France 4 beat Malaysia 1
Goals: France – Nicolas Gaillard FG 15m, Julien Boyer FG 24m, Frederic Soyez PC 51m, Sebastien Jean-Jean FG 57m, Malaysia – Ismail Abu FG 25m
Day 7 in Changzhou kicked off with France taking on Malaysia, France of course trying to stay in the running for a place in the top two, while Malaysia needed points to secure their berth in the 5-8 playoffs.
France had the better start and could take control early, first putting their superiority into practice in the 15th minute when Nicolas Gaillard was at the right place at the right time to slot in a pass across the face of the goal. Malaysia in this phase of the game did not have much to offer, while France had several good opportunities. Extending their lead was a question of time, and so it happed 8 minutes later, as a quick attack of the French team gave the ball to Julien Boyer to score his fourth goal in the tournament.
But the two goal lead seemed to rattle the Malysians awake, and less than a minute later, Ismail Abu beat French goalkeeper Julien Thamin with an excellent reverse stick shot. The match was now much more open, and it looked like Malaysia could well score the equalizer, but France held on to the 2-1 until halftime.
In the second half, France soon got the upper hand again though, yet failed when it came to creating goal scoring opportunities. Two short corners, won with Frederic Soyez off the field, were abysmally wasted, and a handful of attempts at field goals weren’t successful either. Malaysia tried hard for the equalizer but suffered from individual errors and too many turnovers in the buildup.
Around the 50th minute, the path to the final result got laid down, as Chua Boon Huat was sent off with a yellow card for a bad tackle on Antoine Gouedard-Comte. Little later, France won a penalty corner, and with Soyez on the field, they could finally convert, as he sunk a powerful dragflick into the top right corner of the goal.
Malaysia now faded, finding it increasingly difficult to keep the French at bay. Loose defending and sloppy passes led to turnovers, one of which France used for its fourth goal, when a wide hit down the middle of the field was saved by goalkeeper Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim, only to have Sebastien Jean-Jean capitalize on the rebound.
Malaysia won their first penalty corner in the 62nd minute, an indicator of their role in this match, but could not put any pressure on France in the remaining minutes.
France now have the opportunity to directly book their ticket to Monchengladbach with a win in tomorrow’s match against Japan.
Japan 4 beat China 2
Goals: Japan – Kenichi Katayama FG 33m, Akira Ito FG 44m, Hiroki Sakamoto PC 47m, Yoshihiro Anai FG 54m, China – Yu Bo Na PC 41m, Yang Yu PC 67m
A sizeable crowd had found its way into the Wujin Sports Complex for the second game of the day, to see hosts China take on Japan. Both teams were trying to gather points in the race for the 5-8 playoff.
It was clear from the beginning that it would be a fierce match, and it wasn’t long until the first stern whistles sounded and the first cards were given. Japan had a slight advantage, controlling the ball better, but the game was tight and China had a couple of excellent individual actions.
Despite opportunities on both sides, it was not until the 33rd minute that Japan finally opened the scoring in this match. Kenichi Katayama jumped in on an excellent cross, and while his shot was deflected off a Chinese defender’s stick, it could not be kept from going into the net.
Shortly after the break, China won a penalty corner that was saved on the first try but eventually converted with a good variation. Yi Song drag pushed the ball towards the right post for Yu Bo Na to deflect into the roof of the net for the equalizer. The mostly local spectators were clearly and audibly delighted.
But no three minutes later, despite China being the stronger team at this point, Japan restored their lead when Akira Ito deflected a free hit across near the post. Another three minutes later, Japan raised the bar, putting away a penalty corner. The first shot could still be saved by China, but Hiroki Sakamoto’s rebound found its target.
Japan’s much greater experience now finally paid off, and they were better and better able to take control of the match. When Yoshihiro Anai scored a fabulous goal in the 54th minute, hammering a shot into the net from the top of the circle, spectators started leaving the stadium prematurely, clearly not expecting their players to be able to recover and prevent the defeat.
China was able to get one back when Yang Yu deflected a penalty corner shot into the net, but it was not enough, and the match ended 4-2. Japan are now in an excellent position to make the 5-8 playoff, whereas China would have to beat Korea and still hope for Malaysia to lose tomorrow, were they to manage this feat.
Korea 1 draw New Zealand 1
Goals: Korea – Jong Ho Seo FG 40m, New Zealand – Phillip Burrows FG 69m
Day 7 concluded with the clash of Korea and New Zealand. Korea had the possibility of securing a place in the group’s top two, and thus in the Monchengladbach World Cup, before tomorrow’s last round of pool matches, while the Kiwis were out to improve their position in the battle for the top two spots before tomorrow’s deciders.
Considering what was at stake, the first half of the match was rather unexciting. Korea had a slight upper hand in the beginning, but could not capitalize on it, later the half turned more and more into a standoff. There were few good attacks, and fewer goal scoring chances, and the teams went into halftime at 0-0.
In the second half, it was the Koreans who were finally able to get onto the scoreboard after a sloppy New Zealand pass had produced a midfield turnover and rushed attack that gave the ball to Jong Ho Seo who outplayed a defender and scored with a deft flick past goalkeeper Paul Woolford.
Following this goal, the Blacksticks worked tirelessly to get back at least one point, but the Korean defense proved an unsurmountable obstacle in their path to a draw. The minutes ticked down, and time and time again, the Koreans denied the Kiwis. And just when it looked like this was it, Korea had done it and booked their ticket to Germany, it was fiery forward superstar Phil Burrows who came to rescue his team, slapping the ball into the net after a great pass through the middle.
New Zealand were of course delighted to stay in the race, while Korea must be a little disappointed at the draw after having played very well and having had the better chances. With this draw, no team has secured qualification before the last round of pool action, and tomorrow Wednesday’s matches will provide for a long but thrilling day. All teams are in action, the day starting off at 10am local time with Belgium taking on England in pool A.
