Hockey World Cup 2023: Defending champions Belgium to face Germany in final

Reigning
Olympic
champions
Belgium
and
the
Dutch
were
locked
2-2
in
regulation
time
at
the
Kalinga
Stadium.
The
match
between
the
oldest
side,
Belgium,
and
a
young
Dutch
team
was
contested
equally,
but
the
more
experienced
defending
champions
ran
away
winners
in
the
shootout.

Belgium
have
11
players
over
30
years
of
age,
while
the
Netherlands
have
eight
players
below
25
and
just
two
above
30.
The
Red
Sticks,
who
have
come
with
almost
the
same
set
of
players
that
won
the
Tokyo
Olympics
gold,
are
among
the
fittest
and
most
experienced
sides.

Star
striker
Tom
Boon
(27th)
and
Nicolas
de
Kerpel
(45th)
scored
for
Belgium
in
the
regulation
time
while
penalty-corner
expert
Jip
Janssen
(12th
and
36th)
struck
a
brace
for
Netherlands.

Germany
beat
Australia

In
the
first
semi-final,
star
drag-flicker
Gonzalo
Peillat
struck
a
second-half
hat-trick
as
Germany
made
a
sensational
comeback
after
being
two
goals
down
to
beat
Australia
4-3
and
enter
the
final
for
the
fifth
time.

Peillat
scored
from
penalty
corners
in
the
43rd,
52nd
and
59th
minutes
while
‘Player
of
the
Match’ Niklas
Wellen
(60th)
struck
with
just
a
few
seconds
left
in
the
match
to
stun
Australia,
who
squandered
a
2-0
half-time
lead
in
a
dramatic
semi-final.

Jeremy
Hayward
(12th),
Nathan
Ephraums
(27th)
and
Blake
Govers
(58th)
scored
for
Australia,
who
will
now
play
for
the
bronze
medal
on
Sunday.
This
was
two-time
champions
Germany’s
first
entry
into
the
final
after
the
2010
edition
in
New
Delhi
where
they
had
finished
runners-up.
They
had
won
silver
in
1982
before
winning
titles
in
2002
and
2006.

Germany
also
took
revenge
for
their
1-3
loss
to
Australia
in
the
Tokyo
Olympics
semifinal.
For
three-time
champions
Australia,
this
was
their
second
consecutive
failure
to
enter
the
final.
They
had
lost
to
the
Netherlands
at
the
same
stage
in
2018,
finishing
with
a
bronze
after
consecutive
titles
in
2010
and
2014.

Australia
were
leading
2-0
till
the
42nd
minute
and
it
looked
like
they
would
run
away
with
the
match.
But
the
three
drag-flick
goals
from
Peillat,
who
has
played
more
than
100
matches
for
Argentina
and
won
the
2016
Rio
Olympics
gold
for
the
Las
Leonas
before
becoming
a
German
citizen,
changed
the
complexion
of
the
game.

In
the
second
semi-final,
Jip
Janssen
gave
the
Dutch
the
lead
in
the
12th
minute
from
the
side’s
second
penalty
corner
as
he
sent
a
low
drag
flick
past
Belgium
goalkeeper
Vincent
Vanasch.
The
Netherlands
were
doing
most
of
the
attack
with
Floris
Wortelboer
making
a
fine
run
into
the
Belgium
circle
but
his
cross
from
the
baseline
could
not
find
anybody
near
the
goalmouth.

Belgium
struck
back
three
minutes
before
half
time
with
their
star
player
Tom
Boon
scoring
from
a
penalty
corner
as
the
scoreline
read
1-1
at
the
breather.
Younger
and
hence
faster
on
their
feet,
the
Dutch
once
again
took
the
lead
in
the
third
quarter
with
Janssen
completing
his
brace
from
a
penalty
corner.

Captain
Felix
Denayer
had
two
hits
at
the
Dutch
goal
in
the
43rd
minute
in
a
wave
of
attacks
but
goalkeeper
Pirmin
Blaak
blocked
both
of
them.
It
was
end-to-end
stuff
for
a
while
and
Belgium
equalised
just
when
a
few
seconds
were
left
in
the
third
quarter,
with
Nicolas
de
Kerpel
firing
a
field
goal.

In
a
dramatic
fourth
quarter,
Boon
wasted
a
penalty
stroke
in
the
50th
minute
with
Blaak
bending
down
to
his
right
to
block
the
shot.