Pretoria, South Africa:  After 80 matches and seven days of rousing action, Austria’s men successfully defended their world title while the Netherlands regained the women’s crown as the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup came to a gripping end in Pretoria, South Africa. Michael Körper got the defending champions off to a great start in the men’s final, putting his side ahead in the ninth minute. Less than a minute later the Dutch struck back, Max Sweering slotting one in off a penalty stroke for the equaliser just before the first break. But it didn’t take long for the Austrians to regain their lead, Körper once again adding his name to the scoresheet with a magnificent, lifted effort. The Dutch once again came back at them though, to level matters before halftime. The Netherlands then led twice in the second half, but the prolific Körper completed his hattrick to once again draw level at 4-4, sending the title decider to a shootout, which the Austrians edged 3-2 for a memorable victory. “Unbelievable, unbelievable,” said the elated Austrian captain, Leon Thörnblom. “You tend to say a lot but when you do it, it’s just a different feeling. I have no words, I can’t explain it… just unbelievable. I’m so happy.” Dutch coach Robert Tigges was proud of his team’s performance. “What can I say? Tough luck, it was so super-close… During the game it looked like we were the better team and I think we created more chances, but we know they have a solid squad and it’s hard to score goals against them. But I’m very proud of my team. I think we played a great tournament.” While the Austrian men were crowned world champions for a second time, the women were seeking a first-ever world title when they also took on the Netherlands in their final. But the Dutch were in rampant mood in what turned into a completely one-sided match. Mabel Brands scored a hattrick as the Dutch romped to a third world title with a 7-0 victory. With that, they also climbed to the top spot in the world rankings while Austria moved up from seventh to fourth. “I’m so proud. We did a really good job, we prepared well and we executed it,” said Brands. As for scoring a hattrick in a World Cup final, she added: “It’s special, really special – I will never forget it.” In a first for a Hockey World Cup, both the men’s and women’s finals featured one male and one female umpire in each. Meanwhile, the women’s third-place playoff saw hosts South Africa taking on the Czech Republic. Having dropped from third at the 2015 World Cup to seventh in 2018, the Czechs were determined to make a return to the podium and they put in the ideal performance to do just that. Adela Lehovcova scored a brace and Anna Kolarova added another before the home side could breach the Austrian defence. Tegan Fourie’s consolation goal in the 26thminute was not enough to prevent the 1-3 loss for the South Africans, who nevertheless achieved their highest-ever World Cup finish with fourth place. Their unprecedented progress also saw them climbing up the world rankings from 12th place to sixth. “We’ve done a very good job in this tournament,” said Czech captain Katerina Lacina. “The wins we had during the tournament are a big step forwards. I think we can be proud of what we achieved.” The men’s bronze medal match between Iran and the USA produced another fast-paced showdown which included several spectacular goals. It was all square on 4-4 by the final hooter after Aki Kaeppeler found the final equaliser in the 37th minute. Just like they did in their quarterfinal match, the Iranians clinched the win in the shootout to match their bronze medal-winning performance from the last FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in 2018. “We did a lot of training for shootouts because we knew we could be in that position in many matches. The USA is a very strong team… but slowly by slowly we could manage the game,” said Iranian captain Behdad Beiranvand, before embracing and swapping shirts with an emotional US captain Pat Harris. “I think we surprised a lot of people. I just feel bad that we couldn’t make it happen. It’s just been a massive journey for the whole team,” said Harris. “I’m proud of the group and the way we played in the semifinal and even in this third-place game, we should still hold our heads high and we can go home with a good feeling.” As a result of their efforts, the Americans have taken a massive leap in the world rankings, up from 24th to eighth place. 11 February 2023 Results  Result: Match 35 – men New Zealand 2 – 7 Australia Player of the match: Ben Staines (AUS) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL) Result: Match 36 – men Austria 8 – 3 Iran Player of the match: Fabian Unterkircher (AUT) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Adam Barry (AUS) Result: Match 37 – men Netherlands 7 – 3 USA Player of the match: Nicki Leijs Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Andres Ortiz (ESP)   Result: Match 38 – women Austria 1 – 0 Czech Republic Player of the match: Marianne Pulter (AUT) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL)   Result: Match 37 – women Netherlands 6 – 1 South Africa Player of the match: Lieke van Wijk (NED) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Rachel Williams (ENG)   Result: Match 38 – men Kazakhstan 2 – 5 Czech Republic Player of the match: Lukas Plochy (CZE) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL)   Result: Match 39 – men Iran 4 (3) – 4 (2) USA Player of the match: Reza Norouzzadeh (IRI) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Adam Barry (AUS)   Result: Match 39 – women South Africa 1 – 3 Czech Republic Player of the match: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Emily Carroll (AUS)   Result: Match 40

