The Netherlands and Malaysia prevailed in their quarter-final and semi-final matches on Tuesday on the third day of action in Oman to set up a mouth-watering finale that will won the first-ever men’s FIH Hockey5s world cup.
The Netherlands beat India in the round of 16 and then Oman in the semi-finals to book their place in the final.
Meanwhile, Malaysia beat Trinidad and Tobago and then a surging Poland to force their way into the gold medal match.
This leaves Oman and Poland fighting for bronze.
Meanwhile, in the Challenger Trophy, contested by the teams that did not reach the quarterfinals, Pakistan will face Switzerland for the trophy.
This is how the action of the third day unfolded…
The Netherlands finally ended Oman’s fantastic run in the hosts’ first FIH Hockey5s World Cup with a relatively comfortable 5-3 victory in the first semi-final of the day. The Dutch dictated things in the first half and took a 3-0 lead before the break. Oman defended well to win the second half, but Holland used all their experience to control possession and dictate the pace. The Dutch are deserving finalists, while Oman can go into the bronze medal match with their heads held high.
Dutch captain Imre Vos, speaking after the victory, said: “It’s incredible to be in the final. It’s been a great tournament so far with fantastic opponents and we had to be on our toes throughout the match. Every time we lost concentration throughout the tournament, the opponents punished us, so it was difficult, but I am very happy to have reached the final despite that.
Malaysia survived a late attack from Poland to win the second semi-final 4-3. Both teams played a tight and disciplined first half and the score was 1-1 at halftime. Malaysia took the lead just after the break with a long-range shot, then added two more to lead 4-1 with six minutes remaining. Poland recovered, scoring two goals in the closing stages before missing a challenging chance as time expired.
Malaysian captain Akhimullah Anuar, who scored twice in the semi-final, spoke after the match: “I have to pay tribute to the team. We sacrificed a lot to get here. We didn’t start the tournament in the best way, with the draw against Oman, but since then we have improved in each match to get here.”
Meanwhile, in the 5th and 8th place qualifiers, India recorded a comfortable 9-4 victory over Kenya, with India’s Utam Singh and Kenya’s Moses Ademba scoring hat-tricks, while Egypt’s Hossameldin Ragab scored a hat-trick. -5 victory against Trinidad and Tobago.
Earlier in the day, in the quarterfinals, the Netherlands came from behind three times in a 7-4 victory over India. It was three goals in the three minutes before the break that eventually gave the Dutch a 5-3 lead, and even a hat-trick from Mohammed Raheel was not enough to put India back in the game.
Hosts Oman absorbed all of Kenya’s early pressure and then took full control for a 5-2 win, with Khalid Al Shaaibi contributing to a hat-trick and helping his side reach the semi-finals of the FIH Hockey5s World Cup.
Poland won 2-1 in an exciting match against Egypt. Goalkeepers Maciej Pacanowski and Mohamed Hemid produced excellent performances and, with the score at 1-1 in the frantic final minute, both had to make desperate saves. Poland won the match after a challenge with time running out.
Malaysia fell behind three times in their 5-4 win over Trinidad and Tobago before taking a 5-3 lead after a strong start to the second half. Trinidad and Tobago responded strongly in the final minute, scoring a goal and being denied an equalizer thanks to an excellent save from Shahrul Saupi with 30 seconds remaining.
In the 9th to 12th place playoffs, where teams compete for the new Challenger Trophy, Pakistan’s Rana Waheed scored five goals as his team beat Australia 11-3. Switzerland scored two very late goals against New Zealand: Elias Brönnimann completed his hat-trick in the 29th minute to equalize, then scored another in the penalty shootout as the Swiss won 2-1.
In the playoffs from 13th to 16th place, the United States completely dominated Jamaica with a comfortable 8-1 victory. Nigeria overturned two-goal deficit against Fiji; Dennis Solomon equalized in the last minute to complete his hat-trick, then beat them 2-1 on penalties.
Wallace Tan’s men failed to capitalize on their opportunities, while the Dutch took theirs.
It was a double joy for the Dutch, who won the women’s title last week by beating India 7-2 in the final.
The Netherlands took the lead in the first minute through Yannick van der Drift, but Malaysia equalized a minute later through captain Akhimullah Anuar Esoook. It was his eleventh goal in six games. Akhimullah was also named the tournament’s best player.
