In these most important of matches, Ireland managed to withstand an onslaught of pressure from Korea, while France eased to a competent 3-0 victory over Scotland. The results mean that Ireland and France will now meet in tomorrow’s final and, to the delight of both teams and their staff, will be part of the FIH Olympic qualifying events in October and November. Korea and Scotland will play for third place. Ireland v Korea The numerous Irish spectators virtually turned le Touquet into a home fixture for the Green Army as they took to the field against Korea in this most important match. The winner of the semi-final match has a guaranteed place in the FIH Olympic qualifier events taking place later this year so for both Ireland (FIH World Ranking: 11) and Korea (WR:17), this match was of vital importance to their Olympic ambitions. The first quarter was a cagey affair as both teams were testing each other out. The result was 15 minutes of attack and counter-attack with few circle penetrations and fewer goals. It was Korea who struck first, through a penalty corner, which was calmly converted by Jeon Byungjin. His fierce shot flew through the legs of goalkeeper David Harte. The goal spurred Ireland into a greater level of intensity and that pressure was rewarded just ahead of the half-time whistle when Matthew Nelson was able to round Kim Jaehyon, the Korean goalkeeper and slot the ball home to bring the scores level. Just one minute into the second half and Eugene Magee used all his skill to double Ireland’s lead. Just a few seconds later Benjamin Walker scored goal number three for the top-ranked team in le Touquet. At this point of the match, Korea’s extra crossover game seemed to be taking its toll and the Asian side looked tired. However, the team rallied and Lee Seungil, used all of his experience to slam home a perfectly executed penalty corner. At 3-2, the final 15 minutes was all set to be a tense affair for both teams. With a goal advantage, Ireland were defending with gritty determination but Korea were throwing everything at them. David Harte was in the thick of the action, throwing his body around the goal to keep the Korea attack at bay. With minutes to go, Korea removed their goalkeeper to get an on-field player advantage but the plan back-fired as Ireland gained possession and Neil Glassey was able to score into an empty goal, putting the game beyond Korea’s reach. As the final whistle rang out, Ireland celebrated reaching the final and taking another step along the road to Olympic qualification. David Harte, Ireland’s goalkeeper and captain said: “We are completely delighted that we achieved our first objective, which was of course reach the finals as this will lead us to the next step on our road to Tokyo. The way we did it and the manner was just typically Irish in the sense that we dug it out. We grafted so hard at the back and ultimately we came away with a very deserved victory.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Ireland 0, Korea 0 Umpires: Nazmi Kamaruddin (MAS), Paul Walker (ENG) ********** France v Scotland  Packed stands greeted the host nation France as they entered the field of play for their semi-final match with Scotland. Opening encounters between the teams were well-matched but steadily the higher-ranked French team (WR:15) began to dominate. The first opportunity to score came from a penalty corner three minutes before the end of the quarter. Although the first attempt was well saved, France were awarded a second and Tynevez deflected Hugo Genestet’s initial shot to give his side the lead. The goal was greeted with wild cheering and “Allez les Bleues” from the home crowd. Just minutes later France doubled their lead through Blaise Rogeau – a well-taken open play goal. The second quarter saw renewed efforts from Scotland to get back into the game. Despite their best efforts, Scotland couldn’t break through the French defence. Four minutes into the second half and Victor Charlet thought he had scored the third goal. Unfortunately his effort was disallowed but not before the crowd had erupted in delight. It was French captain Hugo Genestet who scored the decisive third goal. The team was awarded a penalty stroke and Genestet mad Eno mistake as he dispatched it into the Scottish goal. As the final whistle sounded at the Field Eric Choteau, the French team and their supporters were ecstatic. For the French, the Olympic journey continues, plus in tomorrow’s final, they have a chance to seal victory over Ireland in front of a vociferous home crowd. France captain Hugot Genestet said: “We are really happy I think we controlled the game and did not leave Scotland many opportunities. We could have scored more goals but with the sun and the crowd it was a perfect day” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: France 3, Scotland 0 Umpires: Michiel Otten (NED), Nick Bennett (ENG) ********** The semi-finals day finished on a positive note full of hope ahead of the International Olympic Day as FIH Representative and Executive board member Marijke Fleuren, alongside Olivier Moreau of the French Hockey Federation handed over a collection of 113 sticks to be donated to Senegal, the host of the next Youth Olympic Games in 2022. The sticks were donated by all the team members and will help the Senegalese National Association grow the sport in the country. To support Senegal as the latest addition to the global hockey community, FIH is developing a Targeted Assistance Programme (TAP). Action continues tomorrow with:  Korea v Scotland at 15:30 CEST Ireland v France at 18:00 CEST #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

