In these most important of matches, Ireland managed to withstand an onslaught of pressure from Korea, while France eased to a competent 3-0 victory over Scotland. The results mean that Ireland and France will now meet in tomorrow’s final and, to the delight of both teams and their staff, will be part of the FIH Olympic qualifying events in October and November. Korea and Scotland will play for third place. Ireland v Korea The numerous Irish spectators virtually turned le Touquet into a home fixture for the Green Army as they took to the field against Korea in this most important match. The winner of the semi-final match has a guaranteed place in the FIH Olympic qualifier events taking place later this year so for both Ireland (FIH World Ranking: 11) and Korea (WR:17), this match was of vital importance to their Olympic ambitions. The first quarter was a cagey affair as both teams were testing each other out. The result was 15 minutes of attack and counter-attack with few circle penetrations and fewer goals. It was Korea who struck first, through a penalty corner, which was calmly converted by Jeon Byungjin. His fierce shot flew through the legs of goalkeeper David Harte. The goal spurred Ireland into a greater level of intensity and that pressure was rewarded just ahead of the half-time whistle when Matthew Nelson was able to round Kim Jaehyon, the Korean goalkeeper and slot the ball home to bring the scores level. Just one minute into the second half and Eugene Magee used all his skill to double Ireland’s lead. Just a few seconds later Benjamin Walker scored goal number three for the top-ranked team in le Touquet. At this point of the match, Korea’s extra crossover game seemed to be taking its toll and the Asian side looked tired. However, the team rallied and Lee Seungil, used all of his experience to slam home a perfectly executed penalty corner. At 3-2, the final 15 minutes was all set to be a tense affair for both teams. With a goal advantage, Ireland were defending with gritty determination but Korea were throwing everything at them. David Harte was in the thick of the action, throwing his body around the goal to keep the Korea attack at bay. With minutes to go, Korea removed their goalkeeper to get an on-field player advantage but the plan back-fired as Ireland gained possession and Neil Glassey was able to score into an empty goal, putting the game beyond Korea’s reach. As the final whistle rang out, Ireland celebrated reaching the final and taking another step along the road to Olympic qualification. David Harte, Ireland’s goalkeeper and captain said: “We are completely delighted that we achieved our first objective, which was of course reach the finals as this will lead us to the next step on our road to Tokyo. The way we did it and the manner was just typically Irish in the sense that we dug it out. We grafted so hard at the back and ultimately we came away with a very deserved victory.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Ireland 0, Korea 0 Umpires: Nazmi Kamaruddin (MAS), Paul Walker (ENG) ********** France v Scotland  Packed stands greeted the host nation France as they entered the field of play for their semi-final match with Scotland. Opening encounters between the teams were well-matched but steadily the higher-ranked French team (WR:15) began to dominate. The first opportunity to score came from a penalty corner three minutes before the end of the quarter. Although the first attempt was well saved, France were awarded a second and Tynevez deflected Hugo Genestet’s initial shot to give his side the lead. The goal was greeted with wild cheering and “Allez les Bleues” from the home crowd. Just minutes later France doubled their lead through Blaise Rogeau – a well-taken open play goal. The second quarter saw renewed efforts from Scotland to get back into the game. Despite their best efforts, Scotland couldn’t break through the French defence. Four minutes into the second half and Victor Charlet thought he had scored the third goal. Unfortunately his effort was disallowed but not before the crowd had erupted in delight. It was French captain Hugo Genestet who scored the decisive third goal. The team was awarded a penalty stroke and Genestet mad Eno mistake as he dispatched it into the Scottish goal. As the final whistle sounded at the Field Eric Choteau, the French team and their supporters were ecstatic. For the French, the Olympic journey continues, plus in tomorrow’s final, they have a chance to seal victory over Ireland in front of a vociferous home crowd. France captain Hugot Genestet said: “We are really happy I think we controlled the game and did not leave Scotland many opportunities. We could have scored more goals but with the sun and the crowd it was a perfect day” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: France 3, Scotland 0 Umpires: Michiel Otten (NED), Nick Bennett (ENG) ********** The semi-finals day finished on a positive note full of hope ahead of the International Olympic Day as FIH Representative and Executive board member Marijke Fleuren, alongside Olivier Moreau of the French Hockey Federation handed over a collection of 113 sticks to be donated to Senegal, the host of the next Youth Olympic Games in 2022. The sticks were donated by all the team members and will help the Senegalese National Association grow the sport in the country. To support Senegal as the latest addition to the global hockey community, FIH is developing a Targeted Assistance Programme (TAP). Action continues tomorrow with:  Korea v Scotland at 15:30 CEST Ireland v France at 18:00 CEST #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

