Great Britain’s men ended their FIH Hockey Pro League campaign with a shootout loss to Germany in Amsterdam on Friday, but the point they earned for the draw saw them moving above Argentina to secure third spot in the standings.
Meanwhile, after suffering their first defeat of the season to the Red Panthers four days ago, the Netherlands women turned the tables on Belgium, surviving a close final quarter to secure a 2-1 win.
(Men’s) Germany 3 – 3 Great Britain (SO: 4 – 2)
Germany came from behind twice in an enthralling 3-3 draw with Great Britain, then grabbing an extra point for their 4-2 win in the shootout. Sam Ward had a sharp shot in the second minute but was denied by a diving Jean-Paul Danneberg in the German goal. A minute later it was Niklas Wellen who fired the Germans ahead with a sensational first-time reverse shot. Phil Roper equalised for GB with some cheeky aerial skills in the 15th minute, and Ward then edged GB in front with his 21st-minute penalty stroke. Wellen levelled for Germany with a sizzling penalty corner strike, which meant it was evenly poised at half time.
The Germans got their defensive angles slightly wrong early in the second half and Liam Sanford punished them for it, threading a magnificent ball through the centre channel to a diving Ward for the deflection into the net. GB seemed to have the upper hand as the match progressed, and Danneberg had to make two crucial saves to keep Germany in touch before Gonzalo Peillat snatched the draw from a penalty corner with three minutes remaining. Germany then held their nerve to maintain an unbeaten record from their four shootouts in the tournament.
An obviously frustrated Niklas Wellen of Germany received the player of the match award and reflected: “I think we didn’t play a really good game today, but we fought hard and even on a bad day we are able to draw the game and win the shootout which is definitely a positive we can take out of today.”
(Women’s) Netherlands 2 – 1 Belgium
The Netherlands returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Belgium in front of a vocal home crowd. The Dutch clearly meant business after their shock defeat to the same opposition earlier in the week and it took just six minutes for Yibbi Jansen to fire them ahead from a penalty corner. They went on to dominate possession and territory throughout the first half, threatening the Red Panthers’ circle frequently and giving Elodi Picard plenty of work to do in the Belgian goal. Jansen slammed in a second from a recycled penalty corner and it looked like a big score might be on the cards.
The Dutch continued to attack through the third quarter, but Belgium started getting more ball as the match progressed. Stephanie Vanden Borre pulled one back from a penalty corner in the 41st minute, and with the Belgians growing in confidence, the match was set for a thrilling finish. Belgium took full control in the fourth quarter and the Dutch suddenly found themselves under sustained periods of pressure, rarely getting out of their own half. There was drama in the final minute when Belgium appeared to have earned a penalty corner, but the Netherlands successfully overturned the decision with their review and then ran the clock down to secure the win.
The player of the match was awarded to Xan de Waard of the Netherlands who said: “We played very well the first half, and the second half we had to be more efficient and I think we created a lot. But they came back from out of nowhere so I think we played a bit scared the last quarter. I think overall we can be happy with our performance.”
Top Scorer Armband
To celebrate the talented goal-scorers throughout the season the FIH has introduced the Top Scorer Armband, which is being worn by the leading goal-scorers in the men’s and women’s competitions in the current season, as a visual mark for the fans, and for the players to wear proudly, match after match.
Current Top Scorers:
Women – Yibbi Jansen (NED) (19 goals)
Men –Jip Janssen (NED) (15 goals)
To see the current standings in the FIH Hockey Pro League, click here.
FIH Hockey Pro League – 28 June 2024
Wagener Hockey Stadium, Amstelveen (NED)
MEN
Result: Match 71 (M)
Germany 3 – 3 Great Britain (SO: 4 – 2)
Player of the match: Niklas Wellen
Umpires: Coen van Bunge (NED), Wanri Venter (RSA), Ayden Shrives (RSA-video)
WOMEN
Result: Match 70 (W)
Netherlands 2 – 1 Belgium
Player of the match: Xan de Waard (NED)
Umpires: Sandra Adell (ESP), Hannah Harrison (ENG), Rachel Williams (ENG-video)
