On the first day of the Quarter-finals in the Men's FIH Hockey World Cup 2023 (24th January), we experienced two exciting matches where the favourites achieved close wins.
In the first Quarter-final, the Pool A champions Australia faced first Crossover winners Spain (3rd in Pool D). The three-time winners Aussies faced a tough challenge against the two-time WC runners-up Spanish team, but the Kookaburras ultimately destroyed the Redsticks’ dream.
Later, the Pool B winners Belgium played against the second Crossover winners New Zealand (3rd in Pool C) in the second Quarter-final. The defending champions Red Lions secured a clean-sheet victory after two first-half goals.
Quarter-finals
Note: FG = Field Goal; PC = Penalty Corner; PS = Penalty Stroke
QF1 – Australia vs Spain (at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar): Aussies edge past Spanish threat
Australia – 4 [Flynn Ogilvie 29' (FG); Aran Zalewski 31' (FG); Jeremy Hayward 32’ (PC), 36’ (PC)]
Spain – 3 [Xavier Gispert 19’ (FG); Marc Recasens 23’ (FG); Marc Miralles 40’ (PC)]
QF2 – Belgium vs New Zealand (at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar): Defending champions Belgium beat Black Sticks
Belgium – 2 [Tom Boon 10’ (PC); Florent van Aubel 15’ (FG)]
New Zealand – 0
Must Read | Men's Hockey World Cup Winner List
