletes reach their full potential—both on and off the field,” she concluded. Meanwhile, Sofie Gierts is currently the head coach of a men’s First Division team in Belgium—a role that remains exceptional and, unfortunately, still too rare for women. Commenting on the presence of women in elite coaching positions, Sofie stated: “Female coaches are still an exception, and that needs to change. There is scientific evidence that diverse leadership teams function better. Research shows that gender diversity in leadership contributes to better decision-making, greater safety, innovation, and financial performance. One of the most important pillars of this programme is strengthening the network to support each other.” Looking ahead, Sofie emphasized the importance of leading by example: “Gender equality is not just a matter of policy but a practice that should be embedded in our daily work. When we collaborate, we achieve better results. I want to continue building an inclusive and inspiring sports environment that demonstrates how equality and top performance go hand in hand.” Undoubtedly, the WISH programme marks a significant step toward gender equality in high-performance sport. However, much work remains to close the gap and increase the number of women in leadership roles. “At FIH, accelerating opportunities for women is a key pillar of the FIH Empowerment and Engagement Strategy and the recently launched FIH Women in Hockey Empowerment Project. We are committed to uplifting and engaging female players, coaches, officials, and leaders in the sport. Through this initiative, we are also proud to align with the IOC’s efforts to advance gender equality in sports” said Tayyab Ikram, FIH President. “Hockey has demonstrated a genuine commitment to equality and inclusion, but this remains a continuous journey. We must continue making efforts to empower women in leadership positions. The WISH experience has taught us that progress is most effective when achieved collectively—through networking, connecting with one another, and learning from the experiences of other women. It is equally important to ensure that these learnings are passed on to future generations” concluded Marijke Fleuren, FIH Chair of the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. #MadeForHockey

      Poland women claim first-ever indoor crown as German men thwart Austria’s three-peat ambitions

