FRIDAY, 19 JUNE 2026
SOUTH AFRICA EDGE NEW ZEALAND IN SHOOTOUT TO REACH HOCKEY FINAL AGAINST FRANCE
- Scotland shade Ireland in sensational showdown at Hartleyvale
Cape Town, South Africa: South African goalkeeper Cullen de Jager delivered a penalty shootout masterclass to propel the hosts into the final of the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup at Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town on Friday.
After being deadlocked with New Zealand at 2-2 at the end of regulation time, De Jager produced a remarkable display in the shootout, saving all four NZ attempts while his teammates converted two of their three chances to secure a 2-0 victory.
South Africa will now face France in Saturday’s final, which starts at 7pm. Earlier in the day, the French were pushed all the way before edging Japan 4-3 in the other semifinal.
South Africa assistant coach Devin Stanton described the victory over the Black Sticks as one of the team’s most significant results in recent years.
“This is a relatively new group. We started at the Nations Cup last year with eight debutants and unfortunately got relegated,” he said.
“But then we won the Africa Cup of Nations, secured qualification for the World Cup and were invited back to this tournament. Since beating France at the Paris Olympics, we haven’t won many international matches, so this is a massive result for us.”
South Africa came under immense pressure after taking a 2-1 lead and eventually conceded an equaliser with five minutes remaining. Despite the setback, Stanton said the coaching staff’s message remained unchanged.
“It was always about staying calm and trying to communicate that to the players in a way that didn’t cloud their judgement,” he said.
He also had no doubts about De Jager’s ability to shine when the match went to a shootout.
“Cullen is also South Africa’s indoor hockey goalkeeper, so shootouts are something he deals with week in and week out.
“I never had any doubts about him. To save four attempts was incredible, but I’ve always backed him in those situations.”
With little time to recover before facing France, Stanton said the squad would be ready for the challenge.
“We’ll definitely be ready for France tomorrow. The attitude within this team is outstanding and everyone will be ready to go again.”
Facing a determined Japan side that repeatedly found ways through the French defence, striker Corentin Sellier eventually broke the deadlock with a superb goal in the 54th minute to give his team a crucial 4-3 lead.
France repeatedly showed their ability to respond whenever Japan struck, but it ultimately took a sensational save from goalkeeper Corentin Saunier with just two seconds remaining to secure their place in the final.
As Japan launched one last desperate attack in search of an equaliser, a powerful shot seemed destined for the back of the net. However, Saunier produced a remarkable stop to deny the Japanese and send France through to the title decider.
France coach John-John Dohmen was delighted to reach the final, although he admitted there was still room for improvement in his team’s overall performance after a halftime score of 3-3.
“My message at halftime was just to stay calm and stick to the plan,” he said. “The first half was not great, but the second half was really good.
“Japan created almost nothing after the break and although we only scored one goal, I thought we were much better in the second half.”
Dohmen reserved special praise for Saunier’s match-winning intervention.
“I’m really proud of him. It was an important save because he hadn’t touched the ball for a long time, so it’s impressive that he was able to stay focused and remain in the game mentally. It was an amazing save.”
In what must rank as the match of the tournament so far, Scotland and Ireland produced a breathtaking finish to their clash, with the Scots eventually prevailing in a dramatic shootout.
Hartleyvale Stadium was treated to a contest of the highest quality as the two sides battled for supremacy. Scotland appeared to be in control when they opened up a 3-1 lead against their higher-ranked opponents.
What followed was an astonishing finale. Ireland launched an all-out assault in the final six minutes, scoring three quick goals to turn the match on its head and take a 4-3 lead.
But with just 25 seconds remaining, rising Scottish star Jamie Golden produced a moment of brilliance to level the scores at 4-4. Collecting the ball on the edge of the circle, Golden drove to his right before calmly lifting a superb finish into the net to keep Scotland alive.
The ensuing shootout proved every bit as dramatic as the match itself.
The teams traded successful attempts in a tense battle that eventually went Scotland’s way 8-7. Ireland finally failed to convert an opportunity in the sudden-death phase to extend the contest, allowing the Scots to celebrate a memorable victory.
Scotland coach Neil Allan praised his side’s performance, particularly their control for much of the contest, while acknowledging the pressure applied by the Irish late on.
“We controlled the game really well for the first three quarters against the ninth-ranked team in the world,” he said.
“We struggled a little under their high press in the last quarter and to go 4-3 down with two minutes to go after leading 3-1 is not ideal. But I thought we showed real maturity and intent to get ourselves back into the game.”
Allan reserved special praise for Golden, whose equaliser was one of the moments of the tournament.