The fifth day in le Touquet Paris-Plage was all about finishing with a win. First to take to the field were Singapore and Ukraine who were battling for seventh place. Then it was a contest between Egypt and Chile – two teams who had definitely hoped to have featured in the semi-finals, so would need to recharge themselves ahead of this fixture. Singapore v Ukraine The action started with the race for seventh place between Singapore and Ukraine, who both finished last in their respective pools. Ukraine, with a FIH World Ranking of 26, were favourites to win this match, particularly as Singapore (WR: 36), had yet to score a goal in the competition. The higher-ranked team took the lead through Andrii Koshelenko who opened the scoring from the first penalty corner of the match. The second quarter was a mirror reflection of the first. Ukraine had the majority of possession and it was just five minutes into the quarter before Vitalii Shevchuk made it 2-0, latching onto a cross after some brilliant build-up play. Singapore played with much heart and determination but they were up against a team determined to leave the FIH Series Finals with a win to their credit. The third goal came nine minutes into the second half. Viacheslav Paziuk made a surging run from just past the half-way line and his cross found Lurii Moroz, who only had to tip the ball past Xuan Wee Wei in the Singapore goal. Finally, and to huge celebration, Singapore opened their scoring account. The Asian team had created a lot of opportunities in the final quarter and, after a number of penalty corners, Silas Noor was finally able to find the back of the net. Although Singapore didn’t look like turning the match around, the young team were clearly rising to the challenge and put on a good display of attacking hockey in the final minutes of the game. Ukraine’s captain, Oleksandr Diachenko, said: “It was our last match and we won! We tried to play faster with more skills. Singapore is a good team and I think in the future they will play much better.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Singapore 0, Ukraine 0 Umpires: Diego Estebanez (ESP), Kris Cholewa (IRL) ********** Chile v Egypt Chile and Egypt were both after a winning final match of their FIH Series Finals campaign. Seven minutes into the match and Ahmed Gamal gave Egypt the lead after a fantastic piece of build-up play from his team. Chile came straight back and won a penalty corner but were unable to convert it. The South American side soon made amends however. Sven Richter was on hand to tip the ball home after searching passes from his teammates had left the Egyptian defence chasing shadows. It all got very competitive in the second quarter as both teams ramped up the intensity. Chile had the greater share of possession but Egypt were also looking dangerous with every attack. It was Egypt who re-took the lead. Mohamed Edris scored from a penalty stroke. Amazingly in this see-saw game, Chile also won a penalty stroke just a minute later and Sven Richter made no mistake from the spot. The second half started at a somewhat slower pace as both teams looked for a tactical advantage. Finally, after three penalty corners, Egypt made another break through. Amr Ibrahim netted with a fierce airborne shot into Henriquez Adrian’s goal. The final quarter saw both teams once more raping up the pressure. Egypt were reduced to 10 men but Chile could not make the player advantage count. After a staunch defence for the final minutes, Egypt were able to celebrate finishing their FIH Series Finals in fifth place and with a well-deserved and hard-fought victory. Egypt scorer Ahmed Gamal said: “Chile is a really good team and, after Korea yesterday, we were very tired but thank God we won and now we look forward to the African Championship and trying to qualify for the Olympic Games” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Chile 2, Egypt 3 Umpires: Tyler Klenk (CAN), Benjamin Peters (USA) ********** There is an exciting day of action tomorrow in le Touquet as the teams will be giving their all in the semi-finals. A win tomorrow means the continuation of the Olympic journey as the two finalists will go through to one of the FIH Olympic qualifiers being held this October and November. meaning of potential qualification for the Olympic qualifier. The only exception to this is Scotland, who cannot qualify as England are the nominated team for the Great Britain Olympic pathway. Ireland v Korea at 15:30 CEST France v Scotland at 18:00 #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo

