11 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: It was tense and dramatic to the very end in both of today’s matches in the 9-16th place matches. First Japan waited until the final second of the game to break Korea’s hearts and then India hauled Canada back, first in the dying minutes of the match and then in the shoot-out to win their first match of the World Cup. Japan vs Korea (9-16 place) It was an entertaining first half of hockey between these two Asian rivals. Japan had the lion’s share of possession for the earlier part of the quarter but Korea began to get the measure of the fast passing and nimble movement of Japan and started to create their own pressure. Korea have their goal keeper Lee Jinmin to thank for not going a goal down early in the game. The keeper has gained plaudits throughout the tournament and her triple save was a masterclass is agility. Japan took the lead in the 18th minute when Kobayakawa Shiho wriggled through the Korea defence and created enough space to fire home a lovely reverse stick shot that even Lee Jinmin couldn’t save. Korea replied swiftly. A penalty corner led to a straight strike from Jung CheYoung, the ball flew with force into the Japan goal, past Nakamura Eika. Kim Seon should have given Korea the lead in the second half but, faced with only the goalkeeper to beat, after some fantastic stick work from Kim Jeong In to get the ball to her, Kim Seon mis-hit and the ball flew wide. This handed Japan the momentum and they capitalised through a penalty corner. Emi Nishikori was in the right place to collect the rebound from the initial strike. In the first minute of the final quarter Cheon Eunbi had a golden opportunity to score for Korea but the captain was just unable to turn the ball enough to steer it into the goal, after it had been crossed across the face of the goal towards her. That missed opportunity galvanised Cheon Eunbi and a few minutes later she danced her way through the Japan defence to earn her team a penalty corner. Once again Jung CheYoung stepped up and fired the ball straight at Nakamura, who will be disappointed with her failure to stop the shot. With the scores at 2-2, Japan really began to exert some pressure. Kaho Tanaka had a shot stopped at point blank rnage by Kim Eunji, who had replaced Lee Jinmin in the Korea goal. Seconds later and Mai Toriyama was tormenting the Korea defence with her skills. Japan won a series of penalty corners but the injection was slow and so the Korea defence dealt with the threat with ease. The match looked destined to go to shoot-out. However, hockey is a sport where goals can come at any moment and this was no exception. With less than a second on the clock, Japan scored from their third consecutive penalty corner and snatched victory just before the whistle blew. The scorer was Hazaki Nagai, although the ball took a cruel deflection from the first runner. Player of the Match Yu Asai (JPN) said: ‘Finally we could win. We couldn’t win a pool match so now we have focused on these games. We won the first one of these and now we are looking to win again. Now we will recover well and look to win against either Canada or India.’ Canada vs India (9-16th place) Both teams came to this match looking for their first win of the competition. For India, the disappointment of losing to Spain just the previous evening looked to be hanging heavy on the minds of the athletes as they prepared for the first quarter. After soaking up heaps of pressure from the fast-passing India forward line, Canada raced to the other end of the pitch and actually ended up with the ball in the back of the India net. Unfortunately the whistle had just gone for a penalty corner and Natalie Sourisseau was forced to adapt her attempt as the injection was just off target. Canada went one better a few minutes later as they won another penalty corner. This time the variation created confusion among the India defence and after the ball pinged to Kathleen Leahy, she slipped it to Madeline Secco who got the final touch. At the start of the second quarter, it was again India who came out stronger. Monika, in particular, was using her array of 3D skills to get past the Canada defence. Rowan Harris in the Canada goal was urging her team to maintain focus. As the game moved towards half-time, India really began to pour energy into their attacks. Navneet, Neha and Vandana were now all moving with freedom and Canada were very much on the back foot. After the break, India continued to pile on the pressure, with Lalremsiami making some speedy forays into the Canada circle. The north American side held firm, with Sara McManus and Hannah Haughn putting in some serious shifts breaking down the India attacks. This was particularly impressive from Haughn, who is only recently returned from an ACL injury. With four minutes left in the third quarter, Canada were content to soak up the pressure and wait for the chance to break. For India, there was more frustration creeping into their game as they just failed to make the connections that would turn their much superior possession into an all-important goal. A penalty corner with two minutes left in the third saw a shot from Grace which was well saved by Harris and another India chance came and went. From a Candian perspective, the fourth quarter was exhausting and tense as the team withstood wave after wave of Indian pressure. As Navneet and Tete Salima started to really run at the Canadian defence, Karli Johansen, McManus and just about every member of the Candian team dug deep to protect their 1-0 lead. For Gurjit Kaur

