Pretoria, Tshwane, South Africa: The Netherlands underlined why they are one of the best women’s teams in the world by outplaying SPAR South Africa in the semi-finals on the final day of the sixth FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Saturday.
In front of a capacity crowd, the Dutch team won 6-1 to set up a repeat of their pool clash against Austria when the final takes place on Saturday night at 8.30pm.
Austria had a narrow 1-0 over the Czech Republic in the first semi-final, the difference being a penalty stroke in the final quarter.
While it may have been a bridge too far for the host nation, who entered the tournament ranked 14th but are now playing off for third palace, they must be given full marks for their fighting spirit.
In a week which has significantly raised the profile of the sport in the country, Jess O’Connor’s team will end the tournament holding their heads high.
The South Africa skipper was gracious enough to acknowledge the skill of the Netherlands outfit. “I don’t think they allowed us to be clinical tonight and they are not world No 2 for nothing,” she said. “They showed up today, but we put up a good fight and I’m proud of the girls. They played with a lot of heart but at the end of the day they were better than us and you must take you hat off to them and be humble in defeat. “We wish them all the best for the final and we’ll now go out and fight for that dirty bronze.”
The SPAR SA team will face the Czech Republic at 6.30pm in the third-place playoff.
In the men’s semi-finals, tournament favourites Austria, the No 1 ranked nation, will take on the Netherlands (ranked seventh) in a repeat of their pool match at 8pm on Saturday.
The Austrians won that clash but know they will face a different team in the final after the Dutch quelled a courageous United States challenge7-3.
In the first semi, Austria showed their class in outplaying Iran 8-3.
Results:
Women
Semi-finals: Austria bt Czech Republic 1-0, Netherlands bt SA 6-1
9th place: United States bt Kazakhstan 5-1
11th place: New Zealand bt Namibia 4-3
3rd place, 6.30pm: SA v Czech Republic
Final, 9.30pm: Austria v Netherlands
Men
Semi-finals: Austria bt Iran 8-3, Netherlands bt US 7-3
11th place: Australia bt NZ 7-2
3rd place playoff, 5pm: Iran v US
Final, 8pm: Austria v Netherlands
Ends.
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Daniela de Oliveira 1- SPAR South Africa’s Daniela de Oliveira fires home a penalty corner to score their only goal in the semi-final against the Netherlands on the final day of the sixth FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Saturday. The Netherlands won 6-1 and will play Austria in the final on Saturday night at 9.30pm.
BR9T5478- The SPAR South Africa women’s team, led by captain Jess O’Connor (No 12), acknowledge the fans after their semi-final against the Netherlands on the final day of the sixth FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup, presented by SPAR, at the Heartfelt Arena in Pretoria on Saturday. The Netherlands won 6-1 and will play Austria in the final on Saturday night at 9.30pm.
Phot Credit: Reg Caldecott
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