Hockey World Cup 2018: Belgium to face Germany in quarters
Belgium defeats Pakistan 5-0 in their cross-over game to progress to the quarterfinals of the 2018 Hockey World Cup at Bhubaneswar's Kalinga stadium.
Published : Dec 11, 2018 15:59 IST
| Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of the 2018 Hockey World Cup game between Belgium and Pakistan. |
• Up next is the final cross-over game of this World Cup - Netherlands vs Canada. Stay tuned as we have live coverage of that game too. Until then, check
• Man of the match: Simon Gougnard.
• Belgium vs Germany on Wednesday will be one to watch. The former with a very professional performance today to progress.
FULL TIME Belgium 5 - 0 Pakistan. The Red Lions move into the quarterfinals as Pakistan drops out of the tournament.
58' Arslan Qadir with an opportunity to score a consolation goal but he fails to turn the ball into the goal. Best chance all game and he somehow misses it. Story of Pakistan's game today.
55' Belgium is gaining form as the business end of the tournament approaches. The match against Germany, unless Pakistan makes a miraculous comeback, should be a good game to watch.
53'BELGIUM SCORES! Belgium wins a penalty stroke and Tom Boon makes no mistake, scoring his first goal of the tournament.
52' Hendrickx takes it and smashes it into Rashid Mehmood on the goalline.
52' Belgium gets a penalty corner but Pakistan takes a video referral. It's a difficult decision to make, even with the replays and Belgium keeps the penalty corner but Pakistan keeps its referral too.
51' Belgium has played the last few minutes in first gear and Pakistan has found it difficult to put together one meaningful attack. It just has not been its day. And tournament.
49' Belgium going easy with its attacks now. It looks happy to go through the motions till the final quarter ends. The players look like they are saving themselves for Wednesday's quarterfinal.
48' Sebastien Dockier with a fantastic interception in the middle of the field. Every time Pakistan has gone on an attack, it has either founds spaces closed down or its pockets picked. Just hasn't been its day.
46' Fourth quarter begins.
45' The third quarter comes to an end and Belgium is very close of moving to the quartefinals. In control of the game and with a goal in every quarter, it's hard to see Pakistan making a comeback here.
43' Belgium's combination play has been perfect today. Quick, simple passing but very effective. And it does well to defend in numbers, from the front. Pakistan has looked out of ideas for most of the this game.
39' At the other end Belgium has a penalty corner and Hendrickx, usually very reliable in such situations, shoots well wide. With a 4-0 cushion, such misses wouldn't count for much.
38' Pakistan gets a penalty corner but Mubashar Ali shoots inches wide of the goal. Its best chance of the game so far.
37' Arthur de Sloover picks the ball from the Pakistan defence inside its circle and shoots just wide of the goal. Slow from Pakistan to get the ball out of the circle.
35'BELGIUM GETS A FOURTH GOAL! A beautifully worked goal to get past multiple Pakistan players. Sebastien Dockier with the goal. Simon Gougnard with a good run, he passes and receives it inside the circle and manages to flick the return to Dockier, who has all the time in the world to slot it into the net.
33' Pakistan with an attack down the right through Umar Bhutt but Belgium, like it did through the second quarter, does well to defend the run. Pakistan has been finding it difficult to get past the Belgium defence. Less than 30 minutes in the all-to-play-for game.
31' Pakistan, trailing by three goals, gets the third quarter started.
MATCH STATISTICS: Belgium and Pakistan - Possession: 49% and 51%; Circle penetrations: 14 and 9; Shots: 5 and 2; Turnover: 18 and 16.
30' The goal has taken the morale away from Pakistan. It finds itself on the backfoot again, defending, as the half-time hooter goes.
28' That was harsh on Pakistan. As it started to dominate possession, defend better and show some attacking intent, a speculative shot deflects into the goal.
27' Against the run of play BELGIUM SCORES! The 117th goal of the tournament. Cedric Charlier takes a shot on the turn and it deflects off Ammad Butt and creeps into the goal. Imran Butt could barely react before the deflection went past him.
24' Much better from Pakistan. Umar Bhutta, this time, with a good interception. If only this quality of defending was there in the first quarter...
21' It's Muhammad Irfan Junior's turn to show his skill. Evades several challenges before he turns and shoots wide. Good feet.
17' Pakistan has come out in the second quarter with a point to prove. Passing and movement has been better. Belgium, though, has defended well every time Pakistan came forward.
17' Well defended by Felix Denayer and Pakistan get a long corner.
16' First penalty corner for Pakistan at the beginning of the second qarter. Good build-up play and do well to force a penalty corner.
Second quarter begins
15' The first quarter ends with Belgium taking a two goal lead. Sloppy defending from Pakistan has cost it dear.
13' The skipper did well to dribble his was around the Pakistan defenders and put it inside the goal from an acute angle. Sloppy defending from Pakistan.
13'BELGIUM SCORES AGAIN! Thomas Briels with the goal.
11' Alexander Hendrickx with a low smash into Pakistan's bottom left corner. Imran Butt had no chance of saving that.
10' Victor Wegnez wriggles towards the goal and hits one across the face of the goal, which is cleared for a penalty corner. The first one is defended and Belgium has a second penalty corner, and BELGIUM SCORES!
9' Pakistan's insistence of playing out from the back is good, but the passes have been too slow and been intercepted more than once.
6' Rehan Butt, Pakistan's Assistant Manager, is animated on the sidelines. Busy shouting instructions while making notes simaltaneously.
5' Belgium is doing well to vary its attack, going from either side and through the middle.
4' Pakistan has recovered from the first minute gaffe. A good spell of possession from the Green Shirts.
1' Pakistan defend well. Trouble averted, for now. Pakistan was caught napping in the first minute!
1' Twenty seconds in and Belgium has a penalty corner already!
• STAT: The game against Pakistan will be Florent van Aubel's 200th official game for Belgium.
• In yesterday’s crossover matches, England and France progressed to the quarterfinals with wins over New Zealand and China respectively. Here’s the report on both those games.
• What next for the team that wins today? Germany, the Pool D topper. And that match is on December 13, at 7 p.m IST.
If you are hoping for a India vs Pakistan game, then you might have to wait until the semifinals. And that will only happen if the Green Shirts manage to beat the World No. 3 side today.
• In comparison, Pakistan has had a forgettable World Cup campaign till date. It has picked up just one point from three games — in the 1-1 draw with Malaysia.
Seven goals were conceded in the pool stage, it held the lead for four minutes only and has scored just two goals — Muhammad Atiq and Muhammad Umar Bhutta the scorers.
• TEAM NEWS! Here is how Belgium and Pakistan line up today.
• Of the nine goals Belgium has scored, five have been field goals while four have come via penalty corners.
• Belgium got the tournament started with the opening game against Canada, which it won 2-1. Thomas Briels and Felix Denayer were the scorers.
Its second game was an entertaining 2-2 draw against India, Simon Gougnard and Alexander Hendrickx with the goals. Belgium shocked India by taking the lead but then conceded two goals in under 10 minutes before rallying with an equaliser four minutes from time.
In its third pool match, Belgium thrashed South Africa 5-1 with goals from Simon Gougnard, Loick Luypaert, Cedric Charlier and a Alexander Hendrickx double.
• Belgium takes on Pakistan in their cross-over match at the Kalinga stadium today. The match is scheduled to start at 4.45 pm IST.