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10 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: England and Spain progressed through to the quarter-finals after two hugely contrasting matches. England put in a measured and composed performance to beat Korea convincingly. Spain, on the other hand, kept an engrossed home crowd on tenterhooks until the 57th minute. Then, once they had the lead, Head Coach Adrian Lock’s side lost two players to cards, making the final seconds even more tense. Earlier in the day, Ireland beat a fatigued-looking South Africa, while China’s penalty corner routines finally wore down a resilient Chile side. Ireland will now meet China on 12 July in their final match of the World Cup. South Africa and Chile will also play their final matches on the same day. In the quarter-finals England now travel to Terrassa to face Argentina, while Spain will face Australia – the team they beat to bronze in the 2018 FIH Women’s World Cup. Ireland vs South Africa (9-16 place) The first quarter had a sense that both teams were a little hesitant in their play, with some unforced errors and very few scoring chances. Probaby the most dangerous moment in those opening minutes came courtesy of Onthatile Zulu, whose fast running with the ball drew a save from Ayeisha McFerran after she tore through the defence and fired at goal. South Africa started the second quarter with 10 players when Kristen Paton received a yellow card. They quickly made that advantage count when they won a penalty corner but Phumelela Mbande was alert to the slipped ball and stood up strong to make the save. There was nothing Mbande could do just a few seconds later when Sarah Hawkshaw was the final cog in a slick penalty corner routine that saw Hannah McLoughlin play the ball deliberately wide for Hawkshaw to slide into the goal. The Irish nearly doubled their lead a few seconds later when Sarah Torrans attempted the same move on the opposite side of the goal. Ireland doubled their lead just one minute into the second half when Roisin Upton put a lot of disguise on a penalty corner strike to beat Mbande and the South African defence. There were no further goals in the third quarter but Ireland spent much of the time defending a one player disadvantage as both Deirdrie Duke and Hawkshaw received cards. A further yellow card for Charlotte Beggs in the fourth quarter invited more pressure from South Africa but an assured performance from McFerran and the Irish defence, combined with some uncharacteristically poor finihsing from South Africa, meant the score stayed at 2-0 and Ireland progressed to the contest for 9-12th place. South Africa will face Chile to decide 13-16th position. Player of the Match Roisin Upton (IRL) said: ‘It wasn’t a perfect performance but we have rebuilt over the past three days. We created a lot of opportunities and finished two of them. We weren’t executing our corners in our first three games so that really became our focus. Tournaments like this are a rollercoaster. We try to stay in the moment and we will be all out for a win in our final game.’ South Africa’s Lilian du Plessis said: ‘We are disappointed in how we played today. If we had started how we finished, then we would have done better. But Ireland played well today. We will have a lot of preparation going into the next game and we will try to put right the things that we got wrong today.’ China vs Chile (9-16th place) Two sides came out to finish their tournaments with a flourish but under the pressure to win, both sides seemed to freeze when they were in front of goal. It was China who created the most opportunities with four penalty corners in the first half and a handful of chances from open play. To the frustration of both Head Coach Alyson Annan and the platers themselves, the final shot was often wayward. With three minutes left of the half a beautiful move between Ma Ning, Zhang Xiaoxue and Yuan Meng almost broke the deadlock as quick interchanges between the players saw Yuan Meng slide the ball inches from the Chile goal. The second half saw much of the same for the opening minutes: China were the dominant team but couldn’t find a way through the Chile defence. The longer the match went on, the more likely it was that Chile might find a rogue goal to take the win. A shot by Manuela Urroz nearly did exactly that. The midfielder worked her way into the China circle and unleashed a shot that just fizzed past the post. Eventually the China pressure on Claudia Schuler’s goal paid off and China scored two peanlty corners either side of the quarter time break. First Ma Ning rattled home a straight shot and then Zhong Jiaqi effectively sealed the match for China with another well-placed corner strike. The third China goal was scored with four minutes left. The ball was slipped by Gu Bingfeng to Ma Ning, who then slipped it to Cui Qiuxia. The multi-capped defender lifted the ball high into the Chile goal to top a performance that was workmanlike and professional. Player of the Match was Ma Ning. One of China’s goalscorers, Cui Qiuxia said: ‘It was an amazing game. We played very well and we deserved to win. Before this game we had missed a lot of penalty corners so it was important that we got it right today. We will enjoy our last game whoever it is against.’ England vs Korea (cross-over match) After a goalless first quarter, England discovered their scoring touch in the second quarter. Giselle Ansley scored the first of a brace when she let rip on a penalty corner, a move she repeated nine minutes later. Both goals were sent high to compensate for Lee Jinmin’s incredible ability to save anything low to the goal. In the middle of the Ansley goals, Tessa Howard scored a fantastic goal