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24 teams representing 14 countries ventured to the southern tip of Africa, to a country renowned for its collection of wildlife. In the wild it is the strongest that survive and are ultimately the king of the bush. The Indoor hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, was no different as the Austrian Men and Netherlands Women become the undisputed kings and queens of the court and more importantly the world. The Austrian men had entered the tournament as favourites on the back of their European Championship title and cantered their way to the final. The unstoppable force though met an immovable object in the Dutch and an incredible final could not be separated until a penalty shootout decided the game with the Austrians defending their crown and remaining the undisputed champs of Indoor Hockey. The Dutch women also arrived as the favourites in the absence of Germany, and they embraced it winning 8 out of 8 games in a sprint to the title. Donja Zwinkels inspired her country with performances that ranged from sublime to extraordinary as the Netherlands collected their third FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup. The SPAR South African women captivated the nation in their march to the semi-finals. Although they were unable to win the bronze medal, they most definitely did win the hearts of the South African sporting family as their performance was one that was unprecedented by an African nation. The SA Hockey Men, powered by Tops at SPAR, were arguably the most exciting team in the tournament. They played with purpose and confidence led by Jethro Eustice and Justin Domleo, while the Cassiem brothers along with Ryan Julius give the team a flair that is second to none. The sixth indoor hockey world cup came, it saw, and it was conquered. And incredible event that may well and truly inspire the future generations and leave a legacy that will live long in the memory of African Hockey.   It was an incredible FIH Indoor Hockey Cup. The African sun has now set on what will forever be remembered fondly. Here are the final standings from the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup 2023 #IHWC2023 pic.twitter.com/2EaWHjiE4E — SA Hockey (@SA_Hockey) February 12, 2023   The tournament award winners were: Best men’s junior player: Mustapha Cassiem (South Africa) Best women’s junior player: Reese D’Ariano (United States of America) Best men’s goalkeeper: Mateusz Szymczyk (Austria) Best women’s goalkeeper: Barbora Chechakova (Czech Republic) Men’s top goal-scorer: Michael Korper (Austria) Women’s top goal-scorer: Donja Zwinkels (Netherlands) Men’s player of the tournament: Fabian Unterkircher (Austria) Women’s player of the tournament: Donja Zwinkels (Netherlands)   Source: SAHockey.co.za | February 12, 2023

The SPAR South African Indoor Hockey side had captivated their fans throughout the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in a march to the semi-finals. They had a packed crowd at the Hearfelt Arena in their corner as they sought to sink the unsinkable ship in the Netherlands. The South African women had returned to the World Cup having missed the 2018 edition and have shown the journey they have been on has been an incredible journey full of heart, courage and inspiration. The juggernaut that is the Dutch though was near impossible to stop and they rocked their way to an early lead. Pam Imhof and a stroke from Lieke van Wijk earned the team a credible 2-0 lead. Showing characteristic South African fight the hosts pulled a goal back through a superbly taken penalty corner from Danny de Oliviera. They were being spurred on by an incredible performance in goals by Cheree Greyvenstein The Dutch though continued to show their class and extended their lead to three goals with Donja Zwinkels scoring before another stroke stretched the lead. South Africa pulled their keeper and continued to fight for a result but conceded two late goals to inflate the result. The team would not have long to lick their wounds as the bronze medal match takes place at 18:30 against a wounded Czech Republic.   Source: SAHockey.co.za | February 11, 2023