Hiroshima, Japan: The fifth to eighth place positions at the FIH Series Finals were decided after two very different matches. Mexico dominated in their game against Fiji, but it was a tense and very close encounter when Poland met Uruguay. In the end, the European team held their nerve to win the shoot-out Fiji – Mexico Fiji and Mexico had lost all of their pool matches, so this was a chance to finish the competition with a win. It was a chance that Mexico took with some relish. In the first quarter, the game was tight, although Mexico had the greater share of possession. The Central American team took the lead two minutes before the end of the quarter, Fernanda Oviedo was the scorer from a penalty corner. In the second quarter Mexico continued to dominate all over the pitch, giving Fiji few opportunities to enter the circle. Mexico won four consecutive penalty corners but were unable to convert any of them. In turn, Fiji also won a penalty corner but the shot was well saved by the Mexico goalkeeper. It was into the second half before another goal was scored. This time Arlette Estrada was able to get a touch on the ball and diverted it past the ‘keeper. Minutes later Michel Navarro gave her team a 3-0 lead after flicking the ball high into Fiji’s goal. In the last quarter, Mexico’s captain Michel Navarro made the most of a quickly played counter attack, driving into the circle and shooting home. Navarro added to that tally just minutes later from a drag flick at a penalty corner.  The 5-0 win was a confidence boost for the Mexican team ahead of the Pan American Games later in the year. Fiji assistant coach Emi Nawaqakuta: “The message we want to tell the world is to never quit, no matter how much you are losing. And when you are winning you must remain humble. The girls have a fighting spirit and one of our goals is always to stay positive no matter what.”  Mexico team captain Michel Navarro: “It was better but it wasn’t enough for us, we have to train a lot and think about Pan American Games”  ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result: Fiji 0, Mexico 5 (Mexico finish 7th, Fiji finish 8th) Umpires: Veronica Villafane (ARG), Rhiannon Murrie (AUS) ****** Poland – Uruguay These two teams suffered disappointing losses in the previous day’s cross-over matches so it was important they were able to regroup for this classification match. In the first quarter, Uruguay quickly took the lead; good combination play leading into Poland’s circle saw Teresa Viana take the ball around the goalkeeper to open the scoring. It was Viana who doubled the lead minutes later as she deflected a reverse shot in at the ‘keeper’s far post. Uruguay kept pushing and tried to increase their lead but Poland didn’t panic and were beginning to create their own opportunities. The second quarter saw Poland start with a much higher intensity. Quick passes and fast player movement started to create gaps in the Uruguay defence. Poland reduced the deficit through Paula Wrzesinski, who intercepted a pass and rushed into the Uruguay circle. Her shot flew unerringly past the Uruguay goalkeeper. After the half time break, Poland’s captain, Marlena Rybacha, was driving her team forwards but it was until six minutes from the end of the quarter that the European team found a way through. Oriana Bratkowska equalised when she connected sweetly with a bouncing ball. The last five minutes of the quarter saw Poland defending stoically after they were down to 10 players following a yellow card suspension. In the last quarter, the intensity and pressure went up as both teams sought the all-important winning goal. Uruguay won two penalty corners in a row but frustratingly couldn’t convert them. As time ticked on it was clear that this intense match was going to shoot-out. Even here the teams couldn’t be separated in the early stages. Uruguay were 3-1 down but fought back to 3-3. Eventually the Polish were able to get a breakthrough and won 5-4. Poland team manager Lukasz Julga: “The first quarter was difficult, I think the girls were sleeping. In the second quarter we woke up and started to play. They played really good transfer and we had to score twice. To win fifth place for us is an amazing feeling ” Uruguay Head Coach Nicolas Tixe: “We started really well. In the first quarter we scored two goals and had the advantage, but again we have made some errors. We are finishing in sixth position, which was probably not what we had expected. We have to now think about the next tournament, the Pan American Games in one month.”  ****** FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima, 2019 Result: Poland 2 (5), Uruguay 2 (4)  (Poland ranked 5th, Uruguay ranked 6th) Umpires: Chieko Soma (JPN), Katrina Woolf (NZL) ****** The action continues tomorrow in Hiroshima (Saturday 21 June) with the semi-finals 15:45 (JST time) India – Chile 18:00 (JST time) Russia – Japan

