The semi-finals will take place June 12 and 13. The women’s final is scheduled for 15:15 CET on June 14 and the men’s will be at 15:15 CET on June 15, both at Kyocera Stadium. By the end of the tournament, 76 matches over 14 days will have taken place at Kyocera and Greenfields Stadiums, according to International Hockey Federation (FIH).
Men’s semi-finalists: Australia, Argentina, England, Netherlands
MEN Pool B: Argentina v South Africa 5-1 (2-0)
Argentina made history when they beat South Africa 5-1 to qualify for the semi-finals. Los Leones have never qualified for the semi-finals of a senior major tournament in their 121 year history, so this was a special moment for Carlos Retegui and his men.
South Africa had chances, notably in the early stages of the second half, when Justin Reid-Ross was unlucky not to see his cracking shot beat Juan Vivaldi in the Argentine goal. But really this was South American party-time as the men in blue and white scored five goals, displayed outrageous skills and flirted with self-destruction when they were reduced to nine men on the pitch for several minutes during the second period of play.
MEN Pool B: Germany v Korea 6-1 (3-0)
Germany ended their Pool B campaign in positive fashion by claiming a 6-1 victory over Korea, although it proved to be only a small consolation to the fact that the Olympic Champions have missed out on the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1971.
Argentina’s 5-1 triumph against South Africa earlier in the day killed off any hopes of Max Mueller’s men claiming a top two finish in Pool B, ensuring that Los Leones join host nation the Netherlands in the semis. The best Germany can now hope for is a 5th place finish, which would equal the position that they achieved at the 1971 World Cup in Barcelona, Spain.
MEN Pool B: New Zealand v Netherlands 1-1 (1-0)
A big performance from the Black Sticks put the Netherlands under pressure and held them to a 1-1 draw in the final pool match of this Rabobank Hockey World Cup. The result means that the Netherlands will be playing England in the Kyocera Stadium on Friday night, while New Zealand will be playing Spain for 7/8 place. For the Netherlands, this means they are unbeaten in their pool and finish one point ahead of Argentina. New Zealand, who came into the tournament with high expectations of a top six finish will be disappointed that they have failed to reach that target.
Women’s semi-finalists: Australia, Argentina, Netherlands, USA
WOMEN Pool B: USA vs South Africa 4-2 (1-0)
It is final the day of pool play and the USA women have gone undefeated rounding out their matches with a 4-2 (1-0) win over South Africa.
Much was resting on this game, with South Africa desperate to finish the pool round in fifth place or higher to give themselves a chance to contest positions well above their current FIH World Ranking (12). The USA, by contrast, were seeking three points to cement their place at the top of the table and put pressure on Argentina in the later pool B game this afternoon.
WOMEN Pool B: Germany v England 1-3 (0-0)
The pool match between England and Germany had the hallmark of a game in which both teams knew they were only playing for pride and didn’t want to take chances that might see them concede a goal. The first half was a turgid affair with both teams defending hard and showing very little innovation or attacking ambition. There were only a handful of shots from either team and these were dealt with well by both goalkeepers, Germany’s Barbara Vogel and England’s Maddie Hinch.
WOMEN Pool B: Argentina v China 1-1 (1-0)