Switzerland

Belgium men and women do double over India; Heartbreak for USA as Spain grab late winner and Netherlands women outclass Germany Lausanne, Switzerland: It was a day of drama, late goals, sublime skills, mesmerising teamwork and magnificent individual performances. As the FIH Hockey Pro League nears its final stages, the hockey action on offer has reached extraordinary levels. Whether it is the sheer power of a Stephanie vanden Borre penalty corner, the precision of a Xan de Waard pass or the teamwork that led to the India men's opening goal, the choice of best moments runs long following this weekend of hockey. Spain kicked things off by overcoming a spirited and resolute USA team. Netherlands women looked ominously good as they outplayed Germany, while Germany men turned the tables on the Netherlands when they grabbed the momentum and all three points after a sparkling second half performance. Belgium men and women both found success against India, albeit in very different ways. Belgium Red Panthers seemed to hit a new gear as they strode to a comprehensive 5-0 victory. The men had to battle to the final seconds of a game that was full of everything that is good about hockey – pace, skill, teamwork and the courage to take risks. Spain vs USA (women) – Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein-Antwerp (BEL) It was all about Spain in the opening quarter of the match between the Red Sticks and the USA. Spain held two thirds of the possession and hammered repeatedly at the USA defensive circle. The USA defence however, were resolute in the face of the waves of pressure and there was a sense of growng frustration in the Spanish ranks. Spain's woes increased when the USA burst out of the stranglehold press that the Red Sticks had on them. They raced to the other end of the field and drew a foul. Erin Matson showed her composure as she stepped up to send the penalty stroke past Melanie Garcia to put her team ahead. Spain answered in the 36th minute when …

Lausanne, Switzerland: It was a busy day of FIH Pro League action, but one the Argentina women's team will remember as the day they won their first FIH Hockey Pro League table. The way results fell means that Argentina have won this season's Pro League no matter what their result against India next week. India had to win all four of their final matches and Belgium put paid to that by beating the Eves today by a tight 2-1 margin. Netherlands women maintained their winning ways when they came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat a German side that was exciting on the counter attack but just couldn't keep the rampaging Dutch team out. Spain and USA women could not be separated in match time but Spain's recent experiences in shoot-outs gave the European side the edge and they came away with the bonus point. The four men's team's competing today occupy the top four places in the FIH Pro League, so every result was vital for final placings. The men's match between Belgium and India was a classic between two teams at the top of their game. It finished 3-3 after India manufactured a fantastic comeback in the final 10 minutes after they went 3-1 down. India then held on to take the bonus point. The Germany v Netherlands men's game mirrored the pattern of the earlier women's match. The home side took the lead, only to see Netherlands find their way into the match and eventually overhaul them to strengthen their hold on the league leaderboard. Spain vs USA (women) – Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein-Antwerp (BEL) USA national women’s team were back in FIH Pro League action after a few week’s break and thanks to their resolute defence they were able to hold Spain to a 1-1 draw, although Spain took the shoot-out bonus point 4-2). Both USA goalkeepers, Kealsie Robles and Jenny Rizzo were outstanding at times, as they marshalled their defences and pulled off some cracking saves. Spain Head Coach Adrian Lock will be concerned that his team only scored once, despite a huge amount of …

Lausanne, Switzerland: It was another two goals for Tom Boon as Belgium beat South Africa 4-2 and inched ever closer to the top of the FIH Pro League. Their rivals for the second place in the league, India, who play Belgium on Saturday were watching in the stands. Boon's brace means he is four goals behind Harmanpreet Singh at the top of the goalscoring table. In the women's match between Belgium and China, umpire Celine Martin-Schmets won her golden whistle as she took charge of her 100th senior international match. The match itself was a tepid affair with both teams playing cagey hockey. A 1-1 draw was a fair reflection of the match. China's recent experiences and wins in the shoot-out against England and Spain gave the team the edge in this shoot-out, which they won 2-0. . Belgium vs South Africa (men) – Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein-Antwerp (BEL) In their last match in this season's FIH Hockey Pro League, South Africa took the lead against Belgium in just the second minute of the game. Pressure from the speedy forward team of Nqobile Ntuli amd Dayaan Cassiem drew the foul and Connor Beauchamp was on hand to send the ball high into the net past Loic van Doren. The Belgium response came five minutes later. Nelson Onana was the recipient of a flowing Belgium move. Cedric Harlier passed to Florent van Aubel, who laid the ball into Onana's path. The late replacement for Tanguy Cosyns made no mistake as he rounded the 'keeper and slipped the ball into the net. There were no goals in the second quarter as Belgium settled into a game of possession hockey. South Africa made some smart and pacy runs at the Red Lion's defence but found the defence were rock solid. The third quarter saw Belgium begin to tighten their grip on the game. The free-flowing hockey, which had deserted them slightly in the second quarter, returned and pressure began to mount on South Africa. Florent van Aubel scored the goal that put the home team in the driving seat. He received the ball from …