Wales moved to the top of Pool B after a convincing 5-0 win over Thailand. The spectators were then in for a real treat as South Africa and Italy played out a high quality, competitive match that could have gone either way. It was South Africa who emerged victorious but both teams showed that they are determined to leave everything on the pitch here in Valencia. Wales v Thailand On paper this Pool B match should have been a close contest with Wales ranked 27 and Thailand 28 in the FIH World Rankings. However, Wales’ opening match against South Africa will have sent a warning to all the higher ranked teams at this event that Kevin Johnson and his squad are here to prove their worth on the international stage. Thailand, for their part, are an Asian side that is developing apace and every match will prove a steep but hugely valuable experience to the young team, that has nine teenagers (including two 15-year-olds) within its ranks. The opposing styles of play were in evidence from the first whistle. A high press, with Leah Wilkinson as the lynchpin, meant the European side could swing the ball from left to right until a gap appeared. Thailand, by contrast, utilised the aerial ball well to get out of defence and then looked to their speedy forwards to put Wales under pressure. It was Wales who took the lead when Sophie Robinson struck home from a penalty corner after some great build-up play to give her side a boost just ahead of the quarter break. The lead was doubled through a courageous diving shot from Leah Wilkinson. The ball had rebounded from a penalty corner and the captain dived full length to send the ball high into the goal, past Siraya Yimkrajang. A surging run by Natthakarn Aunjai forced the Welsh line back and the Thai team’s collective quick stick work and speedy change of direction caused the Wales’ defence some concerns as the Asian team began to work their way into the match. The final minutes of the first half saw Wales drop off and form a defensive press, challenging the Thailand team to run at them. The strategy nearly came apart when the ever-dangerous Aunjai intercepted the ball and ran at the defence. Wilkinson was on hand to clear up. The second half saw Wales really begin to exert pressure on Thailand. Swinging the ball around the pitch, the Welsh were slowly sucking the energy from the Thai players as they sought to get meaningful possession. The ploy was rewarded when Phoebe Richards worked the ball around the back of the Thai defence and slipped it to Natasha Mark-Jones, who had no hesitation in striking it home. The fourth goal came as a result of a slick penalty corner routine. It was Wilkinson who scored her second of the match, connecting neatly with a slipped pass to send the ball high into the corner of the goal. A first goal for her country was the reward for a good all-round performance from Xenna Hughes. The ball was crossed in by Sian French and Hughes was in front of the penalty spot and able to put it round the ‘keeper. Thailand worked hard to find a consoaltion goal and, in the final minutes of the game, the speed of their attack, spearheaded by Kornkanok Sanpoung, caused some chaos in the Wales circle. “We have a young team and we are learning with every game. We must keep our structure and play with discipline in our next game. We must also take our opportunities better,” Natthakarn Aunjui had said previous to this game. Despite the scoreline, the team is obviously working to fulfill those demands and improving with each game. “We made sure we stuck to our principles,” said goalscorer Hughes. “We tried out our presses to put pressure on them but also kept our discipline. And our penalty corners worked well. We didn’t give them all away – they are our secret weapon.” Wales 5, Thailand 0 (Pool B) Umpires: Dihaya Deepa (IND), Mercedes Sanchez (ARG),  Match 2 Italy v South Africa Two teams ranked in the top 20, both feverishly seeking a place in the FIH Olympic qualifiers in October and November – this was always going to be a feisty matchup – a stressful occasion for the teams, a tasty encounter for hockey fans. Italy (WR:17) came into the game on the back of a dominant 7-0 win over Thailand, while South Africa (WR:15) had endured a much tougher encounter against underrated Wales, a match that ended 2-2. The match started with both teams playing uncompromising hockey. Maria Socino and Elisabetta Pacella were looking menacing as they probed for a way through the South Africa defence but, marshalled by the experienced Celia Evans, the African champions held firm. South Africa’s best chance of the first 15 came in the final minute of the quarter after Nomnikelo Veto’s shot was well stopped by Natalia Schinoni in the Italian goal. The resulting penalty corner was cleared safely. The second quarter was more of the same. Italy were playing quick, smooth passes but were unable to find a final, telling shot. South Africa were extremely busy all over the pitch, chasing for possession or firing balls up to their forward line but with no end product. A sense of desperation was creeping into both teams’ games as players began carrying the ball too far and getting caught in possession. For Italy, Celina Traverso was playing a fantastic holding role at the heart of the Italian defence, clearing up any South African attack that made it past the Italian midfield line. But, in a measure of how much of this game was being played between the two circles, neither goalkeeper had been unduly challenged for most of the half. That changed with 30 seconds left on the clock in the first half as Bianca Wood threw herself at the ball as it bobbled in front