February 10, 2023 History was made by the USA men and South African women as they secured their first-ever semifinal spots at the FIH Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. After a thrilling day of quarterfinal clashes, the final four places were determined with defending champions Austria up against Iran while the Netherlands will take on the USA for a spot in the men’s final. 2018 bronze medallists Iran earned their semifinal spot in dramatic fashion, coming from 0-3 down in the third quarter to beat eighth-ranked Belgium in a shootout. The Iranians managed to level the scores at 5-5 in the 37thminute and it then took an incredible 18 shots to decide the winners in the subsequent shootout. Iran captain Behdad Beiranvand believed it was his team’s experience and composure that made all the difference.“Our team is more experienced than the Belgian team at the World Cup and four years ago we were in the semifinal,” he said. “So our team members are older and more experienced than theirs. I think that’s the main reason we won this game.” Austria were next to secure their safe passage through to the final four with a 2-0 victory over Argentina, but it wasn’t until well into the third quarter that they first found the back of the net. Austrian captain Leon Thörnblom was full of praise for the tournament debutants. “It was a very tactical game. They played with great discipline and it was really tough to get through their defensive setup,” he said. “We would have liked to score a bit earlier but it’s a quarterfinal – you just have to win those, it doesn’t matter how.” Meanwhile, both the USA and Namibia were looking to extend their history-making runs at the World Cup – with the quarterfinals being unchartered territory for both teams. It was the Americans who had the edge. Namibia scored in the final minute of the match, but it was not enough to prevent a 3-2 win for the USA. Captain Pat Harris, who represented the US in both their previous appearances at the World Cup, in 2003 and 2011 where they twice finished in 11th place, said: “It’s huge for us. This is the first time the US has even got out of the pool stages and the semifinals is the biggest success we’ve had with the men’s team so this is tremendous. “For us it was another tough game. Namibia defended really well. They stood deep and we had to be really patient to find the openings. I’m glad we did and got the lead and then keep building our game.” The Dutch were in rampant mood against hosts South Africa in the last men’s quarterfinal. The 2015 world champions racked up a 5-0 lead by half time. The home side suddenly came alive in the final quarter, scoring three goals of their own. But when the Dutch added another one to their own tally, the fightback fizzled out. In the women’s tournament, the Czech Republic were the first side to book their place in the semifinals with a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Australia. Czech captain Katerina Lacina said: “It’s an amazing feeling. We were a little bit nervous… we started a little bit slower than we wanted but in the end we scored a lot of goals so we are really happy about that.” Austria were up next, notching up a 3-1 victory over Ukraine “I think it was the mindset. I think we were very focused, our structure was very good, and we stayed very calm. I think that was the key and why we scored three goals,” said Austrian captain Miriam Gerö. Both Belgium and South Africa were seeking their first-ever appearances in the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup semifinals when they met in the third women’s quarterfinal of the day. It was the host nation who benefited from the backing of a fervent home crowd to produce their best World Cup result to date. A goal from South African captain Jess O’Connor off a penalty corner edged her side in front and Tegan Fourie doubled their lead just before halftime. But the Belgians came back through a final-quarter goal, and they were a nervous final few minutes until the 2-1 home win was secured. A thrilled South African coach, Lennie Botha, said: “It’s the dream game that you’re waiting for. We’ve worked very hard on our discipline and our structures and that’s what’s got us to where we are. The girls are committed and special… I just can’t believe it.” In the final matchup of the day, it took 15 minutes for the Netherlands to breach the Canadian defence. But two hattricks, from Lieke van Wijk and Donja Zwinkels, steered the two-time world champions to a resounding 6-1 victory. The Dutch will take on South Africa in Saturday’s semifinals while Austria will play the Czech Republic. 10 February 2023 Results   Result: Match 31 – women New Zealand 4 – 3 Namibia Player of the match: Kirsten Pearce (NZL) Umpires: Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA), Cathy Wright (WAL)   Result: Match 32 – women USA 5 – 1 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Hannah Miller (USA) Umpires: Narongtuch Subboonsong (THA), Lyndal Robertson (RSA)   Result: Match 32 – men Iran 5 (6) – 5 (5) Belgium Player of the match: Reza Norouzzadeh (IRI) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA), Adam Barry (AUS)   Result: Match 33 – women Czech Republic 6 – 0 Australia Player of the match: Katerina Lacina (CZE) Umpires: Cathy Wright (WAL), Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL)   Result: Match 31 – men Austria 2 – 0 Argentina Player of the match: Michael Körper (AUT) Umpires: Sean Edwards (ENG), Rachel Williams (ENG)   Result: Match 34 – women Austria 3 – 1 Ukraine Player of the match: Stella van Rahden (AUT) Umpires: Melina Illanes (ARG), Celine Martin-Schmets (BEL)   Result: Match 34 – men USA 3 – 2 Namibia Player of the match: Aki Kaeppeler (USA) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Diego