The fifth day in le Touquet Paris-Plage was all about finishing with a win. First to take to the field were Singapore and Ukraine who were battling for seventh place. Then it was a contest between Egypt and Chile – two teams who had definitely hoped to have featured in the semi-finals, so would need to recharge themselves ahead of this fixture. Singapore v Ukraine The action started with the race for seventh place between Singapore and Ukraine, who both finished last in their respective pools. Ukraine, with a FIH World Ranking of 26, were favourites to win this match, particularly as Singapore (WR: 36), had yet to score a goal in the competition. The higher-ranked team took the lead through Andrii Koshelenko who opened the scoring from the first penalty corner of the match. The second quarter was a mirror reflection of the first. Ukraine had the majority of possession and it was just five minutes into the quarter before Vitalii Shevchuk made it 2-0, latching onto a cross after some brilliant build-up play. Singapore played with much heart and determination but they were up against a team determined to leave the FIH Series Finals with a win to their credit. The third goal came nine minutes into the second half. Viacheslav Paziuk made a surging run from just past the half-way line and his cross found Lurii Moroz, who only had to tip the ball past Xuan Wee Wei in the Singapore goal. Finally, and to huge celebration, Singapore opened their scoring account. The Asian team had created a lot of opportunities in the final quarter and, after a number of penalty corners, Silas Noor was finally able to find the back of the net. Although Singapore didn’t look like turning the match around, the young team were clearly rising to the challenge and put on a good display of attacking hockey in the final minutes of the game. Ukraine’s captain, Oleksandr Diachenko, said: “It was our last match and we won! We tried to play faster with more skills. Singapore is a good team and I think in the future they will play much better.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Singapore 0, Ukraine 0 Umpires: Diego Estebanez (ESP), Kris Cholewa (IRL) ********** Chile v Egypt Chile and Egypt were both after a winning final match of their FIH Series Finals campaign. Seven minutes into the match and Ahmed Gamal gave Egypt the lead after a fantastic piece of build-up play from his team. Chile came straight back and won a penalty corner but were unable to convert it. The South American side soon made amends however. Sven Richter was on hand to tip the ball home after searching passes from his teammates had left the Egyptian defence chasing shadows. It all got very competitive in the second quarter as both teams ramped up the intensity. Chile had the greater share of possession but Egypt were also looking dangerous with every attack. It was Egypt who re-took the lead. Mohamed Edris scored from a penalty stroke. Amazingly in this see-saw game, Chile also won a penalty stroke just a minute later and Sven Richter made no mistake from the spot. The second half started at a somewhat slower pace as both teams looked for a tactical advantage. Finally, after three penalty corners, Egypt made another break through. Amr Ibrahim netted with a fierce airborne shot into Henriquez Adrian’s goal. The final quarter saw both teams once more raping up the pressure. Egypt were reduced to 10 men but Chile could not make the player advantage count. After a staunch defence for the final minutes, Egypt were able to celebrate finishing their FIH Series Finals in fifth place and with a well-deserved and hard-fought victory. Egypt scorer Ahmed Gamal said: “Chile is a really good team and, after Korea yesterday, we were very tired but thank God we won and now we look forward to the African Championship and trying to qualify for the Olympic Games” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Chile 2, Egypt 3 Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Benjamin Peters (USA) ********** There is an exciting day of action tomorrow in le Touquet as the teams will be giving their all in the semi-finals. A win tomorrow means the continuation of the Olympic journey as the two finalists will go through to one of the FIH Olympic qualifiers being held this October and November. meaning of potential qualification for the Olympic qualifier. The only exception to this is Scotland, who cannot qualify as England are the nominated team for the Great Britain Olympic pathway. Ireland v Korea at 15:30 CEST France v Scotland at 18:00 #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

Hiroshima, Japan: The fifth to eighth place positions at the FIH Series Finals were decided after two very different matches. Mexico dominated in their game against Fiji, but it was a tense and very close encounter when Poland met Uruguay. In the end, the European team held their nerve to win the shoot-out Fiji – Mexico Fiji and Mexico had lost all of their pool matches, so this was a chance to finish the competition with a win. It was a chance that Mexico took with some relish. In the first quarter, the game was tight, although Mexico had the greater share of possession. The Central American team took the lead two minutes before the end of the quarter, Fernanda Oviedo was the scorer from a penalty corner. In the second quarter Mexico continued to dominate all over the pitch, giving Fiji few opportunities to enter the circle. Mexico won four consecutive penalty corners but were unable to convert any of them. In turn, Fiji also won a penalty corner but the shot was well saved by the Mexico goalkeeper. It was into the second half before another goal was scored. This time Arlette Estrada was able to get a touch on the ball and diverted it past the ‘keeper. Minutes later Michel Navarro gave her team a 3-0 lead after flicking the ball high into Fiji’s goal. In the last quarter, Mexico’s captain Michel Navarro made the most of a quickly played counter attack, driving into the circle and shooting home. Navarro added to that tally just minutes later from a drag flick at a penalty corner.  The 5-0 win was a confidence boost for the Mexican team ahead of the Pan American Games later in the year. Fiji assistant coach Emi Nawaqakuta: “The message we want to tell the world is to never quit, no matter how much you are losing. And when you are winning you must remain humble. The girls have a fighting spirit and one of our goals is always to stay positive no matter what.”  