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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