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Australia enter WC semifinals for twelfth time on trot, title holders Belgium additionally in last-four.

Winners of the 1986, 2010 and 2014 editions, Australia have made it to the semifinals of a World Cup on 11 events because the 1978 version in Buenos Aires.

Defending champions Belgium and three-time winners Australia booked semifinal spots within the FIH Males’s Hockey World Cup after getting the higher of Spain and New Zealand of their respective quarterfinal matches right here on Tuesday.

Whereas Australia toiled exhausting for a 4-3 win over Spain within the first quarterfinal, Belgium didn’t face a lot downside of their 2-0 win over India’s conqueror New Zealand within the second last-eight match of the day on the Kalinga Stadium.

With the win over Spain, Australia made their twelfth straight semifinals within the World Cup.

Winners of the 1986, 2010 and 2014 editions, Australia have made it to the semifinals of a World Cup on 11 events because the 1978 version in Buenos Aires. They’d misplaced to the Dutch within the semifinals in a penalty shootout within the final version right here in 2018.

Belgium suffered a jolt simply earlier than their quarterfinal match, as their star penalty nook professional Alexander Hendrickx was dominated out of the rest of the match after he twisted his knee of their last Pool B match in opposition to Japan on January 20.

Belgium now wait the winner of Wednesday’s quarterfinal between England and Germany within the semifinals, whereas title contenders Australia will face the winner of the opposite last-eight match between the Netherlands and South Korea.

It was an in depth affair within the Australia vs Spain quarterfinal match however Jeremy Hayward’s two penalty nook strikes within the third quarter made the distinction.

Spain captain Marc Miralles dedicated a expensive mistake as he failed to attain from a penalty stroke 4 minutes from the ultimate hooter, when his group was coaching 3-4. Had he scored, the match would have gone to the shootout.

Hayward struck within the thirty third and thirty seventh minutes whereas Flynn Ogilvie (thirtieth) and captain Aran Zalewski (thirty second) scored area objectives for Australia.

Xavier Gispert (twentieth), Marc Recasens (twenty fourth) and Miralles (forty first) had been the objective scorers for Spain who will head residence now. They’d completed a lowly thirteenth final time.

Spain denied Australia to play their fast-paced one-touch sport within the first quarter. Australia, nonetheless, dominated as they received three penalty corners within the first quarter-hour however couldn’t convert even as soon as.

Penalty nook specialist Blake Grover took two with none success whereas Hayward flicked as soon as with the identical consequence as the 2 sides failed to interrupt the impasse within the first quarter.

However Spain sprung a shock within the second quarter, scoring two objectives as in opposition to one by Australia.

At one cut-off date, it seemed an upset win was on the playing cards when the European facet had been main 2-0 until the ultimate minute of the second quarter.

Spain scored two superb area objectives by way of Gispert and Recasens to go 2-0 up within the twenty fourth minute.

However only a few seconds from the second quarter, Australia pulled one again with Ogilvie discovering himself unchallenged within the Spanish placing circle from a Matt Dawson cross.

Ogilvie struck exhausting and beat the goalkeeper to ease strain.

If Spain had been the higher facet within the second quarter, Australia had been clearly the dominant group within the third as they struck three of the 4 objectives scored in that interval.

It was a three-goal burst in an area of 5 minutes for Australia as Zalewski discovered the goal within the second minute of the third quarter earlier than Hayward struck twice in fast succession within the thirty third and thirty seventh minutes.

From trailing 0-2 simply earlier than the top of second quarter, Australia had been 4-2 up within the third quarter.

Spain pulled one again 4 minutes earlier than the top of the third quarter with Miralles scoring from a PC.

The fourth quarter was a closely-fought contest and Spain received an opportunity to attain the equaliser and take the match into the shootout.

However Miralles wasted a penalty stroke with Australia goalkeeper Andrew Constitution, who was later named participant of the match, blocking the shot along with his outstretched left leg.

Later, Belgium took a while to quiet down of their quarterfinal in opposition to New Zealand however as soon as they did that the defending champions took management of the match as they scored a objective every within the first and second quarters.

They held on to the 2-0 first half lead until the top of the match.

Star ahead Tom Boon opened the scoring for Belgium within the eleventh minute from their first penalty nook.

New Zealand’s defence was caught napping within the first minute of the second quarter.

Simon Gougnard’s cross from the suitable facet of the ‘D’ went previous not less than two New Zealand defenders and Florent van Aubel was left unmarked to slam residence for a simple objective within the sixteenth minute.

The third and fourth quarters didn’t yield any objective with Belgium doing a lot of the attacking whereas New Zealand defended their citadel properly.

The Black Sticks additionally mounted just a few spirited challenges within the fourth quarter with some superb attacking strikes however their final contact or deflection didn’t come.

By: PTI

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