        09 Feb, 2025 The FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup came to an exhilarating conclusion on Sunday with Poland’s women getting their hands on the trophy for the first time and Germany’s men defeating Austria in a shootout to reclaim the title they last won 14 years ago. The men’s final produced a high-paced goal-fest with the scores locked on 6-6 in regulation time. It was a top-quality encounter with the sides never separated by more than one goal throughout. Austria lived dangerously around their own circle at times and Germany punished them for it. At the other end of the court, Fabian Unterkircher was at his very best, adding four goals in Austria’s losing cause. There were goals for Young Player of the Tournament Ben Hasbach, and several excellent saves from Goalkeeper of the Tournament, Germany’s Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji. The action was unrelenting and the end couldn’t have been more dramatic with both teams having opportunities to seal the deal in regulation time. First Unterkircher levelled the scores for Austria in the 36th minute. Then Austria’s goalkeeper, Mateusz Szymczyk, made a sharp save to deny Germany a winner. Unterkircher then struck the post with two minutes remaining, taking the match into a shootout where Germany held their nerve to lift the trophy for the first time since 2011. “This is not for me, it’s for the whole team,” Player of the Match Paul Dösch afterwards. “It’s incredible what we did the last 10 days. We didn’t play one day, we met 10 days ago, it’s incredible.” In sharp contrast to the men’s final, the women’s gold-medal match featured just one goal. Polish captain Marlena Rybacha got her team off to a perfect start, threading a magnificent ball through the eye of a needle for Amelia Katerla who scored in the third minute. Poland had good opportunities to double their lead in the 16th and 18th minutes, but Austrian goalkeeper Michaela Streb was alert to the danger and shut them down. Down at the other end of the court Poland’s keeper, Marta Kucharska, finished the half with top-quality saves from a penalty stroke and a penalty corner and her team carried a slender 1-0 lead to half time. The Austrians cranked up the pressure as the second half progressed, but the Poles managed the game well. With three minutes to play Austria pulled their goalkeeper out to have a last roll of the dice and it nearly paid off. Kucharska made one great save from open play and then led her defence against two penalty corners in the final 20 seconds as Poland held on for their first-ever FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup crown. Rybacha and Kurcharska were named joint Player of the Match for Poland and a delirious Rybacha, who was later also named Player of the Tournament, said afterwards: “It feels incredible. It’s just something that we cannot believe that we made it to be the world champions. You cannot describe it, it’s something that never, ever happened to Poland hockey and we’ve made history.” Earlier, South Africa’s men topped off their historic week with a 6-5 win over Belgium to take the bronze, a first medal for the country and the continent in a FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. Mustapha Cassiem, who was later named Player of the Tournament, grabbed another hat-trick to finish on 17 goals. In the women’s third-place playoff, Czechia equalised in the last play of regulation time against Germany and went on to win the shootout for back-to-back bronze medals in the tournament. Best Players of the Tournament Men Best junior player – Ben Hasbach (GER) Best goalkeeper – Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji (GER) Top scorer – Philippe Simar (BEL) Best player – Mustapha Cassiem (RSA) Women Best junior player – Reese d’Ariano (USA) Best goalkeeper – Somlak Suttiprapa (THA) Top scorer – Ines Wanner (GER) Best player – Marlena Rybacha (POL) 9 February 2025 Results Men Result: Match 29 (M) Malaysia 6 – 4 Trinidad & Tobago Player of the match: Ashran Hamsani (MAS) Umpires: Salman (INA), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 30 (M) Argentina 1 – 7 Croatia Player of the match: Mario Mucić (CRO) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 31 (M) Iran 5 – 4 Namibia Player of the match: Hamid Nooranian (IRI) Umpires: Ben Goentgen (GER), Zeke Newman (AUS) Result: Match 32 (M) Poland 6 – 2 Australia Player of the match: Mateusz Popiołkowski (POL) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Result: Match 33 (M) South Africa 6 – 5 Belgium Player of the match: Mustapha Cassiem (RSA) Umpires: Michelle Meister (GER), Ben Goentgen (GER) Result: Match 34 (M) Germany 6 – 6 Austria (SO: 2 – 1) Player of the match: Paul Dösch (GER) Umpires: Pieter Hembrecht (NED), Sean Edwards (ENG) Women Result: Match 31 (W) Thailand 3 – 5 United States Player of the match: Reese D’Ariano (USA) Umpires: Ana Ortega (ESP), Ivona Makar (CRO) Result: Match 32 (W) Namibia 1 – 6 Belgium Player of the match: Laurine Delforge (BEL) Umpires: Kristy Robertson (AUS), Abby Macarthur (WAL) Result: Match 33 (W) Germany 3 – 3 Czechia (SO: 2 – 3) Player of the match: Barbora Ćecháková (CZE) Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Ana Ortega (ESP) Result: Match 34 (W) Austria 0 – 1 Poland Player of the match: Marlena Rybacha (POL) Umpires: Rachel Williams (ENG), Michael Pontus (BEL) Final tournament standings: Women Poland, 2. Austria, 3. Czechia, 4. Germany, 5. Belgium, 6. Namibia, 7. United States, 8. Thailand, 9. South Africa, 10. Australia, 11. New Zealand, 12. Croatia Men Germany, 2. Austria, 3. South Africa, 4. Belgium, 5. Poland, 6. Australia, 7. Iran, 8. Namibia, 9. Croatia, 10. Argentina, 11. Malaysia, 12. Trinidad & Tobago All images: ©FIH/WorldSportPics