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9 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The first set of cross-over matches showed the two sides of penalty corners. For Germany, although they managed to carve out a 1-0 win over South Africa, they will look back with frustration at the multiple chances that went begging. Then Belgium stepped up and put on a consummate display of finishing from set pieces as they beat Chile 5-0. The result mean that Chile now play China and South Africa face Ireland in the race to finish top of the 13-16 positions. Germany will now play New Zealand in the quarter-finals, while Belgium will face neighbours and reigning champions, the Netherlands. Germany vs South Africa (crossover) With Germany sitting fourth in the FIH World Rankings and South Africa in 16th position, this was always going to be a tough ask for the lower-ranked team. However, a combination of resilient, stubborn defending, grea goalkeeping and a smattering of luck, kept the scores at 1-o and South Africa would have gained a huge amount of international respect for their performance. The first half was all about German pressure and some resilient South African defence, with a 0-0 scoreline the result. Amelie Wortmann came closest in those opening exchanges but her shot went just wide. Valentin Altenburg, the German Head Coach, said at half-time that he was happy with the way his team were approaching and playing the game, except in the final action in front of goal. Certanly six penalty corners, to South Africa’s two, had given Germany every opportunity to score but in the first 30 minutes things just didn’t click for the higher ranked team Head Coach to South Africa Gile Bonnet spoke of the element of luck that his team had enjoyed, although he also praised the work of his defence. The second half saw Germany really exert a lot of pressure on the South Africa circle. There was a noticeable increase in intensity and early pressure saw a series of penalty corners awarded. Phumelela Mbande made a great double save from the first, then Germany messed up the routine for the next one. It was on the third attempt that Nike Lorenz finally broke the deadlock with a exquisitely placed shot. The goal seemed to lift the lid on the tension within the German side and the attacking moves started flowing. Viktoria Huse sent a shot over the South Africa crossbar and Pia Maertens and Anne Schroeder began to make a real nuisance of themselves in and around the circle. Despite this, the score remained at just 1-0 as the teams entered the final quarter. This was largely due to the courageous running at penalty corners by Kristen Paton and Jean-Leigh du Toit. Germany will be concerned that they won 16 penalty corners and scored from just one. Just as Bonnet was contemplating taking off his goalkeeper for the final minutes, Edith Molikoe recieved a card and so that option was removed. Player of the Match Nike Lorenz (GER) said: ‘It was a hard game. We have never played against South Africa and scored a lot of goals, so that was no surprise. We definitely need to get more out of our penalty corners next time. To be in with a chance of winning this World Cup we have to score more goals.’ Belgium vs Chile Belgium got off to the best of starts as they withstood a flurry of Chile activity in their circle, intercepted the ball through the good positioning of Michelle Struijk, sped up the other end of the pitch and won a penalty corner. Stephanie Vanden Borre made no mistake as she struck the ball into the corner of Claudia Schuler’s goal. A second penalty corner was brilliantly saved by Schuler, but Belgium won two re-awards in quick succession. however, it was a beautiful piece of free running from Louise Versavel, after she receive a pass from Alix Gerniers, that led to the second goal. Versavel ran at pace up the left hand side of the pitch then fired the ball across to Justine Rasir to nudge home. Just before the quarter time whistle, Stephanie Vanden Borre scored her second goal to really put Belgium in the driving seat. Chile’s agony intensified in the second quarter when Charlotte Engelbert found herself in the right place to slot a rebounded penalty corner shot into the goal. The third quarter produced one further gaol and it was a cracker. Charlotte Engelbert picked up the ball in her own half and then changed gear to race up the pitch, round the last defender and then shot past the fast approaching goal keeper. In the fourth quarter Chile really didn’t allow their higher ranked opponents to rest on their laurels as they won a series of penalty corners. Unfortunately for Sergio Vigil and his players, the Belgium defence were as fired up as the forward line. Belgium had a chance to score a sixth in the dying minutes of the game but Schuler pulled off another fabulously athletic save to deny Ambre Ballenghein. Player of the Match Charlotte Engelbert (BEL) said: ‘I thought it was going to be a bit tougher but we scored goals early and that calmed us down. It is nice to play in front of our supporters and now we are looking forward to playing Holland next week. We have nothing to lose.’ Chile’s captain Camila Caram said: ‘It was a tough game. It was hard to keep up the levels throughout the whole tournament. I think our levels dropped in this game a bit. Now we have to turn the page and focus on our next match, tomorrow. Everyhting for us is a first time, so we are just trying to keep up with the big teams.’ The action in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup continues on Sunday 10 July, with the first two matches taking place at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen. Ireland will play South Africa in the 9-16 play-offs at 13:00, followed

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6 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Another action packed day has revealed the first two teams to qualify straight through to the quarter-finals. As winners of Pool A and D respectively, Netherlands and Australia will now have a break while the knockout round is contested. As second in Pool A, Germany will face South Africa, who finished in third position in Pool D. The lowest ranked team in the tournament, Chile, will take on Belgium, who finished in second place in Pool D. Ireland’s dreams of repeating their 2018 exploits was dashed by a businesslike performance by Germany. Netherlands won their third game to top Pool A but Chile won the hearts of the spectators – and in the case of Francisca Tala, a marriage proposal from her boyfriend –  with their defiant performance against the reigning champions. South Africa kept Australia to a 2-1 scoreline, thus consigning Japan to join Ireland in the 13-16th place play-offs. The Cherry