Mexico team captain Michel Navarro: “It was better but it wasn’t enough for us, we have to train a lot and think about Pan American Games”  ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result: Fiji 0, Mexico 5 (Mexico finish 7th, Fiji finish 8th) Umpires: Veronica Villafane (ARG), Rhiannon Murrie (AUS) ****** Poland – Uruguay These two teams suffered disappointing losses in the previous day’s cross-over matches so it was important they were able to regroup for this classification match. In the first quarter, Uruguay quickly took the lead; good combination play leading into Poland’s circle saw Teresa Viana take the ball around the goalkeeper to open the scoring. It was Viana who doubled the lead minutes later as she deflected a reverse shot in at the ‘keeper’s far post. Uruguay kept pushing and tried to increase their lead but Poland didn’t panic and were beginning to create their own opportunities. The second quarter saw Poland start with a much higher intensity. Quick passes and fast player movement started to create gaps in the Uruguay defence. Poland reduced the deficit through Paula Wrzesinski, who intercepted a pass and rushed into the Uruguay circle. Her shot flew unerringly past the Uruguay goalkeeper. After the half time break, Poland’s captain, Marlena Rybacha, was driving her team forwards but it was until six minutes from the end of the quarter that the European team found a way through. Oriana Bratkowska equalised when she connected sweetly with a bouncing ball. The last five minutes of the quarter saw Poland defending stoically after they were down to 10 players following a yellow card suspension. In the last quarter, the intensity and pressure went up as both teams sought the all-important winning goal. Uruguay won two penalty corners in a row but frustratingly couldn’t convert them. As time ticked on it was clear that this intense match was going to shoot-out. Even here the teams couldn’t be separated in the early stages. Uruguay were 3-1 down but fought back to 3-3. Eventually the Polish were able to get a breakthrough and won 5-4. Poland team manager Lukasz Julga: “The first quarter was difficult, I think the girls were sleeping. In the second quarter we woke up and started to play. They played really good transfer and we had to score twice. To win fifth place for us is an amazing feeling ” Uruguay Head Coach Nicolas Tixe: “We started really well. In the first quarter we scored two goals and had the advantage, but again we have made some errors. We are finishing in sixth position, which was probably not what we had expected. We have to now think about the next tournament, the Pan American Games in one month.”  ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result: Poland 2 (5), Uruguay 2 (4)  (Poland ranked 5th, Uruguay ranked 6th) Umpires: Chieko Soma (JPN), Katrina Woolf (NZL) ****** The action continues tomorrow in Hiroshima (Saturday 21 June) with the semi-finals 15:45 (JST time) India – Chile 18:00 (JST time) Russia – Japan

Wales moved to the top of Pool B after a convincing 5-0 win over Thailand. The spectators were then in for a real treat as South Africa and Italy played out a high quality, competitive match that could have gone either way. It was South Africa who emerged victorious but both teams showed that they are determined to leave everything on the pitch here in Valencia. Wales v Thailand On paper this Pool B match should have been a close contest with Wales ranked 27 and Thailand 28 in the FIH World Rankings. However, Wales’ opening match against South Africa will have sent a warning to all the higher ranked teams at this event that Kevin Johnson and his squad are here to prove their worth on the international stage. Thailand, for their part, are an Asian side that is developing apace and every match will prove a steep but hugely valuable experience to the young team, that has nine teenagers (including two 15-year-olds) within its ranks. The opposing styles of play were in evidence from the first whistle. A high press, with Leah Wilkinson as the lynchpin, meant the European side could swing the ball from left to right until a gap appeared. Thailand, by contrast, utilised the aerial ball well to get out of defence and then looked to their speedy forwards to put Wales under pressure. It was Wales who took the lead when Sophie Robinson struck home from a penalty corner after some great build-up play to give her side a boost just ahead of the quarter break. The lead was doubled through a courageous diving shot from Leah Wilkinson. The ball had rebounded from a penalty corner and the captain dived full length to send the ball high into the goal, past Siraya Yimkrajang. A surging run by Natthakarn Aunjai forced the Welsh line back and the Thai team’s collective quick stick work and speedy change of direction caused the Wales’ defence some concerns as the Asian team began to work their way into the match. The final minutes of the first half saw Wales drop off and form a defensive press, challenging the Thailand team to run at them. The strategy nearly came apart when the ever-dangerous Aunjai intercepted the ball and ran at the defence. Wilkinson was on hand to clear up. The second half saw Wales really begin to exert pressure on Thailand. Swinging the ball around the pitch, the Welsh were slowly sucking the energy from the Thai players as they sought to get meaningful possession. The ploy was rewarded when Phoebe Richards worked the ball around the back of the Thai defence and slipped it to Natasha Mark-Jones, who had no hesitation in striking it home. The fourth goal came as a result of a slick penalty corner routine. It was Wilkinson who scored her second of the match, connecting neatly with a slipped pass to send the ball high into the corner of the goal. A first goal for her country was the reward for a good all-round performance from Xenna Hughes. The ball was crossed in by Sian French and Hughes was in front of the penalty spot and able to put it round the ‘keeper. Thailand worked hard to find a consoaltion goal and, in the final minutes of the game, the speed of their attack, spearheaded by Kornkanok Sanpoung, caused some chaos in the Wales circle. “We have a young team and we are learning with every game. We must keep our structure and play with discipline in our next game. We must also take our opportunities better,” Natthakarn Aunjui had said previous to this game. Despite the scoreline, the team is obviously working to fulfill those demands and improving with each game. “We made sure we stuck to our principles,” said goalscorer Hughes. “We tried out our presses to put pressure on them but also kept our discipline. And our penalty corners worked well. We didn’t give them all away – they are our secret weapon.” Wales 5, Thailand 0 (Pool B) Umpires: Dihaya Deepa (IND), Mercedes Sanchez (ARG),  Match 2 Italy v South Africa Two teams ranked in the top 20, both feverishly seeking a place in the FIH Olympic qualifiers in October and November – this was always going to be a feisty matchup – a stressful occasion for the teams, a tasty encounter for hockey fans. Italy (WR:17) came into the game on the back of a dominant 7-0 win over Thailand, while South Africa (WR:15) had endured a much tougher encounter against underrated Wales, a match that ended 2-2. The match started with both teams playing uncompromising hockey. Maria Socino and Elisabetta Pacella were looking menacing as they probed for a way through the South Africa defence but, marshalled by the experienced Celia Evans, the African champions held firm. South Africa’s best chance of the first 15 came in the final minute of the quarter after Nomnikelo Veto’s shot was well stopped by Natalia Schinoni in the Italian goal. The resulting penalty corner was cleared safely. The second quarter was more of the same. Italy were playing quick, smooth passes but were unable to find a final, telling shot. South Africa were extremely busy all over the pitch, chasing for possession or firing balls up to their forward line but with no end product. A sense of desperation was creeping into both teams’ games as players began carrying the ball too far and getting caught in possession. For Italy, Celina Traverso was playing a fantastic holding role at the heart of the Italian defence, clearing up any South African attack that made it past the Italian midfield line. But, in a measure of how much of this game was being played between the two circles, neither goalkeeper had been unduly challenged for most of the half. That changed with 30 seconds left on the clock in the first half as Bianca Wood threw herself at the ball as it bobbled in front

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In a sunny but windy Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, suspense was at its maximum as Korea qualified for the semi-finals against Egypt after a shootout. Scotland also qualified after they won 1-0 in a tough and tight game against Chile. Scotland v Chile To open this fourth day dedicated to the quarter finals, we saw the national team of Scotland, who ended up second of the pool A, playing against Chile who qualified after finishing third of the Pool B. During a rather windy day in Le Touquet, both teams were fighting hard but making no difference in the score by the end of the first quarter. Led by their captain, Fernando Renz, the Chileans were thinking they had opened the score sheet with a shot from Andrès Pizaro but this was disallowed by the Umpires as the number 28 Nils Strabucchi deviated with the back of his stick. Scotland consequently received two Penalty Corner opportunities, but one was stopped by Adrian Henriquez, the Chilean goalkeeper and the second ended up outside the posts. Both teams were once attacking and once defending for the better part of the second quarter and you could easily understand that neither of them were ready to lose their spot to the semi-finals. Scotland and Chile went to the bench for half-time with a 0-0 score. Five minutes into the second half, number 14 Cameron Golden scored a stunning field goal which came straight after his team mate Craig Falconer had to go off the field because of a hit on his knee and Maldonado Jose, the number 9 from Chile, received a green card. This goal saw a joyous release on the Scottish bench. The National team of Chile continued to try and hit hard on Scotland defence without success which created many open spaces and counterattack opportunities for the Scots.  Luckily for the Chileans, none were converted.. At the end of the third quarter, Scotland was 15 minutes away from a qualification to the semi-finals. In the fourth and last period of this quarter-final match, Scotland monopolised the ball and played it safe to avoid any risks. Chile only had a few opportunities in front of the goal despite all their efforts to steal the ball from Scotland. Scottish head coach Derek Forsyth, and his men secured their qualification to the semi-finals after a well-played match which ended with a score of 1-0. Scotland’s captain, Nicky Parkes said: “it was a tough match for us and I think we are going to have to play quite a lot better against France if we want to get to the finals.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Scotland 1, Chile 0 Umpires: Nick Bennett (ENG), Kris Cholewa (IRL) ********** Korea v Egypt With only three world ranking places between Korea (WR:17) and Egypt (WR: 20), this quarter-final draw promised to be eventful. Korea, who finished second in Pool B are possibly one of the favourites for this competition.   