30 July 2021 Tokyo 2020: Spain men & India women keep Olympic dreams alive Day 7 (Morning): A torrential downpour may have been enough to delay the start of the day’s play, but it certainly could not stop the drama as Spain’s men and India’s women kept their Olympic dreams alive at the Oi Hockey Stadium. A late Pau Quemada strike earned Spain a shock 1-1 draw against Pool A winners Australia to seal their place in the competition quarter-finals, while India’s women also left it late, with Navneet Kaur’s winner against Ireland keeping her side in the competition just when elimination seemed certain.  South Africa’s men and women were also in action, but could not find the results they needed to reach the knock-out stages. More information about the matches can be found below.  Results (Morning) Women’s Pool A South Africa 1-4 Germany Germany proved too strong for Pool A rivals South Africa, cruising to a 4-1 victory over their opponents in a match that was delayed by over an hour due to a torrential downpour here in Tokyo.  The result moves Die Danas level on points with the Netherlands, who they face tomorrow to determine the winner of Pool B. Defeat for South Africa means they can no longer qualify for the quarter-finals. The delayed start did not stop Germany from exploding out of the blocks once the match finally started, with Lisa Altenburg’s flicked effort putting Die Danas into the lead with just 75 seconds played. A penalty corner from Sonja Zimmerman and a second for Altenburg gave Germany a richly deserved 3-0 advantage at half time. Anne Schroder made it 4-0 with a superb reverse deflection that beat unsighted South Africa goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande at her near post before Toni Marks netted a well-worked team goal to give South Africa a consolation goal. Commenting on singing the national anthem in the middle of a torrential downpour, South Africa’s Marizen Marais said: “We all had a little bit of a laugh because we could not sing it was raining so hard”, with Germany’s Viktoria Huse describing the weather conditions as “so crazy”.  Match information and statistics can be found on Olympics.com by clicking here. Ireland 0-1 India India claimed a dramatic victory over Ireland to keep their quarter-final qualification hopes alive, with Navneet Kaur netting three minutes from time to earn the Asians their first points of the competition. A draw or defeat would have resulted in India’s elimination, but Kaur’s fine close-range deflection proved to be enough for a crucial three points against a team who now sit above them only on goal difference.  Ireland – who needed a point to secure their progress into the knock-out stage – produced a magnificent defensive display throughout the match, with goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran the star of the show as her team kept out a staggering 14 penalty corner opportunities. It seemed that their wastefulness was going to cost them dearly, but Navneet Kaur’s clever touch on team captain Rani’s dangerous cross-shot was enough to maintain India’s dreams of reaching the competition quarter finals with one round of matches left to play. India take on the already eliminated South Africa in their final pool match, with Ireland facing a tough encounter against Great Britain. “We had so many penalty corners and Ireland defended well”, said India captain Rani. “We had so many opportunities and we missed so many opportunities. There was a lot of pressure because this was a must-win game for both teams. And I am so proud because we stayed calm.” Ireland’s Deirdrie Duke said: “That was a game that we needed to win and we didn’t so that’s my overwhelming feeling. Quick turnaround tomorrow. Depending on other results now, that quarter final spot is still up for grabs, so we’re going to have to park this pretty quick and get ourselves up for a big one tomorrow.”  Match information and statistics can be found on Olympics.com by clicking here. Men’s Pool A Australia 1-1 Spain A last gasp equaliser from Pau Quemada booked Spain’s place in the quarter finals, earning his team a dramatic 1-1 draw against Pool A winners Australia, who dropped their first points of the competition.  It was a sensational result for the Red Sticks, claiming the vital point that the needed to seal a berth in the knock-out phase, with Argentina and New Zealand – the only teams mathematically capable of catching them – playing each other this evening.  Australia’s first place finish in Pool A means they will face a cross-over quarter-final match against the team that finishes fourth in Pool B, which will be concluded this evening. Australia took the lead the lead three minutes into the second quarter when Tom Wickham pounced from close range after Spain shot-stopper Quico Cortes saved a penalty corner effort. However, the Red Sticks produced their best performance of the competition to stay within touching distance of the mighty Kookaburras, who dominated possession but could not kill the game off before Quemada’s dramatic late intervention, with the 36-year-old somehow finding a route to goal with a deflected penalty corner effort.  “It was important because it gave us one point and we really need that point”, said Spain hero Pau Quemada. “It wasn’t a pretty goal, but a goal is a goal. It is what we needed to qualify for the quarter-finals.” Reflecting on the result, Australia’s Aran Zelewski said: “We wanted to make the quarterfinal and finish on top of our ladder. It puts us in the best position for the quarter-final on Sunday. We will go back in and learn from what happened at the end. The main thing is we finished on top.” Match information and statistics can be found on Olympics.com by clicking here.  Canada 4-4 South Africa South Africa’s slim hopes of reaching the competition quarter finals were ended when they could only claim one point against Canada, who earned their first point of the tournament in a thrilling 4-4 draw. The African continental champions needed

