It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Spanish teams as FIH Hockey Pro League action resumed at the Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre in Australia on Tuesday. The men’s side put up an impressive fight but ultimately succumbed to the Netherlands while the women edged China in a shootout.
(Men’s) Netherlands 4 – 2 Spain
The Netherlands put in a big shift in the third quarter to set up a 4-2 win over a young Spanish side playing in their first international match since last year’s Paris Olympic Games.
Spain started energetically, counter-attacking repeatedly and troubling the Dutch with sheer pace through the centre channel. The first real chance fell to the Dutch in the 6th minute, but goalkeeper Luis Calzado got his angles right to deny Terrance Pieters. Spain broke out immediately only for Nicolas Alvarez to clatter his shot into the woodwork.
There were half chances at both ends through the second quarter, Spain putting a shot over the crossbar from a quickly taken free hit in the 24th minute, and Koen Bijen hitting the pads at the other end a minute later. The Netherlands grabbed the lead in the 27th minute when Miles Bukkens turned cleverly on the left side of the circle and slapped his shot past the helpless Calzado for a 1-0 lead at half time.
The Netherlands added three goals as they ran rampant in the third quarter. Bijen earned a penalty corner in the 32nd minute and had to stretch high above his head to slap the rebound in. Two minutes later Lucas Veen flicked home on the run after working exceptionally hard to receive a pass in the circle, and Steijn van Heijningen won a goalmouth scramble when Floris Middendorp fed a dangerous ball through to the p-spot. Spain pulled one back in the 45th minute, Nicolas Alvarez crossing towards goal where an unfortunate defender deflected the ball into the net.
Play ebbed and flowed with a couple of half chances in the final quarter, but the best chances fell to Spain in the final two minutes. José Basterra beat the goalkeeper with a miscued penalty stroke in the 59th minute and then had a penalty corner variation saved in the closing seconds.
The player of the match was awarded to Miles Bukkens who reflected on playing in Sydney: “I want to play a lot of games in the Pro League, and Sydney here is a very nice place to play my 6th game.”
(Women’s) China 2 – 2 Spain (SO: 2 – 3)
A herculean defensive effort from Spain’s women gave them a share of the points in a sensational 2-2 draw with China. They went on to clinch a bonus point with a 3-2 win in the shootout.
China were dominant throughout and would have triumphed against their inexperienced opponents were it not for the exceptional Clara Perez in goal. China bossed the entire first half without reward, with the midfield being hotly contested.
China’s first real chance came from a 20th-minute penalty corner, but the runners closed it down. Perez then got down low to glove a penalty corner wide in the 24th minute and Spain enjoyed a brief spell on the attack, failing from two penalty corners before finding themselves on the back foot again. China earned a penalty corner in the dying seconds of the half, but the shot went straight down the middle for Perez to glove it away safely and it remained goalless at half time.
China continued to dominate through the third quarter and Dan Wen inevitably fired them ahead from open play in the 33rd minute. Spain promptly pounced on a poor Chinese pass out of defence and found Florencia Amundson unmarked for a deflection to restore parity. Ou Zixia gave China the lead for the second time, slapping a penalty corner home from the left of the castle in the 43rd minute. The Chinese nearly had a third from open play, but another exceptional Perez save denied them as the clock ran down on the third quarter.
China heaped on the pressure at the start of the fourth quarter, forcing Perez to save two penalty corners and a shot from general play. But, in a dramatic late twist, space opened up as fatigue set in and it was Spain who seemed to find extra legs to take advantage. Xantal Gine snatched an unlikely draw in the 59th minute with a blistering penalty corner strike, sending the match to a shootout where her team prevailed to claim an unlikely two points.
An exhausted Clara Perez received the player of the match award and said: “We have today I think seven new players who have made their debut, and we are really happy for them.”
Current Hero Top Scorers:
Women – Freeke Moes (NED), Yibbi Jansen (NED (4 goals)
Men – Tom Boon (BEL), Sam Ward (ENG) (8 goals)
To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.
FIH Hockey Pro League – 4 February 2025
Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre (AUS)
Men
Result: Match 13 (M)
Netherlands 4 – 2 Spain
Player of the match: Miles Bukkens (NED)
Umpires: David Tomlinson (NZL), Hyosik You (KOR), Xiaoying Liu (CHN-video)
Women
Result: Match 13 (W)
China 2 – 2 Spain (SO: 2 – 3)
Player of the match: Clara Perez (ESP)
Umpires: Amber Church (NZL), Minami Inamoto (JPN), David Tomlinson (NZL-video)
