The Netherlands produced a comeback for the ages to reach the semi-final of the boys EuroHockey U18 Championship in Krefeld on a dramatic final day of group action.
They scored three times in the last minutes to overturn England 4-3 and set up a semi-final date with Belgium while Germany and Spain confirmed their passage to the final four, too.
It was a rest day in both Alanya and Swansea with Friday a crucial day in both II-A and II-B competitions. Here’s a round-up of today’s games.
Boys EuroHockey U18 Championship (Krefeld, Germany)
Pool A
Germany 6 Ireland 0
Germany made extra sure of their place in the semi-finals with a comfortable win over Ireland, a result which sees the boys in green relegated for 2025. Only a huge loss would deny the Germans but they never looked likely to let it happen as Jonas Cofalla’s pair of penalty corners in the moments either side of the first quarter break put them 2-0 up.
Another corner from Morten Berendts, a reactive volley from Ben Hasbach and a Lukas Kossel goal made the result more than safe. Justus Warweg crunched in another on his backhand for number six.
Austria Belgium
With a semi-final spot already assured, Belgium confirmed their place at the head of the table and a semi-final against the Netherlands on Saturday.
Guerlain Hawaux scored a corner in the second minute and the game stayed that way until the last 10 minutes when the same player netted again.
Pool B
Poland 0 Spain 5
Five goals in the last 23 minutes was enough for Spain to confirm their place at the top of Pool B, advancing to the final four with an unbeaten record.
They found the Polish side tough to break down for a long time but once Javier Hernandez opened the scoring, they were in control. Ernest Elies doubled up and then three more arrived in the closing stages from Lucas de Elias, Nicolau Mustaros and Josep Martin.
Netherlands 4 England 3
The Netherlands produced an outrageous comeback in the last 10 minutes, scoring three times to get the result they needed to advance to the final four and denying England.
Only a win would do for the Dutch but they fell 2-0 behind in the first half with Sammy Dowds and Mikey Eldridge scoring. Guus van den Boezem cut the gap early in the second half but another Dowds strike in the fourth quarter seemingly put England out of reach.
Jacky van Hout gave his side a lifeline in the 51st minute and the comeback was in full flow when Rein Spanjaart made it 3-3 with six minutes still to play. Then, with the final act of the game, Sam van der Weijden scored for 4-3 to earn a final four spot.
** Get your U18’s LIVESTREAM PASS HERE: https://www.eurohockeytv.org/en-int/page/event-pass-u18-championships
Boys EuroHockey U18 Championship II-A (Alanya, Türkiye)
Boys EuroHockey U18 Championship II-A (Swansea, Wales)
** All games from Swansea will be streamed on www.eurohockeytv.org