        Austrian men target three-peat as first-time women’s champion guaranteed

          08 Feb, 2025 Austria’s men will be gunning for a third straight crown at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup when they come up against Germany in the final on Sunday while there will be a guaranteed first-time winner of the women’s title as the Austrian women’s team take on Poland. The first of the men’s semifinals, played in Poreč, Croatia on Saturday, produced a contest between German structure and South African flair, with the Germans prevailing 6-1. The scoreline was a slightly flattering one for the Germans with a flurry of late goals, but their suffocating press and uncompromising defence were what set up the victory. They also finished well, while South Africa couldn’t find the target despite some excellent opportunities when the game was still in the balance. German goalkeeper Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji was again named player of the match and said afterwards: “We conceded one goal in 40 minutes in indoor hockey, it’s amazing. Amazing teamwork, amazing team effort.” Two-time defending champions Austria haven’t played to their full potential yet in the tournament, but they were approaching their best in an excellent 4-2 win over Belgium in their semifinal. The Austrians built a 3-0 lead by half time, and it could have been more were it not for some sensational goalkeeping by Romain Genet in the Red Lions’ goal. Belgium didn’t play badly and looked threatening, especially in the closing stages, but the reigning champions simply strangled them with good defence and a tight press. The player of the match went to Austria’s Benjamin Stanzl who said: “We had a pretty good plan in the beginning, and it worked from second one… If you were watching Austria in the last year it’s always about defending. We defended super well.” Later in the evening, the Austrian women showed incredible grit to come back from two goals down to then get the better of Germany in a shootout. Trailing by two goals at half time, and with the Germans in control of the match, it seemed there was no way back. But the Germans adopted a defensive mindset and paid a heavy price. Austria found some momentum in the third quarter and grabbed one goal back. They then equalised with four minutes left on the clock. Germany struggled to refire their engines and the Austrians nearly clinched the win in regulation time. They then started the shootout with their adrenaline surging and it was no surprise that they clinched it 3-1. The player of the match went to Katharina Bauer who said afterwards: “It was just a whole team effort. We improved the whole tournament, I mean, against Thailand it was such a tough game, and then we came back against Namibia, now we won against Germany. I still can’t believe it, it’s amazing.” Playing in her fourth FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, Polish captain Marlena Rybacha fired her team to a two-goal lead inside the opening six minutes and it seemed to knock the wind out of Czechia. Poland has a well-earned reputation for solid defence and Czechia simply couldn’t make any headway against it. The Poles extended their lead in the third quarter and although Czechia did pull their goalkeeper out with six minutes remaining, they were only able to pull back one goal. An emotional Rybacha was awarded the player of the match and said afterwards: “It means the world to me. I was like thinking it’s the fourth time that we are in a World Cup with Poland and each time we got kicked out from Germany, and this time we’ve reached the final. And probably that is the end of my career and we are going to play the final!” Both men’s and women’s finals will be contested on Sunday night with the remaining playoff matches taking place throughout the day. 8 February 2025 Results Men Result: Match 25 (M) Poland 9 – 1 Iran Player of the match: Gracjan Jarzyński (POL) Umpires: Zeke Newman (AUS), Rachel Williams (ENG) Result: Match 26 (M) Australia 4 – 3 Namibia Player of the match: Thomas Miotto (AUS) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 27 (M) Germany 6 – 1 South Africa Player of the match: Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji (GER) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Michael Pontus (BEL) Result: Match 28 (M) Austria 4 – 2 Belgium Player of the match: Sebastian Eitenberger (AUT) Umpires: Pieter Hembrecht (NED), Ben Goentgen (GER) Women Result: Match 25 (W) New Zealand 3 – 2 Croatia Player of the match: Kirsten Pearce (NZL) Umpires: Salman (INA), Kristy Robertson (AUS) Result: Match 26 (W) Australia 2 – 3 South Africa Player of the match: Laylaa Davids (RSA) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Abby Macarthur (WAL) Result: Match 27 (W) Thailand 2 – 3 Namibia Player of the match: Kiana-Ché Cormack (NAM) Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Ivona Makar (CRO) Result: Match 28 (W) Belgium 6 – 5 United States Player of the match: Daphne Gose-Claessens (BEL) Umpires: Michelle Meister (GER), Kristy Robertson (AUS) Result: Match 29 (W) Germany 2 – 2 Austria (SO: 1 – 3) Player of the match: Katharina Bauer (AUT) Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Melina Illanes (ARG) Result: Match 30 (W) Poland 3 – 1 Czechia Player of the match: Marlena Rybacha (POL) Umpires: Michelle Meister (GER), Ana Ortega (ESP) All images: ©FIH/WorldSportPics

