It was mission completed for 4 girls’s groups because the USA, Spain, Germany and Belgium efficiently secured their locations in Paris by profitable their respective semi-finals on the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in Ranchi, India and Valencia, Spain on Thursday.
Dropping semi-finalists Japan, Eire, India and Nice Britain will nonetheless have an opportunity to qualify if they will win their respective bronze-medal playoffs.
And whereas they might have already booked their Olympic tickets, there’s nonetheless work to be achieved because the USA will tackle Germany within the last of the match in Ranchi on Friday and Spain will play Belgium in Valencia on Saturday.
In the meantime, within the males’s FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in Muscat, Oman, Germany, New Zealand, Nice Britain and Pakistan took one step nearer to Paris by reserving their locations within the semifinals with victories on Thursday.
Ranchi (W)
It was crunch day in Ranchi as two Olympic locations had been up for grabs for the profitable semi-finalists because the USA took on Japan and India confronted Germany.
The USA and Japan produced an enthralling match the place neither group was capable of assert full management. Japan breached the American defence for the primary time within the match, opening the scoring with a scrappy penalty nook rebound within the third quarter. The USA then fought again in an exciting last quarter, scoring two penalty nook objectives to advance to the ultimate and guide their spot on the Paris Olympic Video games. Japan can nonetheless qualify for Paris by ending third and can be in search of higher accuracy from their penalty corners of their bronze medal match in opposition to India.
USA captain Ashley Hoffman mentioned afterwards: “I’m with out phrases… It nonetheless doesn’t really feel actual that we’re going to Paris. After not qualifying final time in India, we got here and truthfully I believe we put that to mattress… We had been simply so current this entire match and I’m so happy with this group.”
Germany prevailed in a riveting high-paced encounter in opposition to the Indian residence group. The Germans couldn’t discover a aim regardless of dominating the opening encounters and India struck first with a penalty nook on the finish of the primary quarter. India carried some momentum into the second interval and Germany needed to scramble repeatedly earlier than equalising on the stroke of halftime. It regarded as if the Germans had been protected when Charlotte Stapenhorst bagged her second aim on 57 minutes however India got here again with a penalty nook aim two minutes later. The drama continued within the shootout with the groups nonetheless degree after 5 makes an attempt, and it took an audacious end by Lisa Nolte to present Germany the 4-3 win, sending them on to the ultimate and the Paris Olympics.
An elated Nolte mentioned afterwards: “I’m very blissful, I’m so happy with the group, it’s tough to search out the proper phrases. The match wasn’t pretty much as good as we anticipated, it was a tricky sport, India was a robust opponent and our defence was good however we didn’t use our probabilities. However ultimately, we’re the winner, that’s the primary factor and I’m so, so proud.”
Within the day’s different fifth to eighth place playoff matches in Ranchi, Italy and Chile each loved durations of dominance in an entertaining encounter. Chili scored first however Italy drew degree because of an Antonella Bruni discipline aim. The Italians then took the lead by means of an excellent particular person aim from Federica Carta however Paula Valdivia discovered the equaliser for Chile to take the match to a shootout the place Italy prevailed.
New Zealand did all of the taking part in in opposition to Czechia and will simply have notched up an enormous win, however they didn’t convert from 10 penalty corners and the Czechs defended bravely. New Zealand ultimately secured the win with two discipline objectives within the last three minutes to advance to the fifth place playoff.
Valencia (W)
Over in Valencia, the house aspect, Spain, took on Eire and Belgium confronted off in opposition to Nice Britain within the all-important semi-final showdowns.
Spain and Eire placed on a defensive masterclass in an exciting match the place neither group was capable of rating in regulation time. Spain had been flawless in profitable the following shootout 3-0 and superior to the ultimate, so reserving their place in Paris. Eire are left to rue their missed penalty corners as they head into the third-place playoff with their Olympic dream at stake.
Participant of the match Lucia Jimenez mentioned afterwards: “To begin with I wish to congratulate and want good luck to the Eire group – they had been unimaginable, they play actually good hockey they usually deserve a spot as properly. It was a battle. These video games are like this… we’re actually blissful.”
Belgium’s dominance within the third quarter proved to be the distinction as they prevailed 3-2 in a tightly contested match with Nice Britain within the different semi-final in Valencia. That despatched Belgium by means of to the ultimate and the Paris Olympics, whereas Nice Britain’s Olympic hopes relaxation on a third-place encounter in opposition to Eire.
“I’m tremendous, super-happy and super-proud of how my group performed super-good,” mentioned participant of the match Barbara Nelen whose aspect can be returning to the Olympic Video games for the primary time in 12 years. “Lastly, after 12 years, it’s higher late than by no means,” she added.