Blossoms had fallen victim to a revitalised Belgium earlier in the day. Ireland v Germany (Pool A) Ireland went into their must-win match against Germany full of energy, high spirits and an indomitable will to keep their World Cup dreams on track. For their part, Germany’s main concern was to ensure at least a second place finish in the pool and to put their earlier defeat at the hands of the Netherlands behind them. From the start, Ireland’s captain Katy Mullan was leading by example, hassling and harrying the German defence, but Germany started with composure, both in attack and defence. Neither side managed to get a breakthrough in the first quarter and, in fact, there were only three attempts at goal in the first 15 minutes – one for Ireland and two for Germany. The breakthrough came for Germany in the 24th minute. Nike Lorenz showed her accuracy and power from the top of the circle as she sent a penalty corner drag flick flying into the net, helped on its way by the tip of Ayeisha McFerran’s boot. Ireland began the second half as brightly as they had started the first half, but once again they failed to make chances count. Gemany extended their lead in the 37th minute when Charotte Stapenhorst was on hand to slot the ball home after Kira Horn had cleverly slipped the ball to her after a strong dribble along the baseline. Head Coach Sean Dancer removed Ayeisha McFerran for the start of the fourth quarter in an attempt to gain an advantage and pull the goals back. Zara Malseed came close to answering Dancer’s call but her shot was beautifully saved by Nathalie Kubalski in the German goal. The Irish defence stood very strong against the German onslaught and managed to keep a handful of penalty corners out of the goal. However, a penalty stroke put the final tick on a German victory. Sonja Zimmermann stepped up to put the ball past McFerran, who had returned to the pitch for the stroke. Germany had one stroke saved at the very end of the match but by then it was all over for the Irish team. Player of the Match, Kira Horn (GER) said: ‘Quite a fight but an important win. Ireland put a lot of pressure on us. We expected that and we were prepared for it. We trie to connect and play as a  team and I think we did that very well. There is much more to come from this German team. We now have time to prepare for the next round.’ Japan v Belgium (Pool D) The first quarter between Japan and Belgium was really well matched and both teams could have snuck an early goal. However, at 15 minutes it was still 0-0 and there was a sense of edginess creeping into the Belgium team in particular. This manifested itself in a number of missed opportunities or poor decisions across the team. The nerves were settled a little in the 24th minute when Stephanie Vanden Borre scored a trademark penalty corner drag flick, which was so quick that Eika Nakamura couldn’t react. That was the only goal before half-time and the narrow lead still didn’t seem to have filled the Red Panthers with confidence. Japan desperately needed a goal, because even if they couldn’t win this game, they could still finish ahead of South Africa if the goal difference was favourable. Belgium’s lead was doubled by Vanden Borre in the 40th minute, almost a mirror of the first. Super skills from Charlotte Engelbert won the corner and Vanden Borre scored her fourth of the tournament and second of the game. Belgium’s lead was extended four minutes later when Ambre Ballenghein made it 3-0, also scoring from a penalty corner. All of Belgium’s penalty corner goals were scored in Japan’s left hand corner of the goal. As heavy rain poured down in Terrassa, there were no further goals although Belgium’s Louise Versavel in particular was pushing hard to add to the scoreline. Player of the Match Michelle Struijk (BEL) said: ‘It has been a tough three days but I am really happy we had the win today and I can’t wait to get to the next stage of the tournament.’ Netherlands v Chile (Pool B) It was the team ranked number one in the world against the team ranked 15th but Chile took to the pitch determined not to let the occasion overwhelm them. Chile’s task was made a shade harder because captain Camila Caram had received a one-match ban and so was watching the match unfold from the stands. And she would have been delighted with her team’s performance in the opening half of the match. The Chile defence, bolstered by a courageous goalkeeping display from Claudia Schuler, kept the Netherlands at bay until the 14th minute. A rebound from a Frederique Matla penalty corner was tapped in by Lidewij Welten to send the home side into the break 1-0 up. After the break the Netherlands continued to pile

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5 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Nerves were fully on display in the fourth day of Women’s World Cup action in Amstelveen and Terrassa. In the opening match, Chile won a war of attrition with Ireland to record their first ever World Cup win. The next match was a clash between two teams who couldn’t be separated as China and India played out a high tempo game that only produced two goals but was a fascinating encounter from start to finish. If the first two matches were tense, the third match, between Japan and South Africa was thrilling as the African team, led by Onathatile Zulu, completed a great escape after going three-nil down in the first half. New Zealand went into a 3-1 lead over England and held onto that lead with a defiant display of defending. And in the final match of the day Australia stunned Belgium with two quick goals that took the Red Panthers by surprise. Ireland v Chile (Pool A) This was a match that both teams had targeted as a game where points might be available and that awareness really added to the pressure and urgency that could be felt across the pitch. The first three quarters were goalless but full of high-energy running and a lot of attacks on both goals. Claudia Schuler was the busier of the two goalkeepers but both Schuler