“Jamie is only 22 and he’s a world-class player who can only get better. We’ve seen glimpses of what he can do throughout this tournament and that strike showed incredible composure and quality.”
In the opening game of the day, Malaysia showed plenty of character and resilience as they recovered from a sluggish first half and a two-goal deficit to defeat the United States 4-2.
It was a disappointing outcome for American Ajai Dhadwal, who celebrated his 150th international cap but was left to watch his side surrender a commanding position.
“It was a tough game because our first half was really good, but at the start of the third quarter there was a momentum shift,” he said.
“They came out with a bit more fire and we couldn’t quite match it. We had less possession and it ended up being a tough loss. We’ve got to be better than that as a team.”
Scorers:
1-4 playoffs
South Africa 2 (Calvin Davis, Kenton Melville); New Zealand 2 (Kane Russell, Finn Ward). SA won penalty shootout 2-0.
France 4 (Victor Charlet, Xavier Esmenjaud, Timothee Clement, Corentin Sellier); Japan 3 (Ryoma Ooka, Shota Yamada, Hyota Yamada).
5-8 playoffs
Malaysia 4 (Muhamad Faris Harizan, Faizal Saari, Mohammad Azrai Abu Kamal, Mohamad Anuar Esook); United States 2 (Sekayi Charasika, Alberton Montilla)
Scotland 4 (Jacob Tweedie, Jamie Golden 3); Ireland 4 (Jeremy Duncan, Sam Hyland, Matthew Nelson 2). Scotland won penalty shootout 8-7
Saturday’s fixtures are:
12.15, 7th/8th: United States v Ireland
2.30pm, 5th/6th: Malaysia v Scotland
4.45pm, 3rd/4th: Japan v New Zealand
7pm, final: South Africa v France
Ends.
FREE TO USE PICTURES WITH CAPTIONS
France vs Japan 1 – Kazumasa Matsumoto of Japan pushing the ball out from a penalty corner against France in the semifinals of the 2026 men’s Hockey Nations Cup played on Friday 19 June 2026 at the Harleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. France beat Japan 4-3 to earn their place in the final on Sunday against South Africa. Japan will play New Zealand in the bronze medal match also on Sunday.
France vs Japan 2 – Hyota Yamada of Japan celebrates with his teammate Takai Takade after scoring a goal against France in the semifinals of the 2026 men’s Hockey Nations Cup played on Friday 19 June 2026 at the Harleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. France beat Japan 4-3 to earn their place in the final on Sunday against South Africa. Japan will play New Zealand in the bronze medal match also on Sunday.
France vs Japan 3 – Corentin Sellier of France (Player of the match) celebrates scoring the winning goal against Japan in the semifinals of the 2026 men’s Hockey Nations Cup played on Friday 19 June 2026 at the Harleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. France beat Japan 4-3 to earn their place in the final on Saturday against South Africa. Japan will play New Zealand in the bronze medal match also on Saturday.
France vs Japan 4 – Corentin Sellier of France (Player of the match) celebrates scoring the winning goal against Japan with teammates Xavier Esmenjaud and Eliot Curty in the semifinals of the 2026 men’s Hockey Nations Cup played on Friday 19 June 2026 at the Harleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. France beat Japan 4-3 to earn their place in the final on Saturday against South Africa. Japan will play New Zealand in the bronze medal match also on Saturday.
South Africa vs New Zealand 1A- South African captain, Dayaan Cassiem celebrates his team’s semi-final win over New Zealand in the 2026 men’s Hockey Nations Cup played on Friday 19 June 2026 at the Harleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. South Africa upset New Zealand 2-0 in a penalty shootout after the score was 2-2 at the end of regulation time to earn their place in the final on Saturday against France. New Zealand will play Japan in the bronze medal match also on Saturday.
South Africa vs New Zealand 2A – Kenton Melville of South Africa celebrates after scoring a goal against New Zealand in the 2026 men’s Hockey Nations Cup semi-final played on Friday 19 June 2026 at the Harleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. South Africa upset New Zealand 2-0 in a penalty shootout after the score was 2-2 at the end of regulation time to earn their place in the final on Saturday against France. New Zealand will play Japan in the bronze medal match also on Saturday.
South Africa vs New Zealand 3A – South African captain, Dayaan Cassiem (right) and New Zealand’s Dylan Thomas tussle for the ball in their semi-final match in the 2026 men’s Hockey Nations Cup played on Friday 19 June 2026 at the Harleyvale Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa. On the left in Sihle Ngubane (South Africa). South Africa upset New Zealand 2-0 in a penalty shootout after the score was 2-2 at the end of regulation time to earn their place in the final on Saturday against France. New Zealand will play Japan in the bronze medal match also on Saturday.
Photo credits: Ray Chaplin Sports Media
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