Spain upset defending Olympic hockey champions Belgium as men’s semi-finals decided

PARIS – Eighth-ranked Spain upset reigning champions Belgium 3-2 in the men’s hockey quarter-finals at the Paris Olympics on Aug 4, as skipper Marc Miralles netted a crucial third goal with three minutes to go before the defence stifled an attempted comeback.

A day later, China’s women’s hockey team stunned Australia 3-2 for their first last-four berth in 16 years. The top-seeded Hockeyroos were expected to reach the final for the first time since Sydney 2000, while China’s last semi-final appearance came at home in 2008.

Scoring opened with forward Alice Arnott netting her fourth tournament goal off a penalty corner in the 10th minute, but China responded to take it level in the 11th minute with midfielder Ma Ning converting their first penalty corner.

Dan Wen gave China the lead in the 20th minute before forward Zhong Jiaqi added another off a penalty corner early in the third quarter. Australia fought back but could not overcome the two-goal deficit, scoring only once more via a penalty corner.

Earlier, the Spanish men’s heroics earned them a semi-final clash with the Netherlands, who toppled Australia 2-0, while Germany play India in the other last-four encounter.

India beat Britain 4-2 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw, and Germany edged out Argentina 3-2.

Spain had not made it to the semis since Beijing 2008, while Belgium reached the last two Olympic finals, with several of their players winning gold and silver at the Tokyo and Rio Games respectively.

Jose Basterra opened the scoring in the 40th minute by converting a goalkeeper’s deflection off a blistering pass from defender Jordi Bonastre, but the lead did not last long as Belgium’s Arthur de Sloover equalised a minute later at Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.

Incredibly, in a three-minute span, Marc Reyne put Spain back in front with a strike from the field and Miralles stretched the lead before Alexander Hendrickx pulled a goal back in the 58th minute.

“Today is the best day of my life. We had pointed to this day in our calendar, and now we are so happy. We have to enjoy today, and tomorrow we will see (face) our opponents and we will see how to beat them,” Basterra said.

India, who captured the last of their eight Olympic hockey gold medals in 1980, beat Britain after playing with 10 men for most of the match following a red card for a reckless high stick by defender Amit Rohidas in the 17th minute.

The final penalty strike by substitute Raj Kumar Pal put the once-dominant side in the semi-finals for the second Olympics in a row, after they won bronze in Tokyo.

Harmanpreet Singh, who won the world’s Best Player gong in 2022 told Indian media: “While it is a setback to not have Amit on the pitch for the semis, we are focused on the task at hand.

“On Sunday, what stood out in our performance was the team’s ability to take on the added responsibility of a key position that Amit played. Every player stepped up and, even until the last minute, we were fighting back.”

The Netherlands had several players limp off the field as the match against Australia became aggressive, with some shoving between players.

They came out on top, however, as Thijs van Dam widened the lead by slicing through two defenders with the ball in the 52nd minute and angling a shot across his body to beat goalkeeper Andrew Charter for the world No. 1’s second goal of the match.

Teo Hinrichs picked Augustin Bugallo’s pocket in the ninth minute and launched one for Germany, but it was answered two minutes later with a penalty-corner goal by Argentina’s Macio Schuth.

The world’s second-ranked side regained their lead before Argentina pulled level again. However, with six minutes left, Niklas Wellen dribbled past three defenders to set up Justus Weigand, whose deflected shot sealed the game. REUTERS