and Ayeisha McFerran pulled off some vitally important saves. Chile’s work was made harder in the first half with a series of cards – yellow and green – which put the side under some additional pressure. Ireland’s Head Coach Sean Dancer will doubtless be frustrated as Ireland won a series of penalty corners but failed to make any of them count. Chile’s number one penalty corner runners played a vital part in keeping the higher ranked team from scoring. The breakthrough came three minutes into the final quarter. Chile won their own penalty corner and Denise Krimerman Losada made no mistake as she fired the ball into the bottom left corner of McFerran’s goal. Ireland put Las Diablas under immense pressure for the final 10 minutes, winning a number of penalty corners but still failing to find a way past the team in red. A yellow card for Eleana Tice limited Dancer’s option to remove his goalkeeper and Chile held on to record a very important first win in a World Cup. Player of the Match was Manuela Urroz. She said: ‘I am so proud of this team, we have worked hard for a number of years. I am so happy I cannot explain it. I think both teams knew that this was an important game for the group. But this is a big step for us, to win our first game at a World Cup.’ Elena Tice of Ireland said: ‘We knew Chile would be a good team. We are bitterly disappointed. We didn’t convert our penalty corners. We struggled with the execution. We have to do better. Now we have to go out and do better against Germany tomorrow.’ China v India (Pool B) The second match of the day in Amstelveen got off to another tense start as India and China went in search of their first win of the tournament. The first quarter was extremely well balanced with both sides testing and probing each others’ defences but there was only one shot in the first 15 minutes – with India hitting the target but finding China’s goalkeeper Liu Ping in the way. India thought they had scored midway through the second half when Tete Salima pushed the ball over the China goal-line following a pass from Ktariya Vandana. However, a smart referral by China saw the goal discounted after it was judged to have hit the striker’s body. It was China who got the breakthrough. Zhang Xindan played a lovely pass which split the India defence and found Zheng Jiali behind the defence. The subsequent shot flew past Savita to give China the lead in this hugely important encounter. The second half began with China on the attack. First Gu Bingfeng sent a penalty corner just over the cross bar and then Zhang Xiaoxue just missed connecting with a cross that would have definitely produced a second goal. That miss would come back to haunt China when Vandana was able to send a penalty corner rebound flying past Ping. The goal came at a time when India could have been forgiven for thinking they were never going to break through the staunch China defence. With just under four minutes left, China went a player down as Zheng Jiali recieved a yellow card. Despite this, China won a penalty corner but Gu’s shot was well saved by Savita and the danger passed. The final minutes saw China pepper the India goalmouth with speculative crosses but no-one could get on the end of anything and both teams settled for their second drawn result of the tournament. Player of the Match Katariya Vandana said: ‘We are disappointed because we should have won the match. We worked hard and hopefully we will win the next match.’ China’s Cui Xiuxia said: ‘Today we played and worked hard. We should have won and hopefully we will win the next one. We need to score more goals but we enjoyed the one that went in. For our next game, we hope to score from our penalty corners.’ Japan v South Africa (Pool D) Japan got off to a super start as they chased their first win of the World Cup in Terrassa. Captain Nagai Yuri led by example as she was able to poke a rebounded ball past South Africa Phumelela Mbande in the third minute. It took another six minutes before the Cherry Blossoms doubled their lead, this time through the quick thinking of Toriyama Mai, who got in front of her marking defender and lifted the ball over the keeper. South Africa were shell-shocked and for a few minutes there was

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3 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland:Netherlands stormed their way to the top of Pool A after a 3-1 win over Germany, while India and England had an exciting 1-1 draw in Pool B play. Belgium took down South Africa 4-1 with double goals from each of Stephanie vanden Borre and Charlotte Englebert. Pool C saw an impressive performance from Canada but Korea found responses to come back and take the game 3-2, while Argentina blasted Spain 4-1. Favourites Netherlands and Argentina sit atop their respective pools with two wins, while with only one game played each in Pool B and Pool D it’s still anyone’s game. Belgium v South Africa (Pool D) It was a game of penalty corners as four of five goals in the game came off set pieces as Belgium took their opening game in pool D play 4-1 over South Africa. Despite the score margin the Red Panthers had 15 penalty corners in the game to South Africa’s three. Stephanie vanden Borre put in two penalty corner goals in the second quarter to give Belgium a cushion. Belgium retained most of the possession but couldn’t find a way in free play past South African keeper Phumelela Mbande. South Africa had few attacks but were able to garner a penalty corner in the 24th minute after a fast break. Almost catching Belgium by surprise, the ball was very quickly slapped down the pipe and Jean-Leigh du Toit’s shot beat Aisling D’hooghe between the pads to cut Belgium’s lead in half. It was a small resolve though as Belgium still dominated the second half. Credit to Mbande who continued to stymie waves of attack including several penalty corners and a stunner of a back-hand from Charlotte Englebert. Englebert was on fire in the fourth quarter and she buried a penalty corner variation after