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The SPAR South African Indoor Hockey side continued their historic run at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup on Friday night as a capacity crowd watched them defeat Belgium 2-1 to secure the first World Cup semi-final for any African nation. South Africa began the day by celebrating Jess Lardant reaching the milestone of 50 games for the country. SPAR South Africa had built their run in the tournament on the back of gritty defensive stability, arguably being the strongest defensive outfit at the tournament. But they came out firing in the early exchanges and may have taken an early lead had Kayla de Waal not fired it narrowly wide. The hosts were on top and the goal came through their fantastic captain. The African’s won a penalty corner, took it from the reverse side and produced a sensational strike from the skipper to open the scoring. Kayla de Waal had a couple of chances but the goal would eventually come from the stick of tournament star Tegan Fourie. The ball was passed through every player on the court and eventually a reverse pass by Jess Lardant opened the defence up. It connected with Tegan Fourie, who took the space on offer and fired home. At the half time break the South Africans were good value for a 2-0 lead. In the third quarter South Africa looked more likely to add to the scoring as Jamie Southgate fired in a shot from an acute angle and Tegan Fourie saw her shot trickle wide. The South Africans continued to defend like the Trojan army as the third quarter ended with Belgium still having only two shots at goal The Belgians would be given a lifeline when they played a superb through ball picked up the striker and a sensational touch diverted it past Cheree Greyvenstein to silence the crowd and give the visitors belief. But as had been the case for most teams in the tournament, they found it incredibly tough to break down the South Africans. Even pulling their keeper off to launch an all out attack didn’t not create the outcomes they were hoping for and South Africa sealed a famous win. The South Africans will next play Netherlands in the semi-final on Saturday afternoon before a potential final awaits later on the same day.   Congratulations to Jessica Lardant who today earns her 50th cap for the SPAR South Africa Womens Indoor Hockey Team #IHWC2023 pic.twitter.com/2MB2bRsIsV — SA Hockey (@SA_Hockey) February 10, 2023   Source: SAHockey.co.za | February 10, 2023

The South Afircan Indoor Hockey Men had already achieved their best ever finish at an FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup by securing a Quarter Final spot. They however had loftier ambitions and took to the court in an attempt to emulate their female compatriots in qualifying for the Semi-Finals. The Dutch though, heavily favoured, would have their own ideas and would produce a devastating and dominant Dutch first half to lead 5-0 at the half time break. They opened the scoring through captain Burkhart who fired past van Loggerenberg on the second attempt. Goals were added by a whipping finish from Wiegert Schut, a Joep Troost wonder goal and Bakker before Burkhart made it 5-0. The South Africans however showed characteristic fight and pushed forward from the back pulling a goal back through Chad Futcher. The South Africans removed their keeper and almost immediately found a second through Dayaan Casseim with a powerful reverse stick finish. The Netherlands feeling outnumbered decided to remove their keeper and match the South Africans and it added to the spectacle. South Africa won a stroke when Cassiem’s shot was saved on the line and Mustapha stood up confident to score from the stroke. Instead the best stroke save of the tournament was made low to deny the South African top scorer. He wouldn’t be denied for long as he showed tenacity to find a second and the stadium started almost literally rocking under the vibrance of the crowd. But unfortunately as time ran out the Dutch added a final goal and the South African men bid farewell to a tournament in which they played a massive part in the lasting impact of the tournament. For Netherlands the dream of repeating the 2015 success continues to live and breath as they Orange Army will next take on USA in the semi-finals.   Source: SAHockey.co.za | February 10, 2023

