Last Update: January 27, 2023, 23:01 IST
Belgium get the better of the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-finals of the FIH World Cup 2023 (FIH)
An experienced Belgian side beat a young Dutch side 3–2 on penalties in the last four of the quadrangular tournament after the game was tied 2–2 at full-time. Holders Germany will take on Germany in the championship game after Hohnemas got the better of Australia in the day’s first semi-final encounter.
Defending champions Belgium beat Netherlands, the runners-up of the last two editions, 3-2 in a penalty shootout to set up a FIH Men’s final against Germany. World Cup on Friday.
Defending Olympic champions Belgium and the Dutch were tied 2-2 in regulation time at the Kalinga Stadium.
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The contest between the oldest side, Belgium, and a young Dutch team was evenly contested, but the more experienced defending champions came out victorious in the shootout.
Belgium has 11 players over the age of 30, while the Netherlands have eight under the age of 25 and only two above 30.
The Red Sticks, who come in with a nearly identical set of players to the Tokyo Olympic gold-winning ones, are among the fittest and most experienced sides.
Star strikers Tom Boon (27th) and Nicolas de Kerpel (45th) scored for Belgium in regulation time, while penalty corner specialist Jip Janssen (12th and 36th) scored for the Netherlands.
In the first semi-final, star drag-flicker Gonzalo Peillet scored a second-half hat-trick as Germany made a sensational comeback from two goals down to beat Australia 4–3 and enter the final for the fifth time.
Pilat scored from penalty corners in the 43rd, 52nd and 59th minutes, while ‘Player of the Match’ Nicklas Wellen (60th) surprised Australia, taking a 2–0 half-time lead with seconds left in the match. Lost from A dramatic semi-final.
Jeremy Hayward (12th), Nathan Ephraims (27th) and Blake Govers (58th) scored for Australia, who will now play for the bronze medal on Sunday.
This was two-time champions Germany’s first entry into the final since the 2010 edition in New Delhi, where they were runners-up. They won silver in 1982 before winning the title in 2002 and 2006.
Germany also avenged their 1-3 loss to Australia in the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics.
For three-time champions Australia, it was their second consecutive failure to enter the final. They lost to the Netherlands at the same stage in 2018, having won the bronze medal after back-to-back titles in 2010 and 2014.
By the 42nd minute Australia were leading 2–0 and looked like they would run away with the match. But three drag-flick goals from Peillet, who played more than 100 matches for Argentina and won 2016 Rio Olympic gold for Las Leones before becoming a German citizen, turned the game around.
In the other semi-final, Jip Janssen gave the Dutch the lead in the 12th minute from the team’s second penalty corner, as he sent a low-drag flick past Belgian goalkeeper Vincent Vanash.
The Netherlands were doing most of the attacking, with Floris Vortelboer making a good run into the Belgian circle, but his cross from the baseline found nowhere near the goalline.
Belgium struck back three minutes before half-time and their star player Tom Boon scored from a penalty corner to make it 1-1 at the break.
Young and therefore quick on their feet, the Dutch once again took the lead in the third quarter, with Janssen completing his brace from a penalty corner.
Captain Felix Denayer hit twice in a flurry of attacks on the Dutch goal in the 43rd minute but both were blocked by goalkeeper Pirmin Blaak.
It was end-to-end stuff for a while and with seconds left in the third quarter, Belgium tied the score, with Nicolas de Kerpel kicking a field goal.
In a dramatic fourth quarter, Boon wasted a penalty stroke in the 50th minute and leaned to his right to block a shot.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)