The Netherlands qualified for the semi-finals from Pool A at the women’s field hockey World Cup on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Germany.
India took their first points of the tournament by defeating Japan 2-0 and Australia defeated New Zealand 4-1.
Australia and Germany meet in the last Pool A match today to decide the other semi-finalist.
PHOTO: AFP
Germany started the first half with a field goal by Maike Stoeckel who finished Natascha Keller’s unchallenged run into the circle with a slap inside the left post.
Maartje Paumen failed to convert two penalty corner chances for the Netherlands in the first half but opened the second half with an interchange with Minke Smeets to flick in off Germany goalkeeper Kristina Reynolds.
The Netherlands got the winner two minutes from time as Naomi van As set up Kim Lammers for an easy goal.
Germany coach Michael Behrmann felt as if he was watching a movie.
“Sometimes it feels like you are in a movie, fighting hard and having chances to score and at the end Netherlands wins,” Behrmann said.
Dutch coach Herman Kruis admitted his side had been shaded by Germany in the first half.
“In the first half several Netherlands players were playing below their normal level but after the break we had more power but I think we were lucky to win 2-1,” Kruis said.
India’s new golden girl, 16-year-old Rani Rampal helped her side upset Japan 2-0 by scoring India’s first goal, a deft push from near the top of the circle inside the right post from the top of the circle.
In the second half Jaseet Handa converted India’s second penalty corner with a flick which deflected off Japan’s runner and into the goal.
Rampal has scored in all India’s games and is the top field goal scorer at the tournament with five goals.
India coach Sandeep Somesh was relieved his side had managed to take three points.
“After three losses I am glad we could come away with some points and it lifts the morale of the team,” Somesh said.
Japan lacked fighting spirit and running power against India, according to Japan coach Zenjiro Yasuda.
New Zealand wore black arm bands today in sympathy with the Christchurch earthquake victims and were on the scoreboard early in the first half as Krystal Forgesson slotted home from close range.
Kobie McGurk converted Australia’s first penalty corner to equalize.
Australia put the game out of New Zealand’s reach late in the second half with three similar goals, scoring rebounds off New Zealand goalkeeper Beth Jurgeleit’s pads.
Ashleigh Nelson scored twice and Shelly Liddelow once for the final score of 4-1.
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
TIGHT GAME: The Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s second-best team, barely outlasted the Washington Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’ three-pointer at the buzzer and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss. “We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points, and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
LIKE FINE WINE: Thirty-eight-year-old Djokovic won his 101st title of his career in Athens, becoming the oldest tournament winner since Ken Roswell, 44, in 1977 Elena Rybakina on Saturday clinched her biggest title since Wimbledon in 2022, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The world No. 6 put on yet another serving masterclass and was at her returning best as she became the first Kazakh and the first player representing an Asian country to lift the WTA Finals singles trophy. Having gone 3-0 in round-robin play, Rybakina earned a record US$5.235 million and would finish the year ranked No. 5 in the world. “It’s been an incredible week, I honestly didn’t expect any result, and to go so far,
RSS