The first day of crossovers at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 produced drama aplenty as Spain and New Zealand sealed their quarterfinal berths with shoot-out wins, in the sudden death stage, against Malaysia and India respectively. Spain will now take on Australia in the quarterfinals, while New Zealand will face Belgium, with both matches to be played in Bhubaneswar. Malaysia and India head into the 9-16 classification matches, which will take place in Rourkela. Match 1: Malaysia vs Spain 2-2 (shoot-out: 3-4) Malaysia were under pressure early in the first quarter and were lucky to go into the 2nd quarter at level footing, having survived a couple of big chances, particularly when Enrique Gonzalez hit the crossbar from a couple of metres out. Malaysia started to get on the front foot a bit more in the second quarter but neither team was able to carve out any high quality scoring opportunity in the 15 minutes, and as the half-time whistle blew, the teams remained tied on 0-0. The second half burst into action as Malaysia showed why they are such a big threat on the attack as a long pass from inside his own half, by Faiz Jali, found form man Faizal Saari who received the ball in his stride just outside the Spanish circle and unleashed a powerful shot on the reverse to beat Adrian Rafi. The goal sprung Spain into action and they committed more players to the attack. Spain equalised through a Marc Miralles penalty stroke in the 41st minute and snatched the lead a minute later as a mesmerising run by Pere Amat led to a cross which was turned into an empty goal by Gispert at the far post, leaving Malaysia to chase the game in the final quarter. The final quarter started with Malaysia thinking they had equalised through Amirul Azahar inside 20 seconds, but Spain reviewed and a backstick in the build up to the goal reversed the goal. Three minutes later though Malaysia did score through Shello Silverius and there was no doubt about the validity of the goal this time, setting up an exciting final 10 minutes. Spain earned a flurry of penalty corners over the final minutes, but their attempted drag flicks were saved each time by a combination of good first rushing and calm keeping, taking the first knockout game of the event into a shoot-out! The teams could not be separated through the first 5 attempts in the shoot-out as the game moved to sudden death. Marc Miralles scored his first for Spain and Mario Garin, who was brought on by the red sticks to keep in the shoot-outs, stepped up and saved the Malaysian attempt to earn his team the win and a spot in the quarterfinals! Marc Miralles was awarded player of the match and said: “Well played to Malaysia as well, we know this is a very tough way to lose a game. Really happy with our team’s performance throughout, coming back from a goal down to get the win and move on is great for us.” Match 2: India vs New Zealand 3-3 (SO: 4-5) India were dominant in the first quarter in terms of territory and possession but in terms of big chances, the teams were level at one apiece. New Zealand were the first to get a good shot on target, but Sreejesh was quick to step out, make himself big and make the save. Harmanpreet, who scored his first penalty corner goal in the game against Wales, nearly saw his first penalty corner break the goal-line, but a save on the line by Simon Child, kept the scores tied to end the first quarter. New Zealand had a huge chance to start the second quarter, but the shot attempt by Morrison went narrowly wide and India capitalised soon with a quick counter, that was smashed in from the right by Lalit, who was smartly found on the counter by Shamsher. India added a second goal midway through the second quarter as a Harmanpreet drag flick was saved by the keeper, but the rebound looped up in the air and Sukhjeet was the first to get to it and smash the high volley into an open goal. The black sticks had their best opportunity to score just before the half as Findlay found Child on the left baseline and his pass across the face of the Indian goal was tapped in by Sam Lane to bring New Zealand back into the game. Both teams traded a goal each in the third quarter, with India scoring first through a Varun Kumar penalty corner that snuck through the legs of Dixon, but New Zealand pulled back to within one again with Kane Russell beating Sreejesh from a penalty corner of his own, setting up an incredible final quarter of action. India retreated into the defence to begin the fourth quarter while New Zealand turned up the heat. India conceded a penalty corner in the 50th minute and while the attempted flick from Russell did not make the contact he wanted, the follow up shot by Lane was brilliantly turned in by Findlay, with his back to the goal. The final 10 minutes were filled with non-stop action as India failed to capitalise on their penalty corner opportunities, while Krishan Pathak was brilliant in stopping New Zealand shots on target, including once in the final second of the game to take the game to a shoot-out. The shoot-out was a nervous affair all over again with 18 shoot-out attempts required to separate the two sides. Both New Zealand and India had 2 attempts where a goal would’ve won the game for them, but Hiha and Lane missed for New Zealand, while Harmanpreet and Sukhjeet missed their possible match winning attempts for India. On the 17th attempt, Sam Lane gave New Zealand the lead and Shamsher, who had missed once earlier, stepped up again, but his attempt was well saved by Hayward,

