Netherlands Women face India with their first FIH Hockey 5 World Cup title on Saturday in Muscat, Oman.
Another action-packed day saw the Dutch beat Poland to book their place in the final, while India progressed past South Africa.
Meanwhile, Namibia will face the United States in the final of the Challenger Trophy, where the 8 teams that did not make it to the quarter-finals will compete.
This is how the final day of the women's competition unfolded…
The Netherlands beat Poland 3-1 in the first semi-final. Poland were under huge pressure from the start, with Marta Kucharska making some excellent saves and Amelia Katerla opening the scoring at the other end against the run of play. The Netherlands fell behind for the first time in the match, but responded well, with captain Noor de Baut scoring twice to take a 2-1 lead at the break. Poland squandered a golden chance to level a challenge in the 21stSt minute, and Sosha Benninga rubbed salt in the wound by extending the Dutch lead seconds later. The Netherlands head into the final in good form, but it is uncertain whether captain De Bad will be fit after picking up a knee injury early in the second half.
Speaking after the match, Janneke van de Venne admitted: “I'm a bit all over the place, mixed feelings. We don't know what happened with a teammate, but we are very happy that we took it with the whole team and we took the game with a win, very happy to go to the final.
In the second semi-final, India fell behind twice in the first half of their helter-skelter win over South Africa, but they couldn't hold back after the break. The South Africans got off to a great start testing the Indian keeper before Deshaun de la Rey opened the scoring. Akshata Abaso Degale hit back for India before Tony Marks and Mariana Gujur leveled the break at 2-2. South Africa crumbled in the second half as India clicked through some gears and scored four goals in five minutes. India advance to the final against the Netherlands, while South Africa will meet Poland in the bronze medal match.
Speaking later, Ajmina Gujur said, “I am very happy with the team's success. I don't think I played my best game individually, but it shows how important it is to play as a unit. A big thank you to the crowd who came out to cheer us on so late in the evening. We hope they will be back tomorrow and we will give them more to cheer them on with a good performance and victory.
Earlier, in the quarter-finals, the Netherlands were tested in the tournament for the first time, but beat Ukraine 4-2.
Poland beat Uruguay 5-3. Amelia Caterla scored a hat-trick as her two early goals put Poland in the lead.
South Africa held on against Malaysia but struggled, falling three goals down before edging out a 6-4 victory.
India's class was on full display in their 11-1 win over New Zealand. Dadaso Bisal Rudaja scored four goals and Soreng Deepika contributed a hat-trick.
After a quarter-final exit, Uruguay beat Ukraine 5–3 in a qualifying match for 5.Th – 8Th He scored a hat-trick with Manuela Vilar. Uruguay competes in 5Th A spot against Malaysia, who beat a hapless New Zealand 5-3.
Challenger Trophy
As an additional „first” for the first FIH Hockey5s World Cup, the eight teams that did not reach the quarter-finals play for another trophy: the „Challenger Trophy”. It is awarded to the champions of the „Challenger” tournament. As a sign of encouragement for all the teams, the initiative was introduced by FIH President Dayab Igram.
After two playoff matches, Namibia qualified for the Challenger Trophy (9Th Place) beat Fiji 9-3 on Saturday, with Azeali Philander scoring four goals and Sunelle Ludwig bagging a hat-trick. They will face the United States, who beat Australia 8-4 thanks to four goals from captain Linnea Gonzalez.
PG will play to 11Th Place against Australia.
Meanwhile, Sudharat Noo-Q scored a hat-trick for Thailand as they beat Zambia 9-3, and Paraguay beat Oman 6-3. Thailand face Paraguay by 13 runsTh Zambia and Oman clash for 15Th point.
FIH Hockey5s World Cup, Oman – January 26
Result: Match 29 (W)
Netherlands 4 – 2 Ukraine
Result: Match 30 (W)
Uruguay 3 – 5 Poland
Result: Match 31 (W)
South Africa 6 – 4 Malaysia
Result: Match 32 (W)
India 11 – 1 New Zealand
Result: Match 33 (W)
Zambia 3 – 9 Thailand
Result: Match 34 (W)
Oman 3 – 6 Paraguay
Result: Match 35 (W)
PG 3-9 Namibia
Result: Match 36 (W)
Australia 4 – 8 USA
Result: Match 37 (W)
Ukraine 3 – 5 Uruguay
Result: Match 38 (W)
Malaysia 5 – 3 New Zealand
Result: Match 39 (W)
Netherlands 3 – 1 Poland
Result: Match 40 (W)
South Africa 3-6 India