The quarterfinal lineup was completed after several scintillating performances on the final day of pool matches at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa. The men’s Pool B clash between the Czech Republic and Iran produced a 16-goal thriller. The Czechs led 6-3 by the 25th minute but the feisty Iranians came back at them. Just like they had done against South Africa the day before, a final-minute goal clinched a dramatic, last-gasp draw for Iran. The 8-8 draw was enough to see the Iranians through to the quarterfinals, but there was disappointment for the fourth-ranked Czech Republic who are now left to fight it out for the minor places. The other Pool B battle, between South Africa and Argentina, was another entertaining, high-scoring affair, which saw the hosts snatching a 5-4 win with another Mustapha Cassiem goal in the final minute. “It was our goal at the start [to make it into the quarterfinals]… it means everything,” said a thrilled South African captain, Jethro Eustice. “It was emotionally and physically demanding, everything that needed to be put in was in there today. I think that was probably the turning point in the last minute, that we all looked at each other and said all we need is one chance and one chance we got and we took it. It’s emotional and exciting at the same time.” Despite the loss, Argentina are also through to the quarterfinals thanks to their earlier victories over Iran and Australia. In the other men’s pool it was Namibia who booked the final top-four spot despite a 4-4 draw with New Zealand. “I’m a bit disappointed we let them back into the game there, but at least we’re in the quarters,” said Namibian coach Trevor Cormack afterwards. “Now the tournament starts all over again so we’ve got to focus on that and we’ll give our best again.” Austria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic had already secured their quarterfinal places before the final pool matches of the women’s tournament but the other spots were yet to be determined. There was double joy for the home crowd when the South African women claimed their second victory of the tournament, beating New Zealand 6-3 to qualify for the top eight. “It’s an amazing achievement, the highest we have finished in a tournament like this,” said South African captain Jess O’Connor.” We know we have a tough one tomorrow, so we will get some rest now and then try to focus on keeping the winning momentum.” Australia went down 2-4 to Austria in their final pool match, but still progressed thanks to their earlier victories against the USA and New Zealand. In Pool B, it was Belgium, Ukraine and Canada who joined the already-qualified Czech Republic in the quarterfinals. Belgium defeated Canada 1-0 thanks to a third-quarter goal from Claire Barry, and the Canadians then faced an anxious wait for the outcome of the final pool clash between Ukraine and Kazakhstan to discover whether they’d done enough to progress. That match ended in a 3-3 draw, with one point not enough to see the Kazakhs through ahead of Canada. Belgian captain Laurine Delforge said: “We came here as one of the lowest-ranked teams and we had one goal and that was to get out of the pool stage. Today we managed to secure the point that we needed to go through. It’s only our second World Cup… and to manage to qualify for the quarterfinals really means a lot to us but also for our country and for indoor sports in Belgium.” Canadian coach Shankar Premakanthan was particularly proud of his team’s performance, having finished the group stages with one loss, one win and three draws. “We have a very young team at this tournament and I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished,” he said. “We were a hair away from getting a result in this one and we’ve been in every single match in this tournament so far. So I’m disappointed with this result but I’m super-proud of the effort and the progress this group has made… how we’ve played is tremendous. I think we grew with every game.” Friday’s men’s quarterfinal clashes will see Belgium facing Iran while defending world champions Austria are up against Argentina, the USA take on Namibia, and the Netherlands play South Africa. In the women’s tournament, the Czech Republic face Australia, Austria take on Ukraine, Belgium play South Africa and the Netherlands are up against Canada in a bid to reach Saturday’s semifinals. 9 February 2023 Results   Result: Match 25 – women Netherlands 3 – 2 USA Player of the match: Elizabeth Tamburro (USA) Umpires: Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA), Cathy Wright (WAL) Result: Match 25 – men South Africa 6 – 5 Argentina Player of the match: Chad Futcher (RSA) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Sean Edwards (ENG)   Result: Match 26 – women South Africa 6 – 3 New Zealand Player of the match: Daniela de Oliveira (RSA) Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Rachel Williams (ENG   Result: Match 26 – men USA 4 – 2 Australia Player of the match: Stuart Kentwell (USA) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Result: Match 27 – women Australia 2 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Katharina Bauer (AUT) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Cathy Wright (WAL) Result: Match 27 – men Czech Republic 8 – 8 Iran Player of the match: Tomas Prochazka (CZE) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Rachel Williams (ENG) Result: Match 28 – women Belgium 1 – 0 Canada Player of the match: Claire Barry (BEL) Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Result: Match 28 – men Belgium 1 – 7 Netherlands Player of the match: Boris Burkhardt (NED) Umpires: Lee Barron (ENG), Adam Barry (AUS) Result: Match 29 – women Namibia 0 – 6 Czech Republic Player of the match: Anna Vorlova (CZE) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Sean Edwards (ENG) Result: Match 29 – men Austria 9 – 2 Kazakhstan Player of the match: Michael