Lausanne, Switzerland: Belgium men continued their winning run as the FIH Hockey Pro league moves into the latter stages. It was business as usual for Tom Boon as he scored another three goals as Belgium put on a masterclass in game management against South Africa. Against China, the Belgium women put on a passing masterclass with two of their three goals splitting the normally solid China defence. Belgium vs South Africa (men) – Sportcentrum Wilrijkse Plein-Antwerp (BEL) Belgium men put paid to South Africa's hopes of a first win in the FIH Pro League when they put on a clinical display of goalscoring and possession play to dominate proceedings in this mid-week fixture. Nicolas de Kerpel opened the scoring for Belgium when he ran onto a cross from Arthur de Sloover in the fifth minute of the game. It was another 21 minutes before the Red Lions found the net again and that was largely thanks to the heroic goalkeeping efforts of Gowan Jones and Siyavuya Nolutshungu who shared responsibilities during the match. The next goal was the first of three from Tom Boon. Clever running in the circle by the striker meant he received the ball from Tanguy Cosyns behind the line of defence and was able to tap the ball home for Belgium's second. South Africa were unlucky when Conor Beauchamp's penalty corner strike bounced off the post and Beauchamp came close a few minutes later when his shot just flew wide of the Belgium goal. Tom Boon's second goal was a ripper of a penalty corner that flew into the goal after taking a touch from Nicholas Spooner. Alexander Hendrickx was next to find his way onto the scoresheet, again from a penalty corner. The fifth and final goal came from the stick of Tom Boon as he latched onto a penalty corner rebound. His shot from a slightly raised ball went into the ground and bounced past the 'keeper, who was wrong-footed. If there were to be a criticism of the Belgium team it would be that during the match the team had 43 circle entries and 29 shots, …

Lausanne, Switzerland: After 2 days of swashbuckling Hockey5s action through 22 total games, we have our first ever winners of the Hockey5s event, with Uruguay, who won every match they played at the event, overcoming hosts Switzerland in the women’s final to become the Women’s Champions; while India who started the event as favourites in the men’s event, lived up to the billing prevailing over Poland to become the inaugural Champions in the Men’s event! Overcast conditions in Lausanne proved to be a foreshadowing of the day to come as it rained goals throughout the day with teams getting more familiar with the format of the game and the tactics best suited to prevail in it. India, the eventual champions set the tone for the day with an offensive masterclass in a 7-3 win over Malaysia and from there the barrage of goals never ceased with a total of 78 goals scored in the 10 games! Switzerland men caused the biggest upset of the day with a 7-5 win over Pakistan in a game that they trailed for most parts but kept finding ways to come back! India defeated Poland with another clinical attacking performance in the group stage match which left Pakistan to win their final match against Malaysia to seal their place in the finals. Malaysia, who had just 1 point from their first 3 games, brought their A-game into their last match and played out a thrilling 5-5 draw against Pakistan in a game where the lead swung from every couple of minutes! The draw for Pakistan meant Poland finished over them in the 2nd position with 2 wins and 2 losses, and moved to the finals against India who ended the group stage with 3 wins and a draw. On the women’s side, Uruguay won their 3rd and 4th match of the pool stage against South Africa and Poland to go 4 for 4 and finish top of the table with comfortable ease. The 2nd final’s spot was up for grabs for all the other 4 teams however. Hosts Switzerland who started the day in the 2nd place lost their opening encounter to India and had to rely on …

