The day began with two Pool A games and a strong Swiss performance against Italy. Switzerland finished the game 6-0, with 3 coming from UHC Hamburg player Charline Heselhaus. Speaking to her post-game she loves playing her hockey in “such a hockey-friendly’ country as Germany.
The second game of the day saw two greats of EuroHockey indoor hockey go head-to-head, Poland v Ukraine. Both teams have ambitions at this event to be involved in the medal games. One goal from a penalty corner was all that separated them as Poland took the 3 points on offer.
Pool B was still wide open as to which 2 teams would make the semi-finals at the start of the day! Türkiye faced Spain in the first game of this session and the opening quarter was a lively one with Spain going ahead 2-0 and Türkiye scoring just before the break to bring some energy back into the game. An evenly matched game as the teams exchanged the lead. Spain went ahead (3-4) just before halftime. Türkiye equalised to bring the game to 4-4. An intense second half with a hattrick from Spain’s Alcaide contributed to an important win (5-8) for Spain.
The second game of Pool B was a critical one for both teams with Czechia looking to get their first win of the tournament and Belgium needing the win to keep their semi-final dream alive! Both teams fought hard for the win, but the 2-2 draw was a fair result.
The evening session started with Pool B as Italy faced Poland. Italy needed a win to avoid relegation as this was their final pool game. Poland also pushing to climb the ranking in the pool and put itself in a positive position overnight. Poland patiently waited for their opportunities and was rewarded with a 3-1 win, a further 3 points, and a slot in the semi-finals.
Pool B continued to entertain as Austria and Ukraine played out a cagey game. Austria went ahead in the 3rd quarter via Czech and then was happy to defend that slender lead. The game ended 1-1, with both teams now having the opportunity to qualify for the semi-finals, dependent on tomorrow’s results!
In their last pool game, Spain came out of the blocks fully determined to take control of the game. They went ahead 2-0 in the first half. Belgium refused to give up and brought the game back to 3-2 just ahead of the final quarter. A massive effort from both teams as Belgium pushed hard to bring the game back level. The final score of 5-3 in favour of the Spaniards puts them into the semi-finals tomorrow!
The final game of the day saw top-ranked team Germany face Czechia. An assured performance from the Germans in front of a partisan stadium saw them 4-0 ahead at the break. A stunning pc strike from Bolle brought the score to 5-0 and that’s how the game finished! Germany still has a 100% record here in Berlin with 9 points and still a game to play tomorrow! (GER v BEL)
* You can watch the action live from Berlin from the women’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship on www.eurohockeytv.org. Note the 9th/10th place playoff will not be broadcast.
** For full match stats, results and tables, click here
Photograph: Poland celebrates! (World sport pics / EuroHockey (c))