injecting the ball to make it 3-1 in the 53rd minute. More penalty corners rained on South Africa including a rebound attempt from vanden Borre that rang the left-hand post. Late in the game a bit of pressure on Lisa-Marie Deetlefs forced a turnover at the stroke mark right to the stick of Englebert but Mbande slid out to create congestion. In the dying minutes, eventual player of the match, Englebert, was there to blast in a rebound for a fourth goal in the 57th minute. The 4-1 win gave Belgium the three points they needed to start their tournament on a high. “We are really happy,” said captain vanden Borre after the match. “It was our first goal of the tournament to get the three points so now on to the next one. We need some more energy for the full 60 minutes to keep on playing forward.” England v India (Pool B) It was an action-packed opening game for England and India who drew 1-1 in Poll B play. India had a penalty corner in the opening minute but the England rushers were up to the task. While India seemed to put a little more attacking pressure, it was England who were first on the board. A quick rush down the right side allowed Lily Owsley to feed Isabelle Petter in traffic. The ball came across the circle in the air and Petter’s reaching touch effortlessly redirected the ball into the mesh for a 1-0 England lead. India didn’t seemed phase as they responded with a penalty corner in the other end. Kaur Gurjit flicked high stick side and the ball pinged off the post but eventually ended in a re-award. Shona McCallin was there to clear the second attempt. India came out in the second quarter again with attacking pressure as Kaur Gurjit’s penalty corner delivery flew just under the stick of injector Kaur Navneet in the opening moments. Sophie Hamilton then forced a save out of Indian keeper Savita only to see the end-to-end play continue with an Indian barck-hand shot flying high and wide of the England goal. Finally, India were able to deservingly find their equalizer. A penalty corner strike from Monika was saved by the stick of a sprawling Maddie Hinch and Katariya Vandana was there to flick in the rebound and level the game before half time. It was a quiet third quarter with England holding most of the attack and possession, but Savita was not required in action. Just before the third-quarter hooter though, India had a ball bouncing in the circle and some quality footwork allowed Neha to one-time blast the ball on her back-hand but Maddie Hinch made the save. England continued to dominate but were unable to generate a quality chance on goal. India had fewer chances but looked just as dangerous. A bouncing ball beat Hinch and was on target for a wide open Sonika but the ball hit her in the 57th minute. England thought they had a penalty corner in the final minute but a video referral overturned it. The game remained equal 1-1, a deserving score line as both keepers were superb. Isabelle Petter was named player of the match and said commented after the game: ‘It was always a tough first game against India. They’re a class side. We were happy with the draw would have wanted the win but happy to take the point and on to the next game now. We’ve got a rest day tomorrow and then we will focus on our next game against China.’ Korea v Canada (Pool C) All of the action were in the first and last minutes of the game as Canada and Korea traded goals with two goals in each of the opening two minutes and final three minutes. Despite playing in their own end for a lot of the match, it was Korea that came out with the 3-2 victory to serve heartbreak to the Canadians. Korea wasted no time earning a penalty corner in the first 30 seconds of the game as pressure forced Natalie Sourisseau to clear the ball high into her teammate. Kim Minji flick

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1 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: www.NFTclub.hockey, the NFT marketplace which came to birth thanks to the recent partnership between the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and SIMBA Chain, Inc., a blockchain company delivering real-world Web3 solutions, has delivered its very first offer of hockey digital collectibles today! Taking advantage of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022, which is starting today, July 1, this first-ever series of FIH NFTs gets inspiration from the “collectible cards” concept that are traditionally associated with sports. 16 NTFs, one per participating team, will give the opportunity for fans all around the world to build their own collection from an event that is unique and highly-prestigious. In particular, those NFTs display “must have” FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup all-time statistics for every participating team! And even more: some of the fans collecting each of the 16 NFTs – one from each country’s collection – will have the chance to receive exciting rewards like signed memorabilia from the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup Spain and Netherlands 2022, VIP hospitality tickets for upcoming FIH events and access to exclusive discounts! Therefore, don’t wait any longer and acquire your first FIH NFTs! The FIH NFTs are accessible to everybody, without needing any crypto understanding or experience. Fans can access the collectibles on NFTclub.hockey, purchase their favourites by creating a user account and access them once logged in. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “Today’s launch of our very first NFTs marks yet another step in our ever increasing digital engagement with fans. Collectibles have always been very popular amongst sports fans and we’re hopeful that those digital ones, developed thanks to the expertise of our new partner SIMBA Market, will offer a new way for fans to enjoy and remember their best hockey memories.” “We built SIMBA Market to enable brands like FIH to introduce their communities to NFTs without the need for any crypto understanding. This is in line with our mission to bring blockchain to the world” said Bryan Ritchie, CEO of SIMBA Chain. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