          Semifinal stage set after day of high drama and history in Croatia

            07 Feb, 2025 History was made by South Africa, Belgium and Poland at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Poreč, Croatia on Friday as their respective sides progressed to the semifinals of the tournament for the first time. South Africa’s men will venture into unchartered territory after a resounding 6-0 win over two-time bronze medallists Iran in their quarterfinal clash. They took the game away from the Iranians in a four-minute purple patch in the third quarter, scoring two goals at one end while Anton van Loggerenberg made three good saves in goal at the other. Mustapha Cassiem added another hat-trick to take his tournament tally to 14 goals. Jethro Eustace was named player of the match and said afterwards: “Our speed and skill have got us this far. I think today we spoke about how our defensive effort is going to be needed.” Belgium’s men also advanced to an historic first semifinal with a 7-6 win over Namibia. The Red Lions carried a comfortable 7-1 lead into the final quarter, but Namibia made a fist of it with five quick unanswered goals. The Belgians endured a desperate final minute as Namibia pulled their keeper off and created one clear opportunity to level the match, but it was all too little too late. “It was really a crazy game,” admitted player of the match Dorian Thiéry afterwards. “We played very well for three quarters, then they came back, it was really terrifying, but at the end the structure was really good and I think that was the difference for today.” Meanwhile, title contenders Germany scraped through to the men’s semifinals in dramatic fashion after a sudden death shootout win against Poland. The Germans looked to be in control of the match with a 2-0 lead and just four minutes to play. Poland removed their goalkeeper to chase the game and Germany responded by doing the same, but it backfired as they conceded two late goals. Germany then missed their first shot in the shootout but recovered to prevail in a second round of sudden death. Two-time defending champions Austria also survived a sudden death shootout after their match against Australia ended 2-2. Leading by two with three minutes to play, the Austrians conceded two quick goals, the second from their own mis-trapped penalty corner against a keeperless goal at the other end of the court, but they ultimately held on for the shootout victory. Captain Fabian Unterkircher was Austria’s player of the match and said afterwards: “We knew that Australia is giving a hard fight on the pitch. I think they did a really good job in the end… Obviously a really nerve-wracking end and we’re very happy to be through.” Poland were the team to make history in the women’s tournament as they came from behind in a 2-1 win over Belgium and advanced to the semifinals for the first time. The Polish trailed for most of the first half, and had to work patiently for a winner that came with only three minutes left on the clock. A jubilant Marlena Rybacha was Poland’s player of the match and said: “We knew that the game from the start would be really, really difficult. It’s all about the details, they are going to sit low and wait for our mistakes to make a counterattack, and that was exactly the game. They were waiting, waiting, waiting but I’m super happy that we managed to score two goals and we’re going to the semifinals.” Meanwhile, Austria will be looking to go one better than their silver medal in 2023 after they secured their spot in the semifinal with a comfortable 5-1 victory over potentially tricky Namibia. Player of the match Katharina Bauer said afterwards: “I think we need to keep up the energy. I think we started really good but then we kind of lost it in the middle. But I think we need to keep our mentality high and keep our heads in the game, and I’m sure in the semifinal we’ll do it better.” Czechia, bronze medallists and current world number 2, claimed their semifinal spot with a 4-2 win over the United States and Germany met some good defensive resistance from debutantes Thailand, but ultimately they were too strong and cruised to a 7-1 victory to secure their slot in the final four. Ines Wanner’s hat-trick kept her on the top of the goal-scoring table with 13 so far in the tournament. Saturday will see Germany meeting South Africa in the men’s semifinals while Austria take on Belgium, and in the women’s event it will be Germany vs Austria and Poland going up against Czechia. 7 February 2025 Results Men Result: Match 19 (M) Argentina 6 – 2 Malaysia Player of the match: Juan Eleicegui (ARG) Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Ben Goentgen (GER) Result: Match 20 (M) Croatia 12 – 3 Trinidad & Tobago Player of the match: Mario Mucić (CRO) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Sean Edwards (ENG) Result: Match 21 (M) Germany 2 – 2 Poland (SO: 2 – 1) Player of the match: Joshua Onyekwue Nnaji (GER) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Michael Pontus (BEL) Result: Match 22 (M) South Africa 6 – 0 Iran Player of the match: Jethro Eustice (RSA) Umpires: Michelle Meister (GER), Pieter Hembrecht (NED) Result: Match 23 (M) Belgium 7 – 6 Namibia Player of the match: Dorian Thiéry (BEL) Umpires: Zeke Newman (AUS), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Result: Match 24 (M) Austria 2 – 2 Australia (SO: 3 – 2) Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Umpires: Ben Goentgen (GER), Salman (INA) Women Result: Match 19 (W) Australia 3 – 1 New Zealand Player of the match: Caitlin Burns (AUS) Umpires: Ivona Makar (CRO), Rachel Williams (ENG) Result: Match 20 (W) South Africa 6 – 0 Croatia Player of the match: Daniella De Oliveira (RSA) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Result: Match 21 (W) Namibia 1 – 5 Austria Player of the match: Katharina Bauer (AUT) Umpires: Emily

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            Thai women book surprise quarterfinal spot after stunning victory over Austria