Lausanne, Switzerland: Netherlands women reversed the results of the previous day when they put on a competent performance to beat England 2-0. The men's match featuring the same two nations was a thrilling nine goal encounter between two teams who only seemed to play in one gear - top speed. Netherlands scored six goals to England's three but both teams played inventive and skillful hockey in a real showcase for the sport. In Terrassa, soon to be the scene of the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup, Spain men put on a domiant show against South Africa and that match was followed by an equally impressive win for the Spanish women's side over China. England v Netherlands (women) – Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre, London (ENG) The Netherlands arrived at Lee Valley determined not to allow England to repeat their winning ways from the previous day. There was an energy and creativity among the Netherlands players that had been missing 24 hours earlier. For their part, England had spoken before the match about the need to follow one good performance with another. Things looked good for England in the opening 10 minutes. Elena Rayer showed her pace and vision when she latched onto a misplaced Dutch pass, sprinted away from the last defender Sabine Plonissen and struck the ball past Julia Remmerswaal in the Netherlands goal. The Dutch came back strongly after this and Felice Albers in particular was creating all sorts of problems with her pace. The breakthrough was inevitable as Maddie Hinch was called on time and again to make some really world class saves. It was an Ireen van dem Assem penalty corner that finally found a way past the England goalkeeper. Again, it was Albers who made the run that won the corner and van dem Assem made no mistake. Just four minutes later and Netherlands scored again, this time van dem Assem slipped the ball to the injector Tessa Clasener, who coolly lifted the ball over the diving Hinch. Maria Verschoor thought she had added to the score line …

Lausanne, Switzerland: The Hockey5s era has officially gotten underway in the Olympic Capital, Lausanne, as 10 teams took to the field on Day 1 of the Hero FIH Hockey5s Lausanne 2022, with the Lac Leman providing a serene backdrop, in contrast to the unceasing thrill of Hockey5s being played on the field right next to it! The day started off with a bang, with the Swiss men’s team scoring in the final seconds to draw 4-4 against Malaysia, after having trailed 4-1 with just 5 minutes left in the contest. The women’s team did one better, also overcoming an early deficit to win their first contest against Poland by a 3-1 scoreline. Two great results got the home crowd going early and it was a perfect precursor to the action that was to follow the rest of the day. The crowd was further entertained early as what followed was the “Grass meets Ice” exhibition match between Lausanne Hockey Club (ice hockey) players and a special FIH team! An early upset followed the exhibition match through a win by Uruguay over India in the women’s competition, but it was proof of the notion that Hockey5s make for an open contest with any team having a good chance of beating their opponent on the day. There were further upsets on the card through the day as Poland registered a thumping 5-0 win over a more fancied Malaysian men’s team, while the pre-tournament favourites, Indian eves, suffered a second consecutive loss at the hands of Poland. Pakistan and Indian men took wins in their first matches against Poland and Switzerland respectively, which set up the much-awaited clash between the two classic hockey rivals. The crowd filled in and the atmosphere was at its liveliest, and the two Asian hockey giants did not disappoint with a thrilling contest that ended in a 2-2 draw, but was not lacking in action, with Pakistan scoring an equaliser with just 30 seconds left in the game after India had taken a 2nd half lead. With the top 2 teams in each of men’s and women’s category, going straight …

Lausanne, Switzerland: On the day that team captains reminded the world of the importance of friendship and respect with pre-match statements on the FIH Day of Inclusion and Diversity, we saw four high quality and exciting hockey matches between teams from across three continents. England women and men played host to the Netherlands and Maddie Hinch celebrated 100 caps for England with a rare victory over the Netherlands; the men's match saw three points go to Netherlands as the Oranje rushed to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter; Spain men flew into a 3-0 lead against South Africa before the visiting side found their comfortable lead cut as South Africa found their groove. A 1-1 draw between Spain and China women belied a match played with energy and creativity but the keepers were the stars of the show, both during the match and at the subsequent shoot-out, which China edged. England v Netherlands (women) – Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre, London (ENG) The Netherlands fielded a team with a number of inexperienced players in the first of two matches against England in the FIH Pro League. The inexperience showed as there were a number of occasions when the players failed to make their usual seamless connections. England for their part, looked like a team growing in confidence both as individuals and as a squad. With players such as Sophie Hamilton, Fiona Crackles and Flora Peel running at the Dutch defence from midfield, and Elena Rayer and Lily Walker creating problems up front, there are definite signs that David Ralph’s squad is finding its feet ahead of the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup in just a month’s time. The first quarter was goalless between the two sides but then in the 20th minute, from a penalty corner, Giselle Ansley switched the ball to Anna Toman, who fired it home past Julia Remmerswaal in the Netherlands’ goal. That lead was extended when Toman, who had an outstanding game, crossed the ball for Isabelle Petter to deflect into the goal. The Dutch …

