12 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: After a day of contrasting matches we know who two of the semi-finallists are to be. First Germany put in a workmanlike performance to outplay New Zealand, then Netherlands and Belgium played out a scintillatng match, which the Netherlands edged in the final quarter. In the earlier matches, China finished their campaign with a win over Ireland, and Chile continued to win friends across the international community as they celebrated their first win at a Women’s World Cup. This was the final day of action at the Wagener Stadium, with the remaining matches all taking place in the Estadi Olimpic in the Spanish city of Terrassa. South Africa vs Chile (13-16 place) South Africa got off to an energetic start in the final World Cup match for these two teams. While Chile had a few good runs at the South African defence, they found Jean-Leigh du Toit in determiedn form and she swept well in front of Phumelela Mbande in the South Africa goal. For their part, South Africa were stringing some good passes together and looked ominously dangerous. In the second quarter, Chile made the most of a player advantage when Du Toit was gven a green card. Chile played a quick ball up the pitch and only some great awareness by Mbande kept the Diablas from opening the scoring. With 30 seconds left, Claudia Schuler in the Chile goal was called upon to make a great save. The keeper stretched her leg out to divert the ball from the path of the onrushing Zulu Onthatile. A yellow card for Erin Christie gave Chile the chance to attack but the South Africa team worked hard to compensate and Chile found it difficult to break out of their defensive half. It was a cruel twist for South Africa that they weathered the danger of Chile’s player advantage only to see Manuela Urroz give Chile the lead straight after they returned to 11 players. Urroz took her chance brilliantly, receiving a long pass out of midfield and slipping it into the corner past Mbande. That was the only goal of the game and the final whistle was greeted with huge celebrations by the Chile entourage as they ended their first ever FIH Women’s World Cup on a winning note. Player of the Match was Manuela Urroz (CHI). The result means Chile end their campaign in joint 13th position, while South Africa finish in joint 15th place. Ireland vs China (9-12th place) On the day that China defender Cui Qiuxia celebrated her 200th cap , China took an early lead in the seventh minute after Ma Ning quickly adapted to a misplaced penalty corner and passed the ball perfectly for Chen Yang to fire home past Ayeisha McFerran. Deirdrie Duke had an opportunity to square things a few minutes later but her quickly taken shot flew over the China goal. A good referral by captain Katie Mullan gave Ireland a penalty corner chance to equalise on the edge of quarter time. Unfortunately Roisin Upton was unable to get the ball on target and China went into the break with a narrow lead. The second quarter was immensely tight with both teams working hard to keep their defences’ closed to the opposition. In the final minutes of the quarter China won two consecutive penalty corners. Sarah Torrans showed great courage as she ran the corners down and singlehandedly dispelled the threat of the China penalty corner routine. The teams went into the second half knowing that they were starting their last 30 minutes of Women’s World Cup action for this edition. The sense of urgency was building within the Irish team, while China were conscious that their lead was very slender. Ireland will look back at this event with some frustration at the number of penalty corners that went unconverted and none more so than in this match. With five minutes left in the third quarter, Ireland won a couple more penalty corners, neither of which fiund a way past Liu PIng in the China goal. With just 15 minutes left, Ireland’s cause was not helped when Sarah Mcauley was given a yellow card. With Irealnd needing to throw everything into the game, a player disadvantage was the last thing Head Coach Sean Dancer and his team needed. And China struck the blow that looked to have ended Ireland’s aim to finish on a winning note when Zhong Jiaqi sent home a beautifully placed penalty corner to double their lead with just 11 minutes left. A yellow card to Yang Haoting dented China’s confidence and gave Ireland some hope of turning the score around. If possible, Katie Mullan and her team piled even more energy into the match, seeking a breakthrough that would allow them back into the match. That hope was dashed when Zhang Xindan slipped a ball to Chen Yanhua, who showed great balance and awareness to collect the ball, turn and shoot to give her team an unassailable 3-0 lead. With two minutes left Roisin Upton fired in a penalty corner which Michelle Carey directed into the goal to give the slightest glimmers of hope to her team. That was, however, the last shooting opportunity for either team and it was a delighted if exhausted China who left the field as winners. Cui Qiuxia, who won 200 caps today, said: ‘I never forget this day, it will be a great memory in my life. We played a very hard match today and we were very tired, but I am very proud of the team.’ Player of the Match was Chen Yang (CHN). The result means that China finish the tournament in ninth position. Ireland will finish in joint 11th place. New Zealand vs Germany (quarter-final) Two penalty corners which Sonja Zimmermann was unable to convert were really the only real scoring opportunities in the opneing quarter as both teams tried to gauge each others’ strengths and weaknesses. Germany shaded possession and looked the more ambitious but

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11 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: It was tense and dramatic to the very end in both of today’s matches in the 9-16th place matches. First Japan waited until the final second of the game to break Korea’s hearts and then India hauled Canada back, first in the dying minutes of the match and then in the shoot-out to win their first match of the World Cup. Japan vs Korea (9-16 place) It was an entertaining first half of hockey between these two Asian rivals. Japan had the lion’s share of possession for the earlier part of the quarter but Korea began to get the measure of the fast passing and nimble movement of Japan and started to create their own pressure. Korea have their goal keeper Lee Jinmin to thank for not going a goal down early in the game. The keeper has gained plaudits throughout the tournament and her triple save was a masterclass is agility. Japan took the lead in the 18th minute when Kobayakawa Shiho wriggled through the Korea defence and created enough space to fire home a lovely reverse stick shot that even Lee Jinmin couldn’t save. Korea replied swiftly. A penalty corner led to a straight strike from Jung CheYoung, the ball flew with force into the Japan goal, past Nakamura Eika. Kim Seon should have given Korea the lead in the second half but, faced with only the goalkeeper to beat, after some fantastic stick work from Kim Jeong In to get the ball to her, Kim Seon mis-hit and the ball flew wide. This handed Japan the momentum and they capitalised through a penalty corner. Emi Nishikori was in the right place to collect the rebound from the initial strike. In the first minute of the final quarter Cheon Eunbi had a golden opportunity to score for Korea but the captain was just unable to turn the ball enough to steer it into the goal, after it had been crossed across the face of the goal towards her. That missed opportunity galvanised Cheon Eunbi and a few minutes later she danced her way through the Japan defence to earn her team a penalty corner. Once again Jung CheYoung stepped up and fired the ball straight at Nakamura, who will be disappointed with her failure to stop the shot. With the scores at 2-2, Japan really began to exert some pressure. Kaho Tanaka had a shot stopped at point blank rnage by Kim Eunji, who had replaced Lee Jinmin in the Korea goal. Seconds later and Mai Toriyama was tormenting the Korea defence with her skills. Japan won a series of penalty corners but the injection was slow and so the Korea defence dealt with the threat with ease. The match looked destined to go to shoot-out. However, hockey is a sport where goals can come at any moment and this was no exception. With less than a second on the clock, Japan scored from their third consecutive penalty corner and snatched victory just before the whistle blew. The scorer was Hazaki Nagai, although the ball took a cruel deflection from the first runner. Player of the Match Yu Asai (JPN) said: ‘Finally we could win. We couldn’t win a pool match so now we have focused on these games. We won the first one of these and now we are looking to win again. Now we will recover well and look to win against either Canada or India.’ Canada vs India (9-16th place) Both teams came to this match looking for their first win of the competition. For India, the disappointment of losing to Spain just the previous evening looked to be hanging heavy on the minds of the athletes as they prepared for the first quarter. After soaking up heaps of pressure from the fast-passing India forward line, Canada raced to the other end of the pitch and actually ended up with the ball in the back of the India net. Unfortunately the whistle had just gone for a penalty corner and Natalie Sourisseau was forced to adapt her attempt as the injection was just off target. Canada went one better a few minutes later as they won another penalty corner. This time the variation created confusion among the India defence and after the ball pinged to Kathleen Leahy, she slipped it to Madeline Secco who got the final touch. At the start of the second quarter, it was again India who came out stronger. Monika, in particular, was using her array of 3D skills to get past the Canada defence. Rowan Harris in the Canada goal was urging her team to maintain focus. As the game moved towards half-time, India really began to pour energy into their attacks. Navneet, Neha and Vandana were now all moving with freedom and Canada were very much on the back foot. After the break, India continued to pile on the pressure, with Lalremsiami making some speedy forays into the Canada circle. The north American side held firm, with Sara McManus and Hannah Haughn putting in some serious shifts breaking down the India attacks. This was particularly impressive from Haughn, who is only recently returned from an ACL injury. With four minutes left in the third quarter, Canada were content to soak up the pressure and wait for the chance to break. For India, there was more frustration creeping into their game as they just failed to make the connections that would turn their much superior possession into an all-important goal. A penalty corner with two minutes left in the third saw a shot from Grace which was well saved by Harris and another India chance came and went. From a Candian perspective, the fourth quarter was exhausting and tense as the team withstood wave after wave of Indian pressure. As Navneet and Tete Salima started to really run at the Canadian defence, Karli Johansen, McManus and just about every member of the Candian team dug deep to protect their 1-0 lead. For Gurjit Kaur

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10 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: England and Spain progressed through to the quarter-finals after two hugely contrasting matches. England put in a measured and composed performance to beat Korea convincingly. Spain, on the other hand, kept an engrossed home crowd on tenterhooks until the 57th minute. Then, once they had the lead, Head Coach Adrian Lock’s side lost two players to cards, making the final seconds even more tense. Earlier in the day, Ireland beat a fatigued-looking South Africa, while China’s penalty corner routines finally wore down a resilient Chile side. Ireland will now meet China on 12 July in their final match of the World Cup. South Africa and Chile will also play their final matches on the same day. In the quarter-finals England now travel to Terrassa to face Argentina, while Spain will face Australia – the team they beat to bronze in the 2018 FIH Women’s World Cup. Ireland vs South Africa (9-16 place) The first quarter had a sense that both teams were a little hesitant in their play, with some unforced errors and very few scoring chances. Probaby the most dangerous moment in those opening minutes came courtesy of Onthatile Zulu, whose fast running with the ball drew a save from Ayeisha McFerran after she tore through the defence and fired at goal. South Africa started the second quarter with 10 players when Kristen Paton received a yellow card. They quickly made that advantage count when they won a penalty corner but Phumelela Mbande was alert to the slipped ball and stood up strong to make the save. There was nothing Mbande could do just a few seconds later when Sarah Hawkshaw was the final cog in a slick penalty corner routine that saw Hannah McLoughlin play the ball deliberately wide for Hawkshaw to slide into the goal. The Irish nearly doubled their lead a few seconds later when Sarah Torrans attempted the same move on the opposite side of the goal. Ireland doubled their lead just one minute into the second half when Roisin Upton put a lot of disguise on a penalty corner strike to beat Mbande and the South African defence. There were no further goals in the third quarter but Ireland spent much of the time defending a one player disadvantage as both Deirdrie Duke and Hawkshaw received cards. A further yellow card for Charlotte Beggs in the fourth quarter invited more pressure from South Africa but an assured performance from McFerran and the Irish defence, combined with some uncharacteristically poor finihsing from South Africa, meant the score stayed at 2-0 and Ireland progressed to the contest for 9-12th place. South Africa will face Chile to decide 13-16th position. Player of the Match Roisin Upton (IRL) said: ‘It wasn’t a perfect performance but we have rebuilt over the past three days. We created a lot of opportunities and finished two of them. We weren’t executing our corners in our first three games so that really became our focus. Tournaments like this are a rollercoaster. We try to stay in the moment and we will be all out for a win in our final game.’ South Africa’s Lilian du Plessis said: ‘We are disappointed in how we played today. If we had started how we finished, then we would have done better. But Ireland played well today. We will have a lot of preparation going into the next game and we will try to put right the things that we got wrong today.’ China vs Chile (9-16th place) Two sides came out to finish their tournaments with a flourish but under the pressure to win, both sides seemed to freeze when they were in front of goal. It was China who created the most opportunities with four penalty corners in the first half and a handful of chances from open play. To the frustration of both Head Coach Alyson Annan and the platers themselves, the final shot was often wayward. With three minutes left of the half a beautiful move between Ma Ning, Zhang Xiaoxue and Yuan Meng almost broke the deadlock as quick interchanges between the players saw Yuan Meng slide the ball inches from the Chile goal. The second half saw much of the same for the opening minutes: China were the dominant team but couldn’t find a way through the Chile defence. The longer the match went on, the more likely it was that Chile might find a rogue goal to take the win. A shot by Manuela Urroz nearly did exactly that. The midfielder worked her way into the China circle and unleashed a shot that just fizzed past the post. Eventually the China pressure on Claudia Schuler’s goal paid off and China scored two peanlty corners either side of the quarter time break. First Ma Ning rattled home a straight shot and then Zhong Jiaqi effectively sealed the match for China with another well-placed corner strike. The third China goal was scored with four minutes left. The ball was slipped by Gu Bingfeng to Ma Ning, who then slipped it to Cui Qiuxia. The multi-capped defender lifted the ball high into the Chile goal to top a performance that was workmanlike and professional. Player of the Match was Ma Ning. One of China’s goalscorers, Cui Qiuxia said: ‘It was an amazing game. We played very well and we deserved to win. Before this game we had missed a lot of penalty corners so it was important that we got it right today. We will enjoy our last game whoever it is against.’ England vs Korea (cross-over match) After a goalless first quarter, England discovered their scoring touch in the second quarter. Giselle Ansley scored the first of a brace when she let rip on a penalty corner, a move she repeated nine minutes later. Both goals were sent high to compensate for Lee Jinmin’s incredible ability to save anything low to the goal. In the middle of the Ansley goals, Tessa Howard scored a fantastic goal

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9 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The first set of cross-over matches showed the two sides of penalty corners. For Germany, although they managed to carve out a 1-0 win over South Africa, they will look back with frustration at the multiple chances that went begging. Then Belgium stepped up and put on a consummate display of finishing from set pieces as they beat Chile 5-0. The result mean that Chile now play China and South Africa face Ireland in the race to finish top of the 13-16 positions. Germany will now play New Zealand in the quarter-finals, while Belgium will face neighbours and reigning champions, the Netherlands. Germany vs South Africa (crossover) With Germany sitting fourth in the FIH World Rankings and South Africa in 16th position, this was always going to be a tough ask for the lower-ranked team. However, a combination of resilient, stubborn defending, grea goalkeeping and a smattering of luck, kept the scores at 1-o and South Africa would have gained a huge amount of international respect for their performance. The first half was all about German pressure and some resilient South African defence, with a 0-0 scoreline the result. Amelie Wortmann came closest in those opening exchanges but her shot went just wide. Valentin Altenburg, the German Head Coach, said at half-time that he was happy with the way his team were approaching and playing the game, except in the final action in front of goal. Certanly six penalty corners, to South Africa’s two, had given Germany every opportunity to score but in the first 30 minutes things just didn’t click for the higher ranked team Head Coach to South Africa Gile Bonnet spoke of the element of luck that his team had enjoyed, although he also praised the work of his defence. The second half saw Germany really exert a lot of pressure on the South Africa circle. There was a noticeable increase in intensity and early pressure saw