Within the fifth to eighth place playoff matches, Juliani Din loved an brisk 2 hundredth cap for a extremely motivated Malaysian aspect in opposition to a Korean group that struggled to discover a spark and didn’t convert any of their quite a few alternatives within the first half. Hyejin Cho ultimately broke the impasse with a discipline aim for Korea, they usually added two penalty corners for a tough 3-0 win.
Within the last match of the day, Canada needed to work exhausting for his or her 2-0 victory over Ukraine, with their first aim coming simply earlier than the tip of the third quarter. The Canadians will now tackle Korea for fifth place whereas Ukraine will play Malaysia for seventh.
Muscat (M)
It was an action-packed last day of males’s pool matches on the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in Oman’s capital, Muscat.
Germany had been in management all through of their 3-0 win in opposition to Chile. Two penalty nook objectives noticed them 2-0 up by halftime and Justus Weigand added the third within the last quarter to safe prime spot in Group B and a spot within the semi-finals.
New Zealand went into their match with Canada assured of advancing to the semi-finals after the end result earlier within the day had ended Chile’s hopes. The Black Sticks managed the match for a cushty 4-0 win – all their objectives coming from open play – to advance to the ultimate 4.
Additionally sealing their spot within the semi-finals had been Nice Britain who romped residence 6-0 of their match in opposition to China. Sam Ward celebrated his a centesimal cap for Nice Britain by scoring a brace, with Zachary Wallace additionally scoring two of the six objectives. The end result sees the British ending prime of Pool A to maintain their Olympic dream alive.
Malaysia got here out firing of their must-win encounter in opposition to Pakistan. It was a becoming method for Malaysia’s captain Marhan Jalil to mark his three hundredth cap for the aspect – in a match that had all of it: end-to-end motion, moments of genius, sensational strikes, a missed penalty stroke and loads of late goal-mouth drama. Every time the Malaysians edged in entrance, Pakistan got here again at them – coming from behind thrice and ultimately securing the 3-3 draw which was sufficient to see them by means of to the semi-finals after ending second in Pool A.
Pakistan will come up in opposition to world champions Germany of their semi-final encounter on Saturday whereas Nice Britain will tackle New Zealand.
To see the ultimate pool standings for the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in Muscat, please click on right here.
For extra details about the qualifiers and the upcoming Olympic Video games Paris 2024, go to Olympics.Hockey.
FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024
Ranchi, India – 18 January
Consequence Match 13 (W)
Chile 2 – 2 Italy (SO: 1-2)
Participant of the match: Federica Carta (ITA)
Umpires: Rebecca Edwards (ENG), Katrina Turner (NZL)
Consequence Match 14 (W)
New Zealand 2 – 0 Czechia
Participant of the match: Barbora Cechakova (CZE)
Umpires: Ayanna McClean (TTO), Kristy Robertson (AUS)
Consequence Match 16 (W)
USA 2 – 1 Japan
Participant of the match: Ashley Sessa (USA)
Umpires: Sophie Bockelmann (GER), Cookie Tan (SGP)
Consequence Match 15 (W)
Germany 2 – 2 India (SO: 4-3)
Participant of the match: Lisa Nolte (GER)
Umpires: Amber Church (NZL), Wanri Venter (RSA)
Valencia, Spain – 18 January
Consequence Match 13 (W)
Korea 3 – 0 Malaysia
Participant of the match: Jengeun Seu (KOR)
Umpires: Jianjun Chen (CHN), Rachel Williams (ENG)
Consequence Match 14 (W)
Spain 0 – 0 Eire (SO: 3-0)
Participant of the match: Lucia Jimenez (ESP)
Umpires: Kelly Hudson (NZL), Michelle Meister (GER)
Consequence Match 15 (W)
Belgium 3 – 2 Nice Britain
Participant of the match: Barbara Nelen (BEL)
Umpires: Maggie Giddens (USA), Emi Yamada (JPN)
Consequence Match 16 (W)
Canada 2 – 0 Ukraine
Participant of the match: Sara McManus (CAN)
Umpires: Ivona Makar (CRO), Ilanggo Kanabathu (MAS)
Muscat, Oman – 18 January
Consequence Match 9 (M)
Germany 3 – 0 Chile
Participant of the match: Tom Grambusch (GER)
Umpires: Paul Walker (ENG), Sean Edwards (ENG)
Consequence Match 10 (M)
Canada 0 – 4 New Zealand
Participant of the match: Hayden Phillips (NZL)
Umpires: Steve Rogers (AUS), Darren Hubach (RSA)
Consequence Match 11 (M)
Nice Britain 6 – 0 China
Participant of the match: Sam Ward (GBR)
Umpires: Sean Rapaport (RSA), Tyler Klenk (CAN)
Consequence Match 12 (M)
Pakistan 3 – 3 Malaysia
Participant of the match: Ammad Butt (PAK)
Umpires: Gareth Greenfield (NZL), Gabriel Labate (ARG)