              06 Feb, 2025 The quarterfinal line-up was completed after an adrenaline-charged final day of pool matches at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Poreč, Croatia on Thursday, with several sides springing a few surprises. Thailand’s women earned an unexpected spot in the quarterfinals with a sensational 2-1 win over title contenders Austria, silver medallists at the 2023 event. The tournament debutantes opened the scoring in an excellent first quarter in which they could easily have scored several more goals. Austria struggled to get into the match but when they equalised in the 14th minute one would have expected them to assume control. Thailand had other ideas however and a mammoth defensive effort kept them in the match before they snatched the winning goal with eight minutes left on the clock. The player of the match was awarded to Thai goalkeeper Somlak Suttiprapa who spoke animatedly in her native tongue, and according to her translator it boiled down to: “My team can do it!” Poland’s women secured their quarterfinal place with a 4-2 win over South Africa. A breathless Daria Skoraszewska was their player of the match and said: “I am very proud of my team. We played very well.” With both teams already sure of their spots, the match between Germany and Namibia’s women was about top honours in their table, and the Germans romped home 8-1 to advance unbeaten. Philin Bolle bagged a hat-trick for Germany and was named the player of the match. She said afterwards: “We want to do every game more and more and more, and we may be very good but we want more, we want the final in the end.” Meanwhile, Australia’s 2-0 victory over New Zealand was in vain as Thailand’s result sent both Antipodean teams to the bottom four. In men’s action, Mustapha Cassiem bagged another hat-trick to steer South Africa to the quarterfinals with a vital 5-2 win over Poland. “They made it pretty tough for us. We knew that they’re a pretty good team as a unit, and we knew that we had to bring our A-game,” he said after being named player of the match. “We are really good on attack, we can always score goals, but our mindset in this game and games to come is definitely defence, defence, defence, we’ve tried to work on that.” Australia and Namibia played out a thrilling 5-5 draw to wrap up the group stages. With seven minutes remaining the Aussies were leading by two and had an air of control about them. Namibia fought hard to level the scores by the 37th minute, only to drop behind again a minute later. With their quarterfinal dreams hanging by a thread they dug deep for an equaliser in the 39th minute, and very nearly snatched an outright win at the death. The draw means both teams advance at Argentina’s expense. Matthew Hotchkis, playing in his fourth FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, was named the player of the match for Australia and said: “We knew they were going to come at us, and to their credit their press put us under pressure… So it was harder when there was no space but yeah, we do our best to keep our mindset calm. It was just a genuine contest in the end and it was good fun.” Earlier in the evening, two-time defending champions Austria found themselves trailing against hosts Croatia before recovering to win 4-2. The home side went ahead in the second minute and it took the Austrians nearly 20 minutes to get their nose in front. Belgium took a while to find their feet in their 7-2 win over Trinidad & Tobago, but they got cracking in the final quarter, scoring four goals to remain unbeaten in the pool stages. Philippe Simar found the back of the net four more times to stay top of the pack with 14 goals from three games. The player of the match was Belgium’s Tanguy Zimmer who said: “We learn from these games… I hope that tomorrow we’ll play a game full gas, one hundred percent.” Friday’s men’s quarterfinal clashes will see Germany taking on Poland, South Africa facing Iran, Belgium coming up against Namibia and Austria playing Australia. In the women’s tournament, Namibia face Austria, Czechia take on the United States, Germany play Thailand and Poland are up against Belgium in a bid to reach Saturday’s semifinals. 6 February 2025 Results Men Result: Match 15 (M) Poland 2 – 5 South Africa Player of the match: Mustapha Cassiem (RSA) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Ana Ortega (ESP) Result: Match 16 (M) Austria 4 – 2 Croatia Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Umpires: Emily Carroll (AUS), Ben Goentgen (GER) Result: Match 17 (M) Belgium 7 – 2 Trinidad & Tobago Player of the match: Tanguy Zimmer (BEL) Umpires: Kristy Robertson (AUS), Rachel Williams (ENG) Result: Match 18 (M) Namibia 5 – 5 Australia Player of the match: Matthew Hotchkis (AUS) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Michelle Meister (GER) Women Result: Match 15 (W) Austria 1 – 2 Thailand Player of the match: Somlak Suttiprapa (THA) Umpires: Michael Pontus (BEL), Zeke Newman (AUS) Result: Match 16 (W) Poland 4 – 2 South Africa Player of the match: Daria Skoraszewska (POL) Umpires: Pieter Hembrecht (NED), Ivona Makar (CRO) Result: Match 17 (W) Australia 2 – 0 New Zealand Player of the match: Annelyse Tevant (AUS) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Salman (INA) Result: Match 18 (W) Namibia 1 – 8 Germany Player of the match: Philin Bolle (GER) Umpires: Abby Macarthur (WAL), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) All images: ©FIH/WorldSportPics