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21 January, 2023 The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is thrilled to announce that it has signed a partnership with JSP Foundation for its development programs. FIH will be working closely with JSP Foundation for some of its key initiatives for hockey development over the coming months. This partnership will also see the JSP Foundation coming onboard the ongoing FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela as a Global Partner. “We’re delighted to welcoming JSP Foundation as global partner for this absolutely thrilling FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup, magnificently organised here in Odisha, as well as for our hockey development activities. On behalf of FIH, I’d like to extend our sincerest thanks to JSP Foundation. We look forward to a superb collaboration!”, said FIH President Tayyab Ikram. “It has been a matter of great pride and privilege for the nation to host the Men’s Hockey World Cup. Hockey has deep foundation touching and binding millions across the country. At JSP Foundation, we are committed to bringing the social change through sustainable development for the people and for the nation at large in-turn making a difference to millions at the ground level. People of this nation are the common factor for our partnership with FIH for the ongoing Men’s Hockey World Cup and we are proud of Hockey as the Sports of our Nation’s passion. We congratulate Govt of Odisha for nurturing Hockey consistently and organising World Cup Hockey in this magnificent scale second time consecutively”, said Shallu Jindal , Chairperson JSP Foundation On this momentous occasion, agency that stitched this exciting partnership, Creatigies Communications, complimented both FIH and JSP Foundation for this partnership. “At Creatigies, over the last 2 decades, we have been at the forefront of getting consumer and business brands to partner with a wide range of sports sponsorships and partnerships. It gives us great pleasure to enable JSP Foundation, a foundation dedicated to the cause of Humanity ride on a Global sports event like the FIH Odisha Hockey Men`s World Cup and use this association to further collaborate to partner hockey development programs around the world.”, said Navroze D. Dhondy, Founder and Managing Director, Creatigies. The 15th edition of FIH’s flagship event for men is being played from 13 to 29 January in Odisha, India. All information about the tournament is available on www.worldcup.hockey. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website. #HWC2023 #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites

Day 7 of FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 brought the conclusion of the group stage action from Pool A and Pool B, as Australia and Belgium topped their groups, booking their quarterfinals spots, while Argentina, France, Germany and Korea now move on to the crossovers. Incredibly, all 4 games saw at least one player score a hat-trick, with the second game between France and Argentina producing two, as Blake Govers (AUS), Victor Charlet (FRA), Nicolas della Torre (ARG), Tom Boon (BEL) and Niklas Wellen (GER) all scored at least thrice for their teams! A total of 38 goals were scored across the 4 games on the day, for a whopping average of 9.5 goals per game! In the opening game of the day, Australian attack showed out in the first half going into the break up 7-1 to put the result beyond much doubt. South Africa gave a better account of themselves in the second half but Australia still ran out comfortable winners with a 9-2 final scoreline. Argentina and France then played in an absolute thriller that included 2 goals scored by the teams in the final 53 seconds! The game ended 5-5 which kept Argentina above France in the final pool standings, as both teams head into the crossovers. In Pool B, Belgium handled their business first registering an impressive 7-1 win over Japan, with star striker Tom Boon opening his account in the World Cup with a 5-goal performance, taking Belgium’s goal difference to +11. Germany faced Korea in the final encounter, needing to win by 9 goals to overtake Belgium in the Pool B standings and earn direct entry into the quarterfinals, but an impressive 7-2 was not enough as they join Korea in heading to the crossovers from Pool B. Match 1: Australia vs South Africa 9-2 After a brief hiccup in their game against Argentina, Australia were back to their scoring best right from the first whistle in the game against South Africa. Blake Govers who scored the all important equaliser against Argentina was on fire, scoring 4 times in the first half to go level with Jip Janssen and Thierry Brinkman on the top scorer list. South Africa did manage to get on level terms after Australia’s opener, but Australia added 6 goals in between the 10th and 28th minute to make the South African equaliser in the 8th minute seem like a distant memory by the time the half time whistle blew. Jeremy Hayward added an 8th for Australia in the 32nd minute, but that would be the only goal scored in the 3rd quarter as South Africa tightened their defence. Tevin Kok had a great opportunity to score a goal as the time expired in the 3rd quarter, but his attempted lob over the keeper sailed over the goal. South Africa’s resurgence continued in the final quarter as well, as Tim Brand’s early 4th quarter goal was cancelled off by a late goal by Tevin Kok to keep the scoring in the final quarter balanced. Blake Govers was awarded player of the match for his 4-goal performance and said: “We got our goals early which was good because we weren’t very tidy in our performance in the second half. Overall it has been a