Switzerland

Lausanne, Switzerland: After two weeks of intense competition, it is the final that so many hockey fans have been looking to with keen anticipation. Netherlands overcame a strong and impressive challenge from Australia, while Argentina and Germany couldn't be separated in one of the most entertaining matches of recent times. It took the cruel ending of a shoot-out to send Las Leonas to a date with Oranje at the Estadio Olimpic de Terrassa on Sunday 17 July. Netherlands are seeking an impressive ninth title, while two-time champions Argentina will look to win the trophy for the first time since 2010. If the two semi-finals were anything to go by, the final should be an amazing showcase for the sport. Australia and Germany, who both deserve plaudits for their performances in the semi-finals, will be battling for a bronze medal. Netherlands vs Australia (Semi-final) It was all even at the end of the first 15 minutes of the semi-final between Netherlands and Australia, although much of the action had taken place at the Australia defensive end of the pitch. While Anne Veenendaal was largely a spectator, she might have been surprised to see some of her team mates failing to show their usual high levels of performance, with passes going off target and some poor decisions being made. Towards the end of the opening quarter the Netherlands began to play their flowing game but Australia's harrying style was disrupting their play. The second quarter began with a beautiful interchange between Eva de Goede, Pien Sanders and Lidewij Welten. This might have acted as a warning to the Hockeyroos but they had ambitions of their own and Rosie Malone caused Veenendaal to react when she unleashed a shot high at the Dutch goal. The Australia defence, particularly Stephanie Kershaw and Karri Somerville, were putting in a shift as they stepped up on the Dutch attack and forced some unusual errors from the Dutch attacking force. The first penalty corner was won by the Netherlands in the 28th …

Lausanne, Switzerland: It was the match-up everyone wanted to see. Number one in the FIH World Rankings versus number two. The undefeated FIH Hockey Pro League champions versus the reigning World Cup champions. The cool, calm, composed Dutch versus the fire and feistiness of Las Leonas. Before the match, Netherlands Head Coach Jamilon Mülders spoke of the need to nullify the threat of Agustina Albertarrio and Maria Granatto, which his team proceeded to do, while simultaneously unleashing their own devastating pace, speed and vision onto the Argentina defence. The Dutch hockey was powerful, compelling and utterly unstoppable. It gave the Oranje their ninth title – with Eva de Goede, Xan de Waard, Marloes Keetels, Margot van Geffen and Lidewij Welten all receiving their third World Cup gold medal. In the earlier bronze medal match Australia broke German hearts when they turned the match around in the final quarter. Germany had looked impressive in the first three quarters and seemed to have the bronze medal in the bag but Australia had other ideas and scored twice in the last 15 minutes. The Hockeyroos had been kept in the match by the excellent goalkeeping of Jocelyn Bartram, who denied Die Danas time and again. Australia vs Germany (3rd place/bronze medal match) After their breakneck start against Argentina the previous day, Germany started at a slightly less frenetic pace in the bronze medal match. This translated into a more structured performance from the European team but with few opportunities to put the Australia defence under attack. That all changed in the 14th minute when Hanna Granitski found Lena Micheel with a beautiful pass that dissected the midfield. Micheel ghosted through the defence and her running shot flew past Jocelyn Bartram into the Australia goal. The second quarter saw Australia finding their feet in the game to a greater degree. Stephanie Kershaw, who has had an excellent World Cup, was instrumental in driving the team forwards. Her through …

Lausanne, Switzerland: A slick three-pass move that finished with Victoria Granatto slipping the ball past Maddie Hinch was the sole goal in a fascinating encounter between Argentina and England. While Las Leonas dominated possession, England put up a stalwart defence and were it not for two moments of goalkeeping brilliance from Belen Succi could have taken the game to shoot-out. Argentina will now face Germany in the semi-finals. The second quarter-final had a heap of expectation riding on it as the fans poured into the stadium to cheer on the host nation Spain. That hope was dented early as Australia scored in the third minute. Spain never stopped believing but a second goal meant the Red Sticks had a mountain to climb and it was not their day to achieve miracles. Argentina will now play Germany, while Australia will face the reigning champions Netherlands in the semi-finals on Saturday 16 July. In the earlier matches, Korea and India ended their World Cup campaigns with wins as they signed off with storng performances. Korea went toe-to-toe with a resilient Canada and then held their nerve in the shoot-out. India withstood an early Japan surge and then found a flowing style of play that had eluded them for most of the tournament. Canada vs Korea (13-16 place) In the sweltering heat of Terrassa, Canada and Korea went head to head in the battle for 13th place. There were personal milestones for stalwarts of both teams. For Canada, Sara McManus was playing her 200th cap, while Korea's Cho Hyejon was celebrating 100 international caps. Both teams had good moments in the opening quarter although Korea looked the more dangerous towards the end of the 15 minutes. Twice, the Asian team created chances for a tap-in at each post after some good build-up play. On both occasions the ball placement was perfect but the recipient just failed to make contact. The second quarter was much the same, with both teams working hard to maintain possession but just failing to find the …

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 …

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 …

Lausanne, Switzerland: Pool B was tight to the very end as all four teams began the day with every chance of winning the pool or failing to qualify. In the end, it was a workmanlike performance from England that consigned China to the 13-16th place play-offs, with New Zealand running out winners of the Pool after beating India in a thrilling match. Pool D was a more straightforward affair, with Pool leaders Argentina stamping their authority with a comprehensive win over fourth-placed Canada. Spain took the second spot after a win over Korea. The results mean that New Zealand and Argentina join Netherlands and Australia in getting a few days rest as they qualify directly to the quarter-finals. In the cross-over matches, England will play Korea and India take on Spain. China will play the loser of Belgium versus Chile and Canada will play either Spain or India. England vs China (Pool B) After a tight and nervous opening 10 minutes, England took the lead in this vitally important Pool B match through a penalty corner from Grace Balsdon. England had made a quick break through the speed and skill of Lily Owsley and the resulting penalty corner was dispatched with precision by Balsdon. In a double blow for China, the team also lost its referral after incorrectly challenging whether the goal was scored through dangerous play. Owsley was at it again a few minutes later as she beat two defenders before releasing the ball to Tessa Howard. The forward unleashed a vicious shot but Liu Ping was able to make a solid save. As the half counted down, it was Owsley who continued to plague the China defence. She weaved through the defence and slipped the ball onto a foot to win another penalty corner. This time it was Giselle Ansley who stepped up and sent the ball flying deep into the corner of the goal. Gu Bingfeng had a chance to reduce the deficit with a penalty corner at the end of the half but her attempted variation was well dealt with by the England defence. The second half …

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 …