              Belgian men march into quarterfinals with exceptional win over Australia

                05 Feb, 2025 Several teams secured their tickets to the quarterfinals on the third day of action at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Poreč, Croatia on Wednesday. Austria’s men, who secured their playoff spot a day earlier, will be joined by Belgium, Iran, and Germany, while in the women’s event Germany, Namibia and Belgium advanced to join Czechia in the final eight. The Belgian men made sure of their place with an emphatic 7-3 win over Australia. It was joint player of the match performances from skipper Phillippe Simar, who bagged all seven goals, and goalkeeper Romain Henet who produced three brilliant saves, that denied Australia any momentum in the match. Simar said afterwards: “That was a top performance with seven goals against the main team of the pool, so yeah, I pushed goals but Romain had a really good game, he saved three or four really, really good saves at good moments so that’s the most important thing today.” Belgium’s women followed their men into the quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw with the United States. A beaming Margaux Coudron was named player of the match and said: “The USA is really a tough team so we knew it wasn’t easy, but we managed the game. It was not the nicest game to watch because it was slow but we knew that a draw was enough so we kept calm.” Iran’s men, bronze medallists in 2023, progressed after prevailing 3-0 in their tricky clash with Malaysia. “All of the team and all of the players worked hard for this game. This game was very important for us and I give this honour to our players,” said player of the match Sajjad Mamizadeh afterwards. The German men advanced with an 8-2 win in a heated encounter against Argentina. The Argentinians desperately wanted a win to avoid the permutations involved in determining the two non-automatic places in the quarterfinals and found themselves trailing by just one goal towards the end of the third quarter. Things fell apart quickly though as they conceded two penalty strokes and a soft goal from a poor pass across the goalmouth. Player of the match Ben Hasbach did most of the damage with his five goals for Germany and said afterwards: “We started very bad, but we came in the second half very good into the game, we scored our goals, and we’re happy to be in the quarterfinals with three wins.” Meanwhile, there was another heavy defeat for Australia as Germany’s women cruised to a 7-0 win over the team ranked one place above them in the world. The victory saw the Germans booking their quarterfinal spot with skipper Fenja Poppa named the player of the match. “I’m really happy that we won the second game. We scored a lot of goals and I’m really proud of the team,” she said. The Namibian women also advance after trouncing New Zealand 7-0, so recording their first ever back-to-back wins at an FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. Thrilled player of the match Kiana-Ché Cormack said afterwards: “It really feels amazing. I mean, we’ve ticked our first box, one of our goals was to come top two in our pool, and so now we can just go and play against Germany.” In other action, already-qualified Czechia’s women extended their unbeaten record, finishing the pool stage with a comfortable 4-1 win over hosts Croatia while Namibia’s men remain in contention for a quarterfinal place after a strong finish in their 6-3 win over Trinidad and Tobago. The United States women can only watch the permutations play out on Thursday to see whether they will advance. 5 February 2025 Results Men Result: Match 11 (M) Namibia 6 – 3 Trinidad & Tobago Player of the match: Pieter Jacobs (NAM) Umpires: Ben Goentgen (GER), Kristy Robertson (AUS) Result: Match 12 (M) Australia 3 – 7 Belgium Player of the match: Romain Henet & Philippe Simar (BEL) Umpires: Ana Ortega (ESP), Pieter Hembrecht (NED) Result: Match 13 (M) Iran 3 – 0 Malaysia Player of the match: Sajjad Mamizadeh (IRI) Umpires: Michelle Meister (GER), Michael Pontus (BEL) Result: Match 14 (M) Argentina 2 – 8 Germany Player of the match: Ben Hasbach (GER) Umpires: Zeke Newman (AUS), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL) Women Result: Match 11 (W) Namibia 7 – 0 New Zealand Player of the match: Kiana-Ché Cormack (NAM) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Emily Carroll (AUS) Result: Match 12 (W) Germany 7 – 0 Australia Player of the match: Fenja Poppe (GER) Umpires: Abby Macarthur (WAL), Salman (INA) Result: Match 13 (W) United States 1 – 1 Belgium Player of the match: Margaux Coudron (BEL) Umpires: Ivona Makar (CRO), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Result: Match 14 (W) Czechia 4 – 1 Croatia Player of the match: Natálie Nováková (CZE) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Rachel Williams (ENG) All images: ©FIH/WorldSportPics