Lausanne, Switzerland: Netherlands v Argentina (men) – HC Union, Nijmegen (NED) A three minute, three goal burst by the Netherlands turned the second match against Argentina on its head after the South American team had taken an early lead. Argentina took the lead after Agustin Mazilli played a lovely ball into the circle and Martin Ferreira was able to send a reverse shot past Pirmin Blaak in the Dutch goal. Going into the half-time break, Argentina looked the more comfortable. Unlike the previous day’s encounter, their defence had looked strong and in control and the goal from Ferreira had given the team a cushion. However, the Dutch team that trooped off the pitch at half-time came back with a renewed vigour and a sense of attacking purpose that swiftly paid dividends. First, Jonas de Geus was able to deflect home a penalty corner. This gave the host nation attacking momentum and 60 seconds later Steijn van Heijningen scored his first international goal. It is one that will be long remembered by both the player and the spectators. Van Heijningen took the ball wide to the left and at the very edge of the Argentina circle, before unleashing a shot that flew past Tomas Santiago’s left shoulder. The third goal was tame in comparison but vital to give the host nation a comfortable lead. Koen Bijen latched onto a ball that was threaded into the circle. He then dinked it over the keeper to give his team a 3-1 lead. That lead deserved to be extended in the final minute of the third quarter as Terrance Pieters and Derck de Vilder wove their way through the Argentina defence with a neat series of passes that showed a level of understanding between the two players that belied their relatively few number of caps. No further goals were scored although Argentina's Nicolas della Torre will rue some missed penalty corner opportunities as Argentina really piled on the pressure in the final quarter. Player of the Match Joep de Mol (NED) said: 'The win was good but the three points …

Lausanne, Switzerland: Netherlands v Argentina (men) – HC Union, Nijmegen (NED) The Netherlands returned to FIH Hockey Pro League action with a scintillating first half performance against Argentina. The host nation were unable to sustain the tempo but by the time they ran out of steam, the game was beyond Argentina's reach. It is four months since the Dutch last played FIH Pro League hockey; on that occasion they beat France 5-1, but the men in orange started with an energy and flow that immediately put Argentina on the back foot. For their part, Argentina are on the verge of completing their FIH Pro League matches, with tomorrow’s (2 June) match their final fixture. They currently sit in third place in the league and will now be relying on other team’s to decide their final position. Jair van der Horst and Bram van Battum both scored on debut. Van der Horst’s goal was within three minutes of the start of the game and the newcomer’s first touch on the ball. Van Battum’s goal was a perfect example of how a squaerial (an aerial that goes cross pitch) can change the angle of attack. Van Battum was in the perfect position to receive a pass and shoot home. Jip Janssen completed a trio of goals in the first half with a powerful penalty corner strike that went through Tomas Santiago’s legs in the Argentina goal. Netherlands started the second half in much the same fashion. Two quick goals from Koen Bijen and Tjep Hoedemakers gave the team a seemingly indomitable 5-0 lead. Bijen’s goal was a well struck shot from the edge of the D and then Bijens turned provider as he laid on a perfect pass for Hoedemakers to run onto. A yellow card for Stein van Heijningen was the catalyst for a change in momentum and Argentina took full advantage. First Nicolas della Torre whipped home a penalty corner that left Pirmin Blaak just watching it go past him and then Martin Ferreiro was on hand to send a second goal past Blaak. Argentina piled on the pressure in the final 20 minutes of the …