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A defensive masterclass from the SPAR South African ladies in their pool game against Australia at the FIH Hockey Indoor World Cup on Wednesday set up an easy scenario on Thursday morning. Defeat New Zealand and qualify for the Quarter-Finals. Spurred on by a crowd awash with school kids from the Tshwane region, the South Africans looked to break down a stubborn New Zealand defense and they eventually managed to do so when Tegan Fourie converted her third of the tournament just before the half time hooter. In the third quarter the South Africans raised the tempo and pulled the game out of the New Zealand reach as Danny de Oliviera, Jess O’Connor and Jess Lardant all fired home from penalty corners pulling the South Africans forward. South Africa saw their lead cut down by 1 when Deanna Richie fired low and hard past Nepo Serage, but Laiken Brisset stretched the lead back to 4 when she converted on the end of a Robyn Johnson pass for her first international goal. New Zealand showed a mini-fightback to net twice. Once from Norman at a penalty corner before an opportunistic strike from Ritchie raised heart rates in the arena slightly. But there was no worry for the South Africans as Kayla de Waal as she fired in a rebound high and celebrated with relief as much as joy. South Africa has now secured their first ever Quarter Final place at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup and will await eagerly the outcome of who their opponent will be on Friday Night at Heartfelt Arena.   Source: SAHockey.co.za

South Africa secured a quarter final place in the FIH indoor Hockey World Cup with a dramatic final minute goal to defeat Argentina 6-5 at Heartfelt Arena. South Africa couldn’t have asked for a better start as Mustapha Cassiem fed the ball to his brother in acres of space. As the Argentine keeper came forward to close Dayaan fired the ball into the roof of the goal. Just 18 seconds had passed at this point. The crowd included a number of school kids from the area were jubilant as Mustapha Cassiem showed his own individual brilliance to put Mayo on his bottom and finish into an empty net. The Heartfelt Arena was rocking. However, the Argentines are a team with superb flair and belief, and they continued to fight the South Africans finding a goal back through influential captain Juan Elecegui as the opening quarter ended 2-1. Argentina struck first in the second quarter through Navarro capitalizing in a period when the South Africans were slowing things down. The goal silenced the crowd somewhat before Chad Futcher reacted to a loose ball after a challenge on Mustapha Cassiem and fired the hosts back into the lead. Argentina levelled once again though with Ceballos scored from a penalty stroke after a penalty corner had struck Eustice on the line. The half-time came with the score 3-3. Early in the second half Dayaan Cassiem showed his own magical moment to score a reverse flick from an acute angle to re-establish the lead. It was a lead that was double by Chad Futcher with a penalty corner smashed home by Chad Futcher. 10 minutes remained for South Africa to confirm their spot in the Quarter-Finals for Friday. Argentina pulled one back through a Rodriguez effort from a penalty corner. It was a little disappointing for the South Africans as the shot lacked venom and caught the defense by surprise. It got more frustrating for the South Africans as another stroke was awarded when Cassiem was adjudged to hit the ball on the goal line and Ceballos levelled matters again. The South Africans showed the fight, showed the determination and were able to steal the match and seal a victory, a place in the quarter finals and the quest for glory continues. South Africa’s opponent in the Quarter Finals will be confirmed later on Thursday and will take place on Friday evening at Heartfelt Arena.   Source: SAHockey.co.za |