The opening match will oppose the hosts, Spain, to Canada, in the Terrassa Olympic Stadium, which was the venue of the 1992 Olympic hockey tournaments. On 2 July, the other venue of the 2022 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup, the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, will see the World Cup action in motion with New Zealand playing China. 16 from the best teams in the world have been drawn into four Pools as follows: Pool A: Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Chile Pool B: England, New Zealand, India, China Pool C: Argentina, Spain, Korea, Canada Pool D: Australia, Belgium, Japan, South Africa On the following links, you can watch previews from every Pool: Pool A Pool B Pool C Pool D Also, you can hear the thoughts of the Head Coaches and Captains from the participating nations by opening the following links: Pools A and B Pools C and D Follow all the action across the FIH website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), Watch.Hockey and broadcasters.

30 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Pool D contains three teams that have not had the benefit of FIH Hockey Pro League action as Australia, Belgium, Japan and South Africa get ready to take to the field in Terrassa. Australia’s international action since the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 has been limited to Trans-Tasman competition against New Zealand. Despite this, Australia will arrive in Spain as a team to be wary. They have won this competition twice (1994 and 1998) and won silver three times (1990, 2006 and 2014). In 2018 they finished fourth. Current Head Coach Katrina Powell was a member of the gold medal team of 1998 and, with several months of hard work on the training field under her belt, she will be looking to lead this team to a podium finish. The team is talking up the fact that other nations haven’t seen them in action, combined with a real fire to get back onto the world stage among the players. While there is a new look to the squad that played in 2018, with five players arriving with fewer than five caps, there is also a backbone of experience. Captain Jane Claxton is approaching 200 caps and co-captain Kaitlin Nobbs is nearing 100. Another co-captain, Brooke Peris also has more than 180 caps. Combine this knowledge with the desire to show Australian hockey to the world again and the Hockeyroos could be there at the business end of the event. Australia’s Jane Claxton talks here about Australia’s return to international action Belgium are a side that has benefited from FIH Pro League action and, oddly, from not being at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. This latter point was made by former Red Panther Jill Boon, who said the team had been able to quietly develop and grow for the past four years without the intense pressure of an Olympic Games. Despite a high number of caps among their ranks, Belgium is the team with the youngest average age at the competition (24.11) The team is packed with talented players that combine the exciting use of 3D skills and long aerials with a disciplined possession game when needed. Barbara Nelen, Stephanie Vanden Borre and Michelle Struck offer stability. Ambre Ballenghien, Abi Raye and Charlotte Englebert are exciting flair players and Alix Gerniers and Louise Versavel are showing the form of their lives currently. In 2018, Belgium finished a disappointing 10th, expect much better for Raoul Ehren’s team this time. Here Michelle Struijk explains what the World Cup means to her squad Japan won the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2022 beating India, Korea and China along the way. Under the charge of former India goalkeeper Jude Menezes, the team has grown and – in keeping with their nickname – blossomed in the past few months. It is a team packed with talent and experience. Captain Yuri Nagai, Hazuki Nagai and Shihori Oikawa are multi capped stalwarts in the team. Yu Asai is unflappable in defence. New squad member Kaho Tanaka may only have a handful of caps so far but she has already proved herself a dynamo in front of goal. Japan’s best finish at a World Cup was fifth in 2006 and in London in 2018 they finished 13th, despite playing some very stylish hockey. This year the Cherry Blossoms are aiming for the high branches. Listen here to Yuri Nagai ahead of the competition South Africa are once more the African continents sole representative and, as always, they will arrive in Terrassa ready to battle for their country and their continent’s honour. The team’s best ever World Cup finish was 7th in 1998 but in 2014 they achieved a commendable ninth, finishing above their ranking. South Africa has competed in every FIH Women’s World Cup since 1998 and they have been solid performers at every edition. The team arrives in Terrassa with a number of inexperienced players but a backbone of athletes who know exactly what competition of this level looks like. Lisa-Marie Deetlefs, Lilian du Plessis, Bernadette Coston and Quanita Bobbs are hardened campaigners who will always leave everything on the pitch. Temper this resolve with the energy and hard running of Hanrie Louw, Bianca Wood and the goal scoring potential of Jean-Leigh du Toit and it is a compelling team to watch. Giles Bonnet is back in charge as Head Coach and he too knows just how to get the most from his players. South Africa’s Phumelela Mbande and Bernadette Coston on South Africa’s hopes and dreams here Pool D action gets underway on 2 July when Australia play Japan at 21:30 local time, then on 3 July as Belgium open their campaign against South Africa at 15:00 local time. Follow all the action across the FIH website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), Watch.Hockey and broadcasters. You can check out all the squads here. The media kit is available here. #HWC2022  #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.