a series of penalty corners awarded. Phumelela Mbande made a great double save from the first, then Germany messed up the routine for the next one. It was on the third attempt that Nike Lorenz finally broke the deadlock with a exquisitely placed shot. The goal seemed to lift the lid on the tension within the German side and the attacking moves started flowing. Viktoria Huse sent a shot over the South Africa crossbar and Pia Maertens and Anne Schroeder began to make a real nuisance of themselves in and around the circle. Despite this, the score remained at just 1-0 as the teams entered the final quarter. This was largely due to the courageous running at penalty corners by Kristen Paton and Jean-Leigh du Toit. Germany will be concerned that they won 16 penalty corners and scored from just one. Just as Bonnet was contemplating taking off his goalkeeper for the final minutes, Edith Molikoe recieved a card and so that option was removed. Player of the Match Nike Lorenz (GER) said: ‘It was a hard game. We have never played against South Africa and scored a lot of goals, so that was no surprise. We definitely need to get more out of our penalty corners next time. To be in with a chance of winning this World Cup we have to score more goals.’ Belgium vs Chile Belgium got off to the best of starts as they withstood a flurry of Chile activity in their circle, intercepted the ball through the good positioning of Michelle Struijk, sped up the other end of the pitch and won a penalty corner. Stephanie Vanden Borre made no mistake as she struck the ball into the corner of Claudia Schuler’s goal. A second penalty corner was brilliantly saved by Schuler, but Belgium won two re-awards in quick succession. however, it was a beautiful piece of free running from Louise Versavel, after she receive a pass from Alix Gerniers, that led to the second goal. Versavel ran at pace up the left hand side of the pitch then fired the ball across to Justine Rasir to nudge home. Just before the quarter time whistle, Stephanie Vanden Borre scored her second goal to really put Belgium in the driving seat. Chile’s agony intensified in the second quarter when Charlotte Engelbert found herself in the right place to slot a rebounded penalty corner shot into the goal. The third quarter produced one further gaol and it was a cracker. Charlotte Engelbert picked up the ball in her own half and then changed gear to race up the pitch, round the last defender and then shot past the fast approaching goal keeper. In the fourth quarter Chile really didn’t allow their higher ranked opponents to rest on their laurels as they won a series of penalty corners. Unfortunately for Sergio Vigil and his players, the Belgium defence were as fired up as the forward line. Belgium had a chance to score a sixth in the dying minutes of the game but Schuler pulled off another fabulously athletic save to deny Ambre Ballenghein. Player of the Match Charlotte Engelbert (BEL) said: ‘I thought it was going to be a bit tougher but we scored goals early and that calmed us down. It is nice to play in front of our supporters and now we are looking forward to playing Holland next week. We have nothing to lose.’ Chile’s captain Camila Caram said: ‘It was a tough game. It was hard to keep up the levels throughout the whole tournament. I think our levels dropped in this game a bit. Now we have to turn the page and focus on our next match, tomorrow. Everyhting for us is a first time, so we are just trying to keep up with the big teams.’ The action in the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup continues on Sunday 10 July, with the first two matches taking place at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen. Ireland will play South Africa in the 9-16 play-offs at 13:00, followed

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6 July 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Another action packed day has revealed the first two teams to qualify straight through to the quarter-finals. As winners of Pool A and D respectively, Netherlands and Australia will now have a break while the knockout round is contested. As second in Pool A, Germany will face South Africa, who finished in third position in Pool D. The lowest ranked team in the tournament, Chile, will take on Belgium, who finished in second place in Pool D. Ireland’s dreams of repeating their 2018 exploits was dashed by a businesslike performance by Germany. Netherlands won their third game to top Pool A but Chile won the hearts of the spectators – and in the case of Francisca Tala, a marriage proposal from her boyfriend –  with their defiant performance against the reigning champions. South Africa kept Australia to a 2-1 scoreline, thus consigning Japan to join Ireland in the 13-16th