The fight for quarterfinal places heated up on day four of the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup in Pretoria, South Africa with one more day of pool matches remaining. There was no more intense demonstration of that than the men’s showdown between 2018 bronze medallists Iran and hosts South Africa. The home team thrilled a passionate Pretoria crowd by taking the lead with four minutes remaining but a stroke awarded in the dying seconds allowed the Iranians to level the scores at 4-4, meaning there’s all to play for in the final pool matches. “It’s a bit emotional not getting a result against a top-four nation where I feel like they got lucky,” said Mustapha Cassiem, who scored three of South Africa’s goals. “We didn’t defend well enough and if you let a team like this slide, they’ll use the opportunities against you.” Day four also featured two top-of-the-table clashes between Austria and the Netherlands, with the Austrian men and Dutch women emerging victorious. Making his scoring debut in the tournament was Austria’s Michael Körper, who flew in later than the rest of the team after helping his Harvestehuder THC side land the German Indoor Championship title over the weekend. Körper made up for lost time, scoring all four of Austria’s goals in their 4-1 victory over the Netherlands. “I’m definitely happy. Yesterday [against Belgium] I had many chances for four or five goals and I didn’t score, but it was my first game on this pitch. I arrived the day before,” said Körper. “So I got used to the pitch now and connected to the guys again and I think that showed today with four goals.” The tables were turned in the corresponding women’s fixture, where it was the Dutch who dominated proceedings to win 5-1, Donja Zwinkels completing yet another hattrick for 12 goals in the tournament so far. At the other end of the court, the Netherlands have conceded only two goals in Pretoria. Goalkeeper Lexie Heerbaart commented: “Our team defence is really on point and I really think we’re doing it together as a team. Our press is going great and I am happy to help the team wherever needed and be in the position to save some goals,” she said. Meanwhile, there was joy for Kazakhstan’s men’s side as they claimed their first win of the tournament. Having notched up a four-goal lead against New Zealand, the Kazakhs managed to hit the left and then the right post within a matter of seconds in their bid for a fifth goal. It was eventually Yerkebulan Dyussebekov who slotted it in off a penalty corner to seal the 5-0 win. “It is a good feeling because we won today. It was a strong match for Kazakhstan and a good experience in the World Cup,” said captain Daulet Urmanov. As for the prospect of taking on world champions Austria in their final pool match on Thursday, Urmanov added: “They are a strong team, but we have a good spirit so it’s not a problem.” New Zealand’s captain and goalkeeper Dean Armstrong was far from despairing after another loss for his team, who have now conceded 26 goals in the tournament so far. “It’s fantastic experience for us and that’s what we need,” he said. “We’ll pick up a lot of learnings from this… we really want to make sure that we’re taking those home and building so we’ve got something better when we come along next time.” At the age of 42, Armstrong has retirement plans just yet and is looking towards representing his country at the next World Cup. “I’m loving it here, it’s really exciting, some great hockey and the opportunity to play against the world’s best players is so addictive so I hope so.” Earlier in the day, the Belgian men’s side secured their place in the quarterfinals with a 4-1 victory over Namibia. In the other men’s pool, a 7-4 victory for the United States over Argentina saw the Americans finishing the day on top, also ensuring their passage through. Aki Kaeppeler scored three of those goals, his contribution crucial against the determined Argentinians, who have made an impressive impact on their tournament debut. “I think we were more clinical than in the other games so far and also we defended really hard as a team. We gave it everything and I think that’s the key to our success at the moment,” said Kaeppeler. As for the hattrick, he added: “I’m just happy that we got the goals and we got the win. I think we scored in important moments so that was good to get the momentum back on our side.” The Czech Republic women booked their place in the final eight with a 4-2 victory over Ukraine, while the South African women claimed their first victory of the tournament with a 1-0 win over Australia. 8 February 2023 Results Result: Match 19 – women Czech Republic 4 – 2 Ukraine Player of the match: Barbora Cechakova (CZE) Umpires: Lyndal Robertson (RSA), Ayden Shrives (RSA) Result: Match 19 – men Namibia 1 – 4 Belgium Player of the match: Philippe Simar (BEL) Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Emily Carroll (AUS) Result: Match 20 – women Belgium 2 – 1 Namibia Player of the match: Laurine Delforge (BEL) Umpires: Adam Barry (AUS), Ornpimol Kittiteerasopon (THA) Result: Match 20 – men Kazakhstan 5 – 0 New Zealand Player of the match: Daulet Urmanov (KAZ) Umpires: Ayden Shrives (RSA) Melina Illanes (ARG) Result: Match 21 – women Kazakhstan 4 – 4 Canada Player of the match: Samantha McCrory Umpires: Andres Ortiz (ESP), Emily Carroll (AUS) Result: Match 21 – men Netherlands 1 – 4 Austria Player of the match: Umpires: Diego Barbas (ARG), Sean Edwards (ENG) Result: Match 22 – women Austria 1 – 5 Netherlands Player of the match: Donja Zwinkels Umpires: Lukasz Zwierzchowski (POL), Lyndal Robertson (RSA) Result: Match 22 – men USA 7 – 4 Argentina Player of the match: Aki Kaeppeler Umpires: Adres

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