                Austrian men survive South African scare

                Austrian men survive South African scare as quarterfinals start to take shape

                  04 Feb, 2025 There was plenty more excitement on the second day of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Poreč, Croatia on Tuesday, with some teams starting to lock in their quarterfinal places while others worked desperately to keep their tournament aspirations alive. Another 70 goals were scored across the 10 matches, taking the tournament tally to 177 from 22 matches in total. Two-time defending men’s champions Austria had to dig deep for their 8-6 win in a fiery encounter against South Africa. Mustapha Cassiem posted another four goals for the South Africans to shoot to the top of the tournament statistics. Austria trailed for most of the match and only snuck ahead in the final quarter. Fülöp Losonci grabbed three goals on his way to being named as the player of the match for Austria and said afterwards: “We exactly knew what they wanted to play and we had a plan, but we started with it too late so they scored two quick goals. But I think we reacted really well, we showed them that we are here.” In the corresponding women’s fixture, Austria proved far too good for South Africa and their 10-0 win boosts them to the top of their pool with a useful goal difference. Katharina Bauer grabbed a hat-trick on the night while Johanna Czech was named player of the match. Comparing the match to their draw a day earlier against Poland, Czech explained: “I think we had a little switch in our head, it was a completely different game, we were totally on from the beginning, that was very much different from yesterday.” Meanwhile, the Czechian women continued their winning form on Tuesday. Currently ranked second in the world, they booked their quarterfinal spot with an impressive 6-2 win against Belgium. Adéla Lehovcová was named player of the match and said: “We feel really good. It was a tough game but we worked really hard and we’re so happy.” Poland’s women ground out an essential 1-0 win over Thailand, scoring early and holding possession for long periods to deny the Thai side any real momentum in the match. A win or even draw against South Africa on Thursday would see Poland safely through to the quarterfinals. After a dominant 12-4 victory over Malaysia in their opener on Monday, Germany’s men extended their impressive run with a comfortable 8-3 win over Iran and currently top their pool. Captain Anton Boeckel received the player of the match award and said afterwards: “I think we had everything under control, didn’t allow much, so quite happy with that.” Argentina’s men came from behind to record a critical 5-2 win over debutants Malaysia, but it needed two Argentinian goals in the final 90 seconds to secure their first win. Argentina’s Juan Eleicegui was named the player of the match and said: “We are very happy for this victory, we needed this match.” Debutants and hosts Croatia had their dreams of progressing to the quarterfinals dashed. The men went down 7-2 to Poland, conceding a flurry of late goals after substituting their goalkeeper to chase a result. Gracjan Jarzyński bagged five goals in his player-of-the-match performance for Poland. Later in the evening, Croatia’s women lost 6-3 to the United States, who now face Belgium in a must-win match on Wednesday. 4 February 2025 Results Men Result: Match 7 (M) Argentina 5 – 2 Malaysia Player of the match: Juan Eleicegui (ARG) Umpires: Ben Goentgen (GER), Ivona Makar (CRO) Result: Match 8 (M) Germany 8 – 3 Iran Player of the match: Anton Boeckel (GER) Umpires: Rachel Williams (ENG), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Result: Match 9 (M) South Africa 6 – 8 Austria Player of the match: Fülöp Losonci (AUT) Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Michael Pontus (BEL) Result: Match 10 (M) Poland 8 – 2 Croatia Player of the match: Gracjan Jarzyński (POL) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Melina Illanes (ARG) Women Result: Match 7 (W) Poland 1 – 0 Thailand Player of the match: Monika Chmiel (POL) Umpires: Zeke Newman (AUS), Ana Ortega (ESP) Result: Match 8 (W) South Africa 0 – 10 Austria Player of the match: Johanna Czech (AUT) Umpires: Kristy Robertson (AUS), Salman (INA) Result: Match 9 (W) United States 6 – 3 Croatia Player of the match: Erin Matson (USA) Umpires: Pieter Hembrecht (NED), Emily Carroll (AUS) Result: Match 10 (W) Belgium 2 – 6 Czechia Player of the match: Adéla Lehovcová (CZE) Umpires: Michelle Meister (GER), Abby Macarthur (WAL) Source: FIH.hockey