place play-offs. The Cherry Blossoms had fallen victim to a revitalised Belgium earlier in the day. Ireland v Germany (Pool A) Ireland went into their must-win match against Germany full of energy, high spirits and an indomitable will to keep their World Cup dreams on track. For their part, Germany’s main concern was to ensure at least a second place finish in the pool and to put their earlier defeat at the hands of the Netherlands behind them. From the start, Ireland’s captain Katy Mullan was leading by example, hassling and harrying the German defence, but Germany started with composure, both in attack and defence. Neither side managed to get a breakthrough in the first quarter and, in fact, there were only three attempts at goal in the first 15 minutes – one for Ireland and two for Germany. The breakthrough came for Germany in the 24th minute. Nike Lorenz showed her accuracy and power from the top of the circle as she sent a penalty corner drag flick flying into the net, helped on its way by the tip of Ayeisha McFerran’s boot. Ireland began the second half as brightly as they had started the first half, but once again they failed to make chances count. Gemany extended their lead in the 37th minute when Charotte Stapenhorst was on hand to slot the ball home after Kira Horn had cleverly slipped the ball to her after a strong dribble along the baseline. Head Coach Sean Dancer removed Ayeisha McFerran for the start of the fourth quarter in an attempt to gain an advantage and pull the goals back. Zara Malseed came close to answering Dancer’s call but her shot was beautifully saved by Nathalie Kubalski in the German goal. The Irish defence stood very strong against the German onslaught and managed to keep a handful of penalty corners out of the goal. However, a penalty stroke put the final tick on a German victory. Sonja Zimmermann stepped up to put the ball past McFerran, who had returned to the pitch for the stroke. Germany had one stroke saved at the very end of the match but by then it was all over for the Irish team. Player of the Match, Kira Horn (GER) said: ‘Quite a fight but an important win. Ireland put a lot of pressure on us. We expected that and we were prepared for it. We trie to connect and play as a  team and I think we did that very well. There is much more to come from this German team. We now have time to prepare for the next round.’ Japan v Belgium (Pool D) The first quarter between Japan and Belgium was really well matched and both teams could have snuck an early goal. However, at 15 minutes it was still 0-0 and there was a sense of edginess creeping into the Belgium team in particular. This manifested itself in a number of missed opportunities or poor decisions across the team. The nerves were settled a little in the 24th minute when Stephanie Vanden Borre scored a trademark penalty corner drag flick, which was so quick that Eika Nakamura couldn’t react. That was the only goal before half-time and the narrow lead still didn’t seem to have filled the Red Panthers with confidence. Japan desperately needed a goal, because even if they couldn’t win this game, they could still finish ahead of South Africa if the goal difference was favourable. Belgium’s lead was doubled by Vanden Borre in the 40th minute, almost a mirror of the first. Super skills from Charlotte Engelbert won the corner and Vanden Borre scored her fourth of the tournament and second of the game. Belgium’s lead was extended four minutes later when Ambre Ballenghein made it 3-0, also scoring from a penalty corner. All of Belgium’s penalty corner goals were scored in Japan’s left hand corner of the goal. As heavy rain poured down in Terrassa, there were no further goals although Belgium’s Louise Versavel in particular was pushing hard to add to the scoreline. Player of the Match Michelle Struijk (BEL) said: ‘It has been a tough three days but I am really happy we had the win today and I can’t wait to get to the next stage of the tournament.’ Netherlands v Chile (Pool B) It was the team ranked number one in the world against the team ranked 15th but Chile took to the pitch determined not to let the occasion overwhelm them. Chile’s task was made a shade harder because captain Camila Caram had received a one-match ban and so was watching the match unfold from the stands. And she would have been delighted with her team’s performance in the opening half of the match. The Chile defence, bolstered by a courageous goalkeeping display from Claudia Schuler, kept the Netherlands at bay until the 14th minute. A rebound from a Frederique Matla penalty corner was tapped in by Lidewij Welten to send the home side into the break 1-0 up. After the break the Netherlands continued to pile

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