In a match brimming with drama and passion, South Africa on Tuesday evening secured a thrilling 3-3 draw with Ireland to book their place in the semifinals of the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday evening.
With a last-four berth at stake, neither side was prepared to back down in the clash.
It appeared SA had snatched victory when Calvin Davis converted a penalty corner to put the hosts 3-2 ahead with just under three minutes remaining.
But Ireland have not climbed to ninth in the world rankings without possessing a remarkable fighting spirit.
Barely a minute later, they earned a penalty corner of their own and, after a frantic scramble in the circle, Ben Nelson applied the finishing touch to level the scores.
Ireland then threw everything forward in a desperate search for a winner, but to the delight of the vocal home crowd, SA held firm to secure second place in Pool A.
The teams finished level on four points overall but SA advanced to the semifinals courtesy of a superior goal difference of one.
SA coach Devon van der Merwe was delighted with the commitment shown by his players in what was effectively a knockout encounter.
“That was pretty cool,” he said.
“The number of opportunities we created by getting into the right areas has been a big focus for us during this phase.
“Today was essentially a quarterfinal and a must-win game for us.
“We understood that a draw would be enough but we certainly didn’t play for a draw.
“To put ourselves in this situation and under pressure as we worked towards the World Cup was important for us.
“I really enjoyed the way the boys applied themselves, the energy they brought and the level of play they produced tonight.
“There are some areas we will look at and tonight showed us what we can work on.
“We’re very happy to make the semifinals.
“This time last year we were struggling, but now we’re in the top four and that’s something to celebrate.
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity and we’ll take it one game at a time.”
Despite being pushed hard by the US for much of the contest, France maintained their impressive form by raising the intensity in the second half to claim a convincing 4-1 victory, finishing top of Pool B.
The Americans were courageous and matched France for 33 minutes, with the sides level at 1-1 early in the third quarter, but the pressure created by the French eventually proved decisive.
France earned eight penalty corners in the second half and the clinical Victor Charlet capitalised, completing a hat-trick to put daylight between the teams.
Xavier Esmenjaud had opened the scoring for France before the US responded immediately through Sekayi Charasika.
French coach John-John Dohmen praised his side’s response after a sluggish opening.
“I think it was a very good performance in the second half and a very bad one in the first half,” he said.
“The US were very good tactically in the first half and we were sleeping a bit.
“In the second half we upped the tempo and attacked a lot, so I am really happy with that part of the game.
“We are proud to have nine points from three games and to be in the semifinals, but the most important matches are still to come.”
In the first match of the day, New Zealand made it a memorable occasion by registering an emphatic 5-1 victory over Malaysia.
We’re very happy to make the semifinals. This time last year we were struggling, but now we’re in the top four, and that’s something to celebrate.
— SA coach Devon van der Merwe
The Black Sticks not only booked their place in the semifinals but also celebrated several milestones, with midfielder Aidan Sarikaya earning his 100th international cap.
Charlie Morrison made his 50th appearance for New Zealand, while penalty-corner specialist Kane Russell scored twice to move to 99 international goals, leaving him tantalisingly close to the century mark.
Reflecting on his achievement, the 29-year-old Sarikaya described the occasion as “pretty awesome”.
“Playing my first game, and then reaching this milestone is something I will always cherish because I never imagined at the start that I would get to 100 caps,” he said.
“I’m from a part of the country where not many players go on to play 100 games for New Zealand, so this was a really special moment.”
Russell broke the deadlock from a penalty corner in the 19th minute before Dylan Thomas doubled the advantage two minutes later.
Although Mohamad Anuar Esook pulled a goal back late on for Malaysia, New Zealand remained firmly in control to complete another impressive victory.
In the second fixture of the day, Scotland finally found their best form after three successive defeats, defeating Korea 4-2 in a morale-boosting victory.
Jamie Golden led the way with a brace of goals as the Scots withstood intense late pressure from the Koreans, who fought desperately to close the gap.
Captain Robert Field was pleased to see his side rewarded for their improvement throughout the tournament.
“It’s nice to get a win because I feel like we’ve been getting better and better as the tournament has gone on,” he said.
“It was good that some things clicked today and that we were able to score some goals, which was really important.”
Scorers:
Pool A: New Zealand 5 Malaysia 1; Scotland 4 Korea 2
Pool B: SA 3 Ireland 3; France 4 US 1
The latest standings are (matches in brackets):
Pool A: New Zealand 9 (3), Japan 7 (3), Scotland 3 (4), Malaysia 3 (3), Korea 1 (3).
Pool B: France 9 (3), South Africa 4 (3), Ireland 4 (3), US 0 (3). SA finished above Ireland on goal difference of one.
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