good start to the World Cup.” Match 2: France vs Argentina 5-5 France have been a bogey team for Argentina in recent years earning important wins against the Leones in the 2018 World Cup, as well as the FIH Hockey Pro League in 2022. With France coming into the game off a big win against South Africa, and Argentina coming off an impressive draw against Australia, the stage was set for another high pressure encounter. And the teams delivered on the promise early, with Argentina scoring early in the 3rd minute through Nicolas Keenan, and France answering back in the 11th minute through Etienne Tynevez, as the teams went into the half on level terms. Momentum swung multiple times in the 3rd quarter as Argentina scored early to take the lead through Nicolas della Torre, before France snatched the lead back through a Victor Charlet brace. della Torre scored once again from a penalty corner to bring Argentina back level, setting up an exciting final quarter. Both teams traded a goal each in the 4th quarter and the game looked like it was heading for a draw when France won a penalty stroke with just 53 seconds left in the game, which was dispatched once again by Charlet, for his fourth goal of the game! Argentina, unwilling to give up, earned a string of penalty corners in the final seconds and scored with 6 seconds left on the clock to lock up the second spot in the group, as France finished third. Victor Charlet was awarded player of the match and said: “Good to get a hattrick but I would have preferred a win. We really wanted to finish second in the group, but we will take the confidence from this performance on to the next game.” Match 3: Belgium vs Japan 7-1 With a draw in the previous game against Germany, Belgium needed a big win against Japan to try and seal their spot at the top of Pool B and earn direct qualification to the quarterfinals, and a first half hat trick by Tom Boon gave them a 4-goal lead by the end of first half, and increased their goal difference to +9, with another 30 minutes to further extend their lead over Germany, who had a +3 goal difference with one game to go in the final match of the day against Korea. Japan had a much better start to the second half, keeping Belgium out in the 3rd quarter and scoring their first of the game early in the 4th. But Belgium had a much better finish to the game scoring thrice in the final 10 minutes, including 2 more goals for Tom Boon, to win with a 6 goal

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The South African Men’s team was facing an uphill battle as they had suffered two narrow defeats, making it unlikely for them to qualify for the crossovers. However, they were determined to test their mettle against the world’s top-ranked side and prepare for the playoffs with the goal of finishing in the top 12 still very much within reach. As the match began, the South Africans were met with frustration as their keeper, Gowan Jones, made a fantastic save, but the rebound was picked up by the Australian player, Blake Govers. Despite this setback, the South Africans were determined to make the most of their opportunity. However, it was clear that it was going to be a tough afternoon for them as the Australians continued to press forward, hunting for a second goal. The South Africans levelled through Bili Ntuli. An aerial ball from Dayaan Cassiem found Ntuli in space and he fired home with a cover drive type of finish that would not be amiss in the current SA20 tournament. Disappointingly for the South Africans it was a parity that did not stay like that for long as Australia restored the lead through a Tom Craig goal. Australia then became the Blake Govers Association as the Australian hitman hit three more to make it 5-1 to the world’s leading team. The South Africans had the opportunity to pull one back as they were awarded a penalty stroke after an illegal intervention from the Australians. Nic Spooners shot was saved by Andrew Charter and immediately the South Africans were punished as Jake Harvey ran through unmarked and made it 6-1 with the half time whistle still a few minutes away. And there was time for a seventh after a penalty corner was well charged down Australia reacted first and Nathan Ephraums obliged. Coach Cheslyn Gie asked for the team to be tougher and fight more in the second half and will be disappointed that they conceded one minute in from a Jeremy Haywood penalty corner. South Africa, who had lost their referral in the first half, were let off from a terrible penalty corner decision when Govers fired over the top of the goal. Australia was then awarded a penalty corner for a foot when the ball come off Guy Morgan’s stick, but fortunately Estiaan Kriek made a good save and the deficit remained seven. Tevin Kok almost produce one of his characteristic world class goals as the South Africans finally gave a better account of themselves in the third quarter. It finished with the score 8-1. South Africa won an early penalty corner in the final quarter. Beauchamp got tremendous power from the shot but missed the target frustratingly. Kriek made another good save on his World Cup debut, but Australia would add another through Tim Brand to make it 9-1 to the Australians. South Africa would give the game its final glittering end with a rocket from Tevin Kok as he picked up an overhead from Dayaan Cassiem and smashed it into the roof of the net. For the South Africans it was a stark reminder of the gap to the top teams and the work ahead to bridge it. All eyes will now turn to the playoffs as the SA Men look to finish as high as possible. Source: SAHockey.co.za

