Both South African hockey teams suffered tough pool-stage defeats at the FIH Hockey World Cup, ending their chances of qualifying for the top two spots.
The South African women’s team suffered a heavy 6-1 loss to India in their second Pool D match at Amstelveen’s Wagener Stadium.
READ: World Cup round up: Germany, England, Netherlands and Argentina lead pools
The game was special for Taheera Augousti, who celebrated her 50th test match, but India dominated early. Goals from Sunelita Toppo, Navneet Kaur and Sushila Chanu gave India a 3-0 halftime lead. In the second half, India continued their pressure as Deepika, Lalremsiami and Sakshi Rana extended the lead to six.
South Africa kept fighting and earned a late goal in the 55th minute when Kayla de Waal converted a rebound from Hannah Pearce’s drag flick. Following their opening loss to England, this defeat means South Africa cannot finish in the top two of Pool D.
They conclude their pool matches against China on Thursday before moving to the classification round.
In Wavre, the South Africa men’s team faced Ireland in a vital Pool C match. The game marked the 100th international appearance for South African captain Dayaan Cassiem. After a scoreless first half, South Africa took the lead in the 37th minute through an acrobatic finish from Kenton Melville.
However, Ireland responded quickly. Benjamin Walker equalised five minutes later, and defender Lee Cole scored two penalty corner goals in the final quarter to put Ireland ahead. A reversed call on a South African penalty stroke added to the frustration before Sam Hyland added a fourth goal for Ireland. Conceding four late goals resulted in a 4-1 defeat, preventing South Africa from advancing to the second round. They will face Australia in their final Pool C game on Thursday before competing in the 9th to 16th place classification phase.
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