28 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Pool B has all the makings of a highly competitive set of matches. All four teams – China, England, India and New Zealand – have undergone major rebuilding in the past few months and all four are teams that will have serious podium aspirations. Under the coaching team led by two-time FIH Coach of the Year Alyson Annan, China has shown in recent FIH Hockey Pro League matches that the team is making giant steps forward in combining Asian structure and high technical ability with the creativity and hard work ethic espoused by their coach. China qualified with a fourth place finish at the Women’s Hockey Asia Cup 2022. The China team’s appearances at previous Women’s World Cups has not been auspicious. The best finish was third in 2002 and in 2018 they finished in 16th place. However, this team has some serious talent within its ranks and will be hoping to enjoy a far greater performance than four years ago. Drag flick specialist Gu Bingfeng presents danger at every penalty corner; the speedy and skilful Zheng Jiali can twist and turn through any defence; Li Hong is tall, quick and a fantastically brave first runner at penalty corners and goalkeeper Liu Ping has astonished spectators with her shot-stopping ability. Click here to hear from China’s captain Jiaqi Li England is also a team that has not achieved the heights at previous World Cups it would have hoped for. A third place finish in 2010 is the best result for David Ralph’s team and he will be hoping the team, led by stalwart Hollie Pearne-Webb, will be peaking at just the right time. Pearne-Webb has some worthy lieutenants within the squad. Maddie Hinch is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world; barring injury Laura Unsworth will reach 300 caps at this event; Giselle Ansley, Lily Owsley and Shona McAllin all bring huge experience. Newer members of the squad include the attack-minded Tessa Howard, the super-skilful Hannah Martin and speedy Elena Rayer. The question is whether the team is still too immersed in its development stage. Clich here to hear the thoughts of England captain Hollie Pearne-Webb India women, under the leadership of Dutch superstar Janneke Schopman, have grown and matured in recent years. In the FIH Hockey Pro League the Eves beat the Netherlands in a 2-1 shock result and they finished the Pro League in third place, despite being late entrants to the event. India qualified via a third place finish at the Asia Cup 2022. The team is packed full of talent and their signature style of play is fast, flowing hockey that involves swift passing through the lines of play. Gurjit Kaur is always a danger from the top of the circle and Savita is a steady rock at the other end of the field as she guards the India goal. Devi Sharmila and Kaur Navneet are just two of a host of other creative players who will relish this chance on the big stage. Savita shares here her thoughts ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup New Zealand are the unknown quantity in Pool B. They have not been seen outside Oceania since the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 but there has been a huge amount of change in the squad since then. Olivia Merry continues to lead the attack and will be hopeful of adding to her incredible international scoring record. She is joint captain along with midfield stalwart Megan Hull and Head Coach Darren Smith and his coaching staff will be looking to these two players to lead a team that includes six players with less than 10 caps. While New Zealand might have missed out on international experience in recent months, they have spent a huge amount of time preparing for this event and will be fit and ready to step back into the limelight. Megan Hull outlines here New Zealand’s hopes for the forthcoming World Cup Pool B is being played in Amstelveen at the Wagener Stadium. New Zealand and China take to the pitch on 2 July, while England play India the following day. Follow all the action across the FIH website and social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), Watch.Hockey and broadcasters. You can check out all the squads here. The media kit is available here. #HWC2022  #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.