On the other hand, Egypt also played extremely well even creating a stunning upset against the “Green Machine”, Ireland to finish third in Pool A. Egypt came out with all guns firing in the first quarter of the match. They won two penalty corners in a row, both stopped by Kim Jaehyeon the Korean goalkeeper. Although both teams produced some of their best hockey, the score remained unchanged in the first quarter. In a rather electric atmosphere, Korea and Egypt couldn’t be separated until Korea’s Lee Jungjun shot the ball into Mohamed Sayed’s goal. Straight after the half-time break the team led by Ahmed Ezz, the captain, equalised with a goal from Ahmed Abd Elhakim. The pace of the match dropped as both teams sought a way to break the deadlock. The pace might have dropped but the tension and pressure remained high considering what was at stake – a place in the semi-finals of these FIH Series Finals and the possibility of going through to a FIH Olympic qualifier. It was Egypt who scored next. A brilliant pass from Ahmed Mohsen to Walid Metwalli saw the striker convert to give his side the lead. Korea continued to press forwards and  with only 18 seconds before the final whistle, Jung Manjae brought the scores level and sent the match to shoot-out. This is where the experience of Korea paid dividends as they won the shoot-out 3-0 and so will play against Ireland in the semi-finals on Saturday 22 June. Korea’s captain Lee Namyong said: “We are happy of course and it was a very tough game. We need to prepare for the next game and continue to play better and better every match”! ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Korea 2, Egypt 2 Shootout (Korea 3, Egypt 0) Umpires: Fraser Bell (SCO), Nazmi Kamaruddin (MAS) ********** Action in le Touquet-Paris-Plage continues Tomorrow with:  Singapore v Ukraine at 15:30 CEST Chile v Egypt at 18:00 CEST Semi Finals on Saturday will be:  Ireland v Korea at 15:30 CEST France v Scotland at 18:00 CEST #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

During this last day of pool action, Ireland beat Singapore by a comfortable margin, claiming an automatic qualification spot in the semi-finals. France qualified for the semi-finals in front of its home supporters despite a great performance from Chile. Scotland beat Egypt with a stunning last minute goal and Korea confirmed its qualification for quarter-finals against Ukraine. Ukraine v Korea (Pool B) The first match of the third day started with Ukraine against Korea. In beautiful sunny conditions, Korea opened the scoring in the first quarter by converting a penalty corner though Yang Jihun, who shot past Koval Sergii in the Ukraine goal. It was not long into the second quarter, before Korea struck again with a field goal scored by Hong Eunseong. Toward the end of the second period, Ukraine reduced the goal difference after an incredible collective movement started from their own defence. Shevchuk Vitalii was the player to finish the sweeping movement, pushing the ball past Kim Jaehyeong in the Korea goal. Korea got the second half underway in style with a well taken penalty corner, converted by Jang Jognhyun. Despite their combative style, Ukraine were no match for Korea team as they hit their rhythm. In the 38th minute Jeon Byungjin made it 4-1 and seconds later Kim JungHoo added to the score line. Only 10 second before the end of the third period, Ukraine were rewarded for their hard work as Andrei Koshelenko scored from a penalty stroke. Jang Jonghyun scored his second of the day from a penalty corner and  Jeon Byungjin added to his tally with his second and Korea’s seventh. A final flourish saw Lee Jungjun add his name to the scoresheet and the higher-ranked team took a well-deserved 8-2 win, sealing Korea’s position as leaders of Pool B. Korea’s captain Lee Namyong, said: “We are very happy, in the first half Ukraine played really well with a great defence and we had to step our game up on the second half to score many goals.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Ukraine 2, Korea 8 (Pool A) Umpires: Benjamin Peters (USA), Michiel Otten (NED) ********** Scotland v Egypt (Pool A) With Egypt leading Pool A and Scotland chasing a win to maintain the possibility of qualifying for the next round, spectators were expecting a tight and competitive match. The first quarter lived up to expectation as both teams played at a high intensity. Great defence meant the score remained 0-0 going into the first break. With seven minutes of the second quarter remaining Egypt, after a second penalty corner in a row, converted and opened the score through Amr Ibrahim netting in the Scottish goal. Scotland instantly fought back and put together a brilliant collective move to come back to 1-1 with Cameron Golden the last to touch the ball deftly past the ‘keeper. As the pressure grew, Egypt’s Walid Metwalli received a yellow card. The Scots took advantage of a perfectly executed penalty corner which was converted by  Duncan Riddell to give his team a 2-1 lead. In the fourth quarter, Egypt gave it their all against a strong Scotland defence. They were rewarded when Ibrahim scored his second goal of the day – a shot that rasped into the roof of the Scottish goal. With just 40 seconds remaining on the clock, Scotland’s Kenny Bain proved the hero of the hour as he shot home from a penalty corner to give his side the precious three points. It was a fitting moment as Bain also received his 100th international milestone award at the start of the match. Winning goal scorer Kenny Bain said: “Egypt is a good team, we don’t know much about them as we’ve not played them in a long time. We knew they were good, we knew they had some really really talented players. We definitely did very well. We have a super young team and super talented team and what was amazing is that they were so mature in that end phase and we made it so yeah, we are really happy” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Scotland 3, Egypt 2 (Pool A) Umpires: Nick Bennett (ENG), Paul Walker (ENG) ********** Ireland v Singapore (Pool A) After their loss against Egypt on Sunday, Ireland really needed to win against Singapore to make it through the pool stage. The match couldn’t have started better for the Green Army as Shane O’Donoghue converted a penalty corner within the first minute of the first quarter. Shortly after, it was the same scenario, albeit a different scorer, as Conor Harte netted after the second penalty corner. Ireland made it 3-0 when Matthew