The field hockey tournament continued in Paris on Wednesday, with six women’s matches and two men’s. Here’s what happened.
Men’s Tournament
Germany stunned medal-favorite and world No. 2 Netherlands 1-0 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals as the Australian, Argentinian, Belgian and Dutch women’s teams also progressed to the knockout stage.
Niklas Wellen, a Germany skipper, found a sliver of space in the third minute for the only score of a tight Pool A game in which attritional defenses limited shots on net on a humid afternoon at the Yves-du-Manoir Stadium.
“The weather is very tough, the toughest condition I ever played with,” Germany goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg said. “Normally, my whole equipment weighs about [13 lbs], and after a game like this I have [44 lbs] on my body from the water, from the sweat, from everything.”
The Spanish remain firmly in the hunt for a knockout bid from Pool A after beating South Africa 3-0, increasing their point total to seven to tie with the Netherlands going into their clash in the final pool game on Friday.
Belgium and India from Pool B earned a quarterfinals berth on Tuesday.
SEE MORE: How to watch field hockey at the Paris Olympics: TV and stream schedule
Women’s Tournament
In the women’s draw, Belgium beat Japan 3-0 in a Pool A clash for its third win of the tournament, earning a place in the knockout rounds for the first time since making its Olympic debut in London.
The Dutch women later showed why they are favorites to retain the title they won in Tokyo three years ago, beating China 3-0 to reach the knockout stage for the seventh straight Olympics.
Argentina joined the Netherlands from Pool B after holding on to beat Spain 2-1 despite having to defend with two players down for several minutes in the fourth quarter.
Goals from Amy Costello and Hannah French gave Great Britain a 2-1 win over South Africa. A tournament-first for the British, who were ranked in the bottom two spots in their pool until recently, the victory revived their hopes of progressing to the quarterfinals. They now sit at fourth, with the top four teams in each pool progressing.
Nike Lorenz scored a hat-trick as Germany bounced back from a defeat to the Netherlands with a 5-1 thrashing of hosts France to move three points clear in third place in Pool A.
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