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In a sunny but windy Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, suspense was at its maximum as Korea qualified for the semi-finals against Egypt after a shootout. Scotland also qualified after they won 1-0 in a tough and tight game against Chile. Scotland v Chile To open this fourth day dedicated to the quarter finals, we saw the national team of Scotland, who ended up second of the pool A, playing against Chile who qualified after finishing third of the Pool B. During a rather windy day in Le Touquet, both teams were fighting hard but making no difference in the score by the end of the first quarter. Led by their captain, Fernando Renz, the Chileans were thinking they had opened the score sheet with a shot from Andrès Pizaro but this was disallowed by the Umpires as the number 28 Nils Strabucchi deviated with the back of his stick. Scotland consequently received two Penalty Corner opportunities, but one was stopped by Adrian Henriquez, the Chilean goalkeeper and the second ended up outside the posts. Both teams were once attacking and once defending for the better part of the second quarter and you could easily understand that neither of them were ready to lose their spot to the semi-finals. Scotland and Chile went to the bench for half-time with a 0-0 score. Five minutes into the second half, number 14 Cameron Golden scored a stunning field goal which came straight after his team mate Craig Falconer had to go off the field because of a hit on his knee and Maldonado Jose, the number 9 from Chile, received a green card. This goal saw a joyous release on the Scottish bench. The National team of Chile continued to try and hit hard on Scotland defence without success which created many open spaces and counterattack opportunities for the Scots.  Luckily for the Chileans, none were converted.. At the end of the third quarter, Scotland was 15 minutes away from a qualification to the semi-finals. In the fourth and last period of this quarter-final match, Scotland monopolised the ball and played it safe to avoid any risks. Chile only had a few opportunities in front of the goal despite all their efforts to steal the ball from Scotland. Scottish head coach Derek Forsyth, and his men secured their qualification to the semi-finals after a well-played match which ended with a score of 1-0. Scotland’s captain, Nicky Parkes said: “it was a tough match for us and I think we are going to have to play quite a lot better against France if we want to get to the finals.” ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Scotland 1, Chile 0 Umpires: Nick Bennett (ENG), Kris Cholewa (IRL) ********** Korea v Egypt With only three world ranking places between Korea (WR:17) and Egypt (WR: 20), this quarter-final draw promised to be eventful. Korea, who finished second in Pool B are possibly one of the favourites for this competition.   On the other hand, Egypt also played extremely well even creating a stunning upset against the “Green Machine”, Ireland to finish third in Pool A. Egypt came out with all guns firing in the first quarter of the match. They won two penalty corners in a row, both stopped by Kim Jaehyeon the Korean goalkeeper. Although both teams produced some of their best hockey, the score remained unchanged in the first quarter. In a rather electric atmosphere, Korea and Egypt couldn’t be separated until Korea’s Lee Jungjun shot the ball into Mohamed Sayed’s goal. Straight after the half-time break the team led by Ahmed Ezz, the captain, equalised with a goal from Ahmed Abd Elhakim. The pace of the match dropped as both teams sought a way to break the deadlock. The pace might have dropped but the tension and pressure remained high considering what was at stake – a place in the semi-finals of these FIH Series Finals and the possibility of going through to a FIH Olympic qualifier. It was Egypt who scored next. A brilliant pass from Ahmed Mohsen to Walid Metwalli saw the striker convert to give his side the lead. Korea continued to press forwards and  with only 18 seconds before the final whistle, Jung Manjae brought the scores level and sent the match to shoot-out. This is where the experience of Korea paid dividends as they won the shoot-out 3-0 and so will play against Ireland in the semi-finals on Saturday 22 June. Korea’s captain Lee Namyong said: “We are happy of course and it was a very tough game. We need to prepare for the next game and continue to play better and better every match”! ********** FIH Series Finals Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, 2019 Result: Korea 2, Egypt 2 Shootout (Korea 3, Egypt 0) Umpires: Fraser Bell (SCO), Nazmi Kamaruddin (MAS) ********** Action in le Touquet-Paris-Plage continues Tomorrow with:  Singapore v Ukraine at 15:30 CEST Chile v Egypt at 18:00 CEST Semi Finals on Saturday will be:  Ireland v Korea at 15:30 CEST France v Scotland at 18:00 CEST #FIHSeriesFinals #RoadToTokyo