Nelson took the ball around the Singapore goalkeeper Sandran Gugan. The second quarter saw Ireland extend their lead as Stephen Cole and Benjamin Walker both added to the scoreline. The Irish were in dominant form against a young but combative Singapore team. Straight after the half-time break Ireland won another a penalty corner which was converted by O’Donoghue – his shot flew directly into the top right corner of WEE Wei Xuan’s goal. Cole got his second just before the end of the third quarter to make it 7-0. Luke Madeley got his name on the scoresheet when he converted yet another penalty corner and then O’Donoghue completed his hat trick, the first three-goal haul of this FIH Series Finals event in le Touquet. The final goals came from Conor Harte and Lee Cole to complete a totally dominant performance by the top-ranked team in France. Matthew Bell was awarded a milestone hockey ball to mark his 100th caps for Ireland and what a way to celebrate. Hat trick scorer Shane O’Donoghue said: “That was a big improvement from two days ago, obviously we were pretty disappointed with the results against Egypt. It was better today and we put a comprehensive win today. The team is very happy!” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Ireland 11, Singapore 0 (Pool A) Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Nazmi

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The second day of the FIH Men’s Series Finals in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, France provided a spectacular intensity with tight matches. Scotland were winners against Singapore, while Ukraine versus Chile and Korea versus France finished in draws. Beyond all expectation Egypt defeated Ireland in a captivating match that provided the first big surprise of the tournament. Scotland v Singapore (Pool A) Both teams were defeated by their respective opponents in their first pool matches yesterday and were determined to claim their first three points. Scotland started quickly and opened the scoring through a penalty corner from Cameron Golden. At the very end of this first quarter, Golden scored again to make it 2-0, this time netting from open play. Singapore defended really well in the early stages of the second quarter, although a yellow card five-minute suspension to Aidil Ibrahim did not help their cause before Edward Greaves made it 3-0 to the Scots in the 24th minute. Singapore also impressed in the third quarter, only conceding at the end of the period when Kenny Bain netted the fourth Scottish goal. Andy Bull completed a 5-0 score-line with a penalty corner, with Scotland finishing the day second behind Egypt in Pool A. Scotland goal scorer Kenny Bain said: “Tomorrow is a rest day so we will have a normal recovery, certainly a Fun day tomorrow but also focus on the match against Egypt on Tuesday.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Scotland 5, Singapore 0 (Pool A) Umpires: ESTEBANEZ Diego (ESP), CHOLEWA Kris (IRL), Reserve Umpire: KAMARUDDIN Nazmi (MAS) (Entered) ********** Egypt v Ireland (Pool A) Both winners in their first matches, Egypt and Ireland started this game with a tangible pressure. Despite a few goal opportunities and a penalty corner for Ireland, the score remained unchanged during the first quarter. At the beginning of the second quarter, Ireland received a second chance to score with a penalty corner and converted it through John Jackson. Ireland’s lead lasted just four minutes, with Mohamed Adel levelling with a penalty corner of their own. Egypt’s winning goal arrived with thirteen minutes of the match remaining, with Ahmed Elhakim scoring from open play. Ireland pressurised the Egyptian backline but could not get the breakthrough, with goalkeeper Mohamed Sayed making some important saves as Egypt recorded the first upset of the competition. Egypt captain Ahmed Ezz said: “it was a good game for us. Ireland played really well and it is a great chance to be at the top of our pool.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Egypt 2, Ireland 1 (Pool A) Umpires: WALKER Paul (ENG), PETERS Benjamin (USA) ********** Ukraine v Chile (Pool B) With Ukraine and Chile both lost their matches on Saturday (against France and Korea respectively), both sides knew that this was a big opportunity to claim some points ahead of the rest day. The match remained score-less for the first two quarters and was closely contested, although things change in the third period when Ukraine’s Vitalii Kalinchuk beat Chilean goalkeeper Araya Agustin to make it 1-0. Chile levelled with a penalty corner from Pablo Purcell, before Andrii Koshelenko’s penalty stroke restored Ukraine’s lead at 2-1. However, Javier Osses pulled Chile level once again, making the score 2-2 going into the final quarter. Remarkably, nothing changed after that four-goal burst in the third quarter, with the match finishing with the scores locked together. Chilean captain, Fernando Renz said: “It was a tough game today and we didn’t play well. France is going to be hard match, but we are going to do our best.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Ukraine 2, Chile 2 (Pool B) Umpires: BELL Fraser (SCO), BENNETT Nick (ENG) ********** Korea v France (Pool B) The 18:00 match in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage was what the majority of the spectators had been waiting for, as the top two teams in Pool B went head to head. The pressure was high, but les bleus unblocked the scoreboard in the 11th minute with a penalty corner converted by French Captain Hugo Genestet (#7). Korean National team defended with strength and even converted their first penalty corner thanks JANG Jonghyun, who beat goalkeeper Arthur Thieffry with a drag-flick. France hard and created several opportunities, but both teams went into half-time with a draw 1-1. In the third quarter, France hit the post and missed penalty corner chances as they applied serious pressure on the Korea defence. Korea also had their chances as both goalkeepers were forced into action. With the sound of “Allez les Bleus” ringing around the stadium, France kept on attacking but were regularly stopped in their tracks by Korea goalkeeper Kim Jaehyeon, who played a crucial role to earn his team a draw against the host nation. France captain Hugo Genestet said: “It was a tough game today but Korea is really good team. I think with more efficiency we could have won the game but if we continue to play like this we can do well in this tournament.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Korea 1, France 1 (Pool B) Umpires: KLENK Tyler (CAN), OTTEN Michiel (NED) ********** The action continues Tuesday 18 with last pool matches: Pool A: Korea v Ukraine: 11:15 CEST Scotland v Egypt: 13:30 CEST Pool B: Ireland v Singapore: 15:45 CEST France v Chile: 18:00 CEST #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