19 January, 2023 Day 6 of FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 brought the conclusion of the group stage action from Pool C and Pool D, as Netherlands and England topped their groups, booking their quarterfinals spots, while Malaysia, New Zealand, India and Spain now move on to the crossovers. Malaysia and New Zealand played the first game with Malaysia needing a win to overtake New Zealand for the second spot in the group, while New Zealand just needed a draw to stay ahead of Malaysia on goal difference. What unfolded was an enthralling contest with Malaysia grabbing the first two goals of the game, but the Kiwis responded with two quickfire goals in the 4th quarter to level the scores. Malaysia had the last laugh however, scoring with 2 minutes left on the clock to seal the win and grab the second spot in Pool C, with New Zealand finishing 3rd. Netherlands were up next against Chile who had been resilient in their first two games of the tournament. Netherlands came into the game in a menacing mood and scored 14 past the Chilean defence to set a new record for the biggest margin of victory in an FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup. Action then moved over to Pool D as Spain and England went up in game 1 with all 4 spots in the group undecided. Spain started the game brightly, but failed to find their scoring touch, while England made the best of their opportunities, scoring twice before the half. The second half followed a similar pattern, as Spain’s scoring touch completely deserted them, while the English defence withstood all the pressure and launched counter-attacks that helped add 2 more goals in the second half for an emphatic 4-0 win. The final match of the day was between hosts India, playing their first match in Bhubaneswar against the plucky Welsh team that had nothing to lose. India made a great start to the game holding more than 80% possession in the first half, but their finishing wasn’t the best as they were up by two goals until the 43rd minute when Wales found a way back, scoring twice in two minutes to end quarter three on level terms. Akashdeep who had scored India’s second, put them ahead again at the start of the 4th quarter and Harmanpreet added his first goal in the final minute to carry India to a win and 2nd position in Pool D. Match 1: Malaysia vs New Zealand 3-2 New Zealand started the game stronger and nearly got themselves an early goal with a 3 on 1 attack in the Malaysian circle, but Kingstone’s shot was rather tame in the end. Kane Russell and Razie Rahim were off target from the first penalty corners for both sides as the game started to open up. Malaysia were the first to score as Faizal Saari got a slight touch on a ball into the circle that took it past an onrushing Dixon giving Malaysia a crucial lead. Malaysia had fewer circle penetrations by half time, but they had the better chances to score the second goal of the game through Shello Silverius and Marhan Jalil, with both missing great chances, to keep the score at 1-0 at the break. Second half followed the same pattern as New Zealand kept possession and territory but were well kept out by the Malaysian deep defence, while everytime Malaysia went into attack, they created great scoring opportunities. They added the second goal from their 6th penalty corner as Razie Rahim buried a low drag flick into the bottom left corner of the goal. The final quarter provided pulsating hockey as New Zealand scored twice early in the quarter through Phillips and Lane to temporarily move into the 2nd place on the Pool table, but Malaysia grabbed the lead back with less than 3 minutes left, as Faizal Saari scored his second of the game to get Malaysia the 3 points and 2nd place in Pool C. Marhan Jalil was awarded player of the match for his great performance in the Malaysian defence. Double goalscorer Faizal Saari said after the match: “It was a good team performance as we stuck to our strategies. We will enjoy this moment and this win first and then we will think about the cross-overs.” Match 2: Netherlands vs Chile 14-0  Netherlands came into the final pool game with 2 near perfect wins, while Chile came in with 2 closely fought contests where they ended up on the losing side. On paper it was an uphill task for Chile to take much from the game and the first half proved that as the Dutch played incredible attacking hockey to score five times in the first half, with Vilder, Thijs and Brinkman scoring once, while Jansen added two from penalty corners. The second half saw Netherlands turn up the pressure to 100 as they scored 6 goals in the 3rd quarter and 3 more in the final quarter. In the process Netherlands broke the record for the biggest win in the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup history, previously held by Australia, when they scored 12 unanswered goals against South Africa in the 2010 Men’s World Cup. For the Dutch, Jip Janssen top scored with 4 penalty corner goals, with captain Thierry Brinkman also grabbing a hattrick in the 59th minute. In total, 8 Dutch players got themselves on the scoresheet as they moved into the quarterfinals in red hot form! Jip Janssen was awarded player of the match and said: “I didn’t know we had broken the world record, so that is good to know. It was a great team performance overall and in terms of penalty corners it’s good to get the rhythm going and not just for me but for the injectors and stoppers as well.” Match 3: Spain vs England 0-4 Spain and England came into the encounter with 3 and 4 points respectively with all positions from 1-4 undecided

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