Men’s EuroHockey U21 Championship (Valencia, Spain) – Pool A round-up

Guerlain Hawaux’s beautiful double saw Belgium advance to the semi-finals of the men’s EuroHockey U21 Championship as they got the best of France 2-1 in their Pool A battle

The young red lions needed a draw to go through and put in a largely well-controlled performance although it was tight all the way until Guerlain Hawaux rolled into an open net in the last minute.

France had taken the lead in the ninth minute when Arthur Morcrette’s brilliant stickwork saw him break into the circle on the left. His shot was not quite at full power but had enough on it to deceive Alexis Van Havere and make it over the line.

The Belgian reply was immediate with Hawaux scoring his first of the game within 60 seconds with a beautiful piece of ball-handling, lifting the ball over the advancing Jose Lafuente.

It stayed 1-1 until the closing seconds as Belgian held possession for long periods as France chased gainly, defending well as they hoped to pick off a big chance on the break.

It arrived in the form of their only penalty corner with nine minutes left but the Belgian defence stood firm and then won the day when Max Langer threaded the ball through the eye of a needle to Hawaux who ran the ball into an empty net.

Elsewhere, Germany eased to top spot in the group with a 9-0 win over Switzerland with Ben Hasbach scoring a hat trick and Benedikt Geyer got two.

Who they play in the final four will be determined this evening when Pool B is concluded.

** Click here for further stats and details about the players and the tournament

** 24 EuroHockey U21 Championship matches from Pitch 1 in Valencia will be broadcast live on www.eurohockeytv.org with an €8.99 event pass (Click the graphic for more information)