The two highest-ranked teams in this tournament clinched the two top spots. India scored no less than 35 goals, much to the delight of their great fans. The home team and South Africa have earned a berth in the FIH Olympic qualifiers. Defeating the USA, Japan took third place. Japan – USA True to the tactical principles they had showcased since the beginning of the tournament, Japan immediately started to put pressure on the USA while the North Americans were defensively well organised and ready to seize every opportunity to move quickly upfront. On one of their first counter-attacks, the USA won a penalty corner which Aki Kaeppeler converted into the first goal of this match for third place. However, Japan reacted quickly and following a drag-flick from a penalty corner by Yoshiki Kirishita, Kazuma Murata found the target one minute later. Japan continued to attack and were close to take the lead after a nice combination inside the circle but the US defence intervened. Halfway through the second quarter, the Asian champions were awarded a penalty stroke. However, Hirotaka Zendana missed the target. The Asian champions did not give up and in the same quarter they got another penalty stroke which, this time, Yoshiki Kirishita converted, therefore giving his side a 2-1 lead. In the meantime, Japan’s goalkeeper Takashi Yoshikawa had denied a further scoring opportunity for the USA with a brilliant save. The second half started with repeated attacks from Japan on USA’s goal. But, despite a plethora of great chances, they were either unable to find the target or were thwarted by US goalkeeper Daniel Wisselink – later elected Man of the Match – who was having an outstanding day. Meanwhile, Rutger Wiese’s team always looked dangerous on the break. The dying moments of the game were just thrilling. With one minute to go, the USA managed to get back into the match with a second goal from Aki Kaeppeler from a penalty corner. A shootout competition was looming … but the team of Captain Mohan Gandhi had hardly celebrated their equaliser when they conceded two goals from Kenta Tanaka before the final whistle! Japan’s Head Coach Siegfried Aikman: “Our team has made big steps in this tournament. In all our matches, we did our passing and our receiving play very well. Against India, we lost our control. But even then, it was a good match. In our finishing, we are poor. In our penalty corners, we are a disaster. Until the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, we will focus on physical strength, finishing and of course penalty corners. But we have time and those are things which you can practice very well.” USA’s captain Mohan Gandhi: “Our performance throughout the tournament has been fantastic. We’re a tough team to beat. Nobody likes playing against us. Slightly disappointed as in the last two minutes of each game we just couldn’t close it out. We showed our inexperience and lack of confidence, I think. But the whole tournament, the whole time we’ve been here, we’ve grown and we’re going to take that into the next tournament.” ******** FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019 Result: Japan 4, USA 2 (match for 3rd place) Man of the Match: Daniel Wisselink (USA) Umpires: Dekang Chen (CHN), Ahmed Elsayed (EGY) ******** India – South Africa In front of their home fans, India wanted to live up to their supremacy in the FIH World Rankings. It did not take them very long to take the lead with a goal from Varun Kumar from a penalty corner. The Asian team was playing mostly in South Africa’s half during the first quarter and doubled their lead, with another penalty corner; this time from Harmanpreet Singh. South Africa spared no effort to come back into the match but they struggled to create good chances. And it was India who added another goal to their tally with a penalty stroke from Harmanpreet Singh, therefore becoming the joint top goalscorer of the tournament with Russia’s Semen Matkovskiy (6 goals each) at that moment. Half-time came with a solid 3-0 lead for Graham Reid’s side. At the start of the second half, South Africa missed a good opportunity which, if converted, would have given hope and confidence to the African champions. Instead of that, India took a 4 goals advantage through Vivek Prasad who converted from short distance as a result of an offering from Simranjeet Singh after brilliant dribbling in the circle. South Africa were determined to find the target and they were a step away from doing so on two consecutive attempts from Keenan Horne and Richard Pautz towards the end of the third quarter. The final quarter of this tournament saw the home team continue attacking and Varun Kumar scored his second penalty corner. He too was taking his goal tally in this event to six, therefore joining Harmanpreet Singh – later chosen Man of the Match – and Semen Matkovskiy at the top of the goalscorer standings. Meanwhile, the African champions also found the target as Richard Pautz was in the right place to hit the ball over the goal-line from a penalty corner. India’s Head Coach Graham Reid: “It was a really interesting tournament. There are always things which we can improve. I think that the areas that we worked on in the last 2-3 months, we’ll be continuing. The boys will now have a couple of weeks off, spend time with their families and recharge their batteries. Then we have a really hard month in July and we go to the Olympic Games’ test event in Tokyo in August. It will be a busy period.” South Africa’s Head Coach Garreth Ewing: “First, we’ll take from this tournament a step to the next round. It was really good for us to spend some time together as a team. The first couple of games were tough but we progressed nicely, then we found our rhythm and we were very competitive and really happy to