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29 July 2021 Tokyo 2020: South Africa men stun Olympic giants Germany  Day 6 (Morning): The Netherlands and Great Britain have both joined Men’s Pool B leaders Belgium in the quarter-finals of the hockey competition of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. A fourth successive win for Belgium sees them remain clear at the top of Pool B, with a thrilling draw between the Dutch and GB earning them a point apiece to confirm their respective berths in the knock-out stages. However, a shock defeat for Germany at the hands of South Africa means that their place in the last eight is not yet sealed, with the excellent South Africans still having a slim chance of progressing.  In Men’s Pool A, India defeated reigning Olympic champions Argentina to book a ticket to the knock-out phases, with Los Leones currently outside of those all-important top four positions with one round of matches remaining. More information about the matches can be found below.  Results (Morning) Men’s Pool A India 3-1 Argentina A tense encounter between India and Argentina was eventually won by the eight times Olympic gold medallists, who came away with a 3-1 victory against the reigning Olympic champions. India are now certain of a top two finish in Pool A, although Australia’s three point lead – and a vastly superior goal-difference – would make a first place finish unlikely going into the final round of matches.  India did most of the attacking in the first two periods, but Argentina produced an excellent defensive performance to keep the Asian giants off the scoreboard. The pressure eventually told when Varun Kumar’s deflected penalty corner drag-flick deceived Argentina goalkeeper Juan Vivaldi and flew into the net. Argentina hit back thanks to Maico Casella, who ripped a high and powerful penalty corner drag-flick into the goal to restore parity with 12 minutes of the match remaining. However, late goals from Vivek Prasad and Harmanpreet Singh wrapped up the points for India and inflicted another blow to Argentina’s hopes of defending their Olympic title. Reflecting on the victory, India’s Rupinder Pal Singh said: “Feeling great after the win but there’s a lot of things to improve yet because the important games are coming in a few days.” Argentina’s Maico Casella said: “It was a tough game. We defended a lot. We knew that the game was going to be like this. We played the game we had to play but they did well also. We have to play against New Zealand and we have to win. Our mind now is there.” Match information and statistics can be found on Olympics.com by clicking here. Men’s Pool B Belgium 9-1 Canada Reigning World champions Belgium thrashed Canada to earn a fourth win on the bounce, maintaining their three-point lead at the top of the Pool B standings while eliminating the Canadians from the competition in the process. Canada are now unable to qualify for the quarter-finals, being six points away from the qualification positions with just one match, against fifth-placed South Africa, remaining.   Canada kept the brilliant Belgians under control for large periods of the opening two quarters, with Alexander Hendrickx’s 12th minute opener being cancelled out by a superb run and backhand strike from Mark Pearson. The Red Lions had to wait until the 29th minute before taking the lead, with Sebastian Dockier on target ahead of a rampant display after half time. Dockier and Hendrickx both claimed second goals either side of an effort from Felix Denayer, with Simon Gougnard and Cedric Charlier pushing the score to 7-1 at the end of the third quarter. Tom Boon and a stunning deflection from Florent Van Aubel – playing his 250th match for Belgium – completed the scoring, as Belgium hit nine goals for the second successive match; an ominous sign for their gold medal rivals here in Tokyo. “We’ve got it all in our hands and that was the number one priority, and now we know how this kind of tournament works”, said Belgium’s Florent Van Aubel. “We’re qualified for the quarter-finals and it’s now that we have to do it. So we have one game against GB (Great Britain), an important game, and then it’s do or die, three games in a row. That’s what we play for.” Canada goalkeeper Antoni Kindler said: “Obviously disappointed. We’re playing the world champions so to be competitive with those guys you have to play your best hockey for 60 minutes. Unfortunately we let it slip there in the third quarter. With a team of their quality, every opportunity they have they capitalise.” Match information and statistics can be found on Olympics.com by clicking here.  South Africa 4-3 Germany South Africa produced unquestionably the biggest shock of the tournament so far with a stunning 4-3 victory over the much-fancied Germany. While the result keeps South Africa’s chances of qualifying for the competition quarter-finals technically alive, they would need not only for results to go in their favour but also for a dramatic change in goal-difference if they are to catch the Germans, who ended the day fourth in the Pool B standings. Germany justified their status as pre-match favourites when Timm Herzbruch fired home a messy penalty corner, but South Africa were level just a minute later thanks to a penalty corner of their own, with Matt Guise-Brown slamming a rocket against the backboard. Keenan Horne put South Africa ahead on the stroke of quarter time, but goals from Lukas Windfeder and Constantin Staib swung the match back in Germany’s favour, earning them a 3-2 half-time lead. Germany battered South Africa throughout the third period, but a superb counter-attack goal inspired by the exceptional Dayaan Cassiem resulted in Nicolas Spooner levelling the scores at 3-3. The winner came from the stick of Dayaan’s younger brother Mustaphaa Cassiem, with the 19-year-old – who was crying tears of joy at the end – seeing his speculative cross end up in the goal via a Germany stick, giving South Africa a famous victory over the European giants. “It’s awesome”, said South Africa captain Tim Drummond. “It’s something we’ve trained really hard

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