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Defeating Japan and the USA respectively in today’s semi-finals, hosts India and South Africa are certain to grab one of the first two spots of the FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019 which give access to the FIH Olympic qualifiers scheduled in October-November this year. USA – South Africa The first opportunity in this game was created by the African champions with Austin Smith’s drag-flick from a penalty corner heading just centimetres wide of the goalposts. South Africa was enjoying most of the ball possession but, as previously showcased in this tournament, USA was defending very well, leaving very little space for their opponents to capitalise upon. South Africa had a further very good opportunity from a deflected ball after another penalty corner, but USA goalkeeper Jonathan Klages cleared it. On a counter-attack, the USA got a penalty-corner which Aki Kaeppeler converted for the first goal of this semi-final, five seconds before the end of the first quarter. The next fifteen minutes did not provide many scoring chances. A good attempt from Keenan Horne went slightly off target. At half-time, the USA were still leading 1-0. The match continued in the same pattern at the start of the second half. South Africa had to look for the equaliser but they struggled to create opportunities as USA’s defensive organisation was very solid. Additionally, the American side were quick to go on the attack whenever they turned over possession. However, Garreth Ewing’s team found the net towards the end of the third quarter when a penalty corner was fired home by the experienced Austin Smith. South Africa came very close to taking the lead following two consecutive penalty corners right at the start of the final quarter but Jonathan Klages was in fine form and saved well. The USA reacted quickly with Kei Kaeppeler crossing the ball for Alberto Montilla who could not quite get into position to deflect it into the goal. The intensity of the match was increasing, with the ball moving quickly from one half to the other. With just 30 seconds left to play, the fate of this match was decided: following a shot from Nqobile Ntuli, South Africa’s Nicholas Spooner was in the right place to deflect the ball past the goal-line and give his team a place in the Final. South Africa’s Nicholas Spooner: “0-1 behind, then coming back to score and then the 2-1 was 30 seconds to play. It’s incredible. Great performance from the team. We’re fortunate enough to get a win. I was in the right place at the right time and was lucky enough to hit the ball over the line at the end of the day.” USA’s Head Coach Rutger Wiese: “Congratulations to South Africa. What two battles we fought with them this week! Overall, I think our first four games were pretty good.” ******** FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019 Result: USA 1, South Africa 2 (semi-final) Man of the Match: Tyson Dlungwana (RSA) Umpires: Zeke Newman (AUS), Eduardo Lizana (ESP) ******** India – Japan This all-Asian encounter started at a high tempo and it took only 90 seconds for Japan to open the scoring after a great pass from Kenta Tanaka was converted into a goal by Kenji Kitazato. India immediately put pressure on Japan’s goal in an attempt to get a quick equaliser. After a great save from Yusuke Takano following a shot from Nilakanta Sharma and a missed opportunity by Gursahibjit Singh, the home team levelled the score with a penalty corner from Harmanpreet Singh, who celebrated his 100th cap in the best possible way. But Japan were determined to give a hard time to the 5th ranked team in the world. First, Kenta Tanaka, at the conclusion of one of his numerous fast runs, put the Indian defence under pressure. Then, in the 20th minute of the game, Kota Watanabe managed to hit the ball into the goal, making it 2-2. But once again, India reacted with no delay. First Ramandeep Singh from a penalty corner and then Hardik Singh doubled their team’s tally within two minutes (4-2). In the second half, India won numerous penalty corners and it was Ramandeep Singh – later elected Man of the Match – who converted, scoring his second goal of the night. He was soon copied by his teammate Gursahibjit Singh, increasing the score to 6-2 at the end of the third quarter. The final quarter gave the opportunity to India’s youngest player Vivek Prasad to put his name on the scoresheet, much to the delight of the home crowd. Despite several penalty corners, Japan could not find the net in this second half. India’s captain Manpreet Singh: “Japan played very well. They were attacking and did not give us easy chances in the first two quarters. But after that our players played very well, they got good chances and we converted penalty corners. We’re really happy because we’re qualified for the Final and for the FIH Olympic qualifiers. Tomorrow is a really important game for us because South Africa is doing very well. We hope we’ll play as we played today.” ******** FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019 Result: India 7, Japan 2 (semi-final) Man of the Match: Ramandeep Singh (India) Umpires: Sébastien Duterme (BEL), Xavier Fenaert (FRA) ******** The action continues tomorrow (15 June) with the tournament’s last two games: 17:00 (IST) Japan – USA (match for 3rd place) 19:15 (IST) India – South Africa (Final) #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo