The fifth day of the 2024 FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers produced some exhilarating tournament hockey despite the small number of games on display, with only the Valencia Men’s Pool on the pitch. Spain and Belgium cemented their place at the top with big wins, while South Korea and Ireland secured second place with important wins, leaving their opponents in third place. The first of his two venues for the men to place, the Valencia pool set the standard for Omani pools and tournaments beyond. Some impressive performances caught the eye, sparked momentum and gave the team enough of a boost heading into Paris.
The day began with the dissolution of Egypt by Spain. The hosts outscored Egypt by five points before the half-time break and extended their lead to an 8-1 victory. Marc Milajes’ two penalty corners and Alvaro Iglesias’ two field goals helped Spain move two points clear at the top of Pool B, sapping Egypt to last place. South Korea had an important performance against Austria, with Jang Jong-hyun’s two penalty corners contributing significantly to their 4-2 victory. In the battle for second place, Korea gained five points with their first win in the qualifying round, finishing the pool undefeated and ranking above the Austrians.
In the other pool, Belgium continued to set the standard for the tournament, scoring the most spectacular victory with a 12-0 win over Ukraine. Tom Boone’s hat trick was joined by William Ghislain, Alexander Hendricks and Thibault Stockbrooks who each scored three goals. With their first win in three games, Belgium increased their pool-leading goal difference to +23 and solidified their position as the best-performing team in the men’s competition to date. Ireland did enough to beat Japan 1-0, with Luke Madeley’s penalty corner taking Ireland second in the group and doubling their points. Japan will struggle in a match where they could have broken through in second place as their seventh corner was not converted.
See below to see the current pool standings for the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifier in Valencia. click here.
For more information on qualifying and the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, please visit: Olympics.Hockey.
FIH Hockey Olympics 2024 Qualification
VALENCIA, SPAIN – JANUARY 17
Result Match 1(M)
Spain 8-1 Egypt
Best Player: Gerard Claps (ESP)
Referees: Rawi Ambananthan & Tim Meissner
Result Match 2(M)
Austria 2-4 South Korea
Best player: Jung Moon-jae (Korea)
Referee: David Tomlinson & Zeke Newman
Result Match 3(M)
Belgium 12-0 ukraine
Best Player: Tom Boone (BEL)
Referees: Ilango Kambatu & Nick Bennett
Result Match 4(M)
Japan 0-1 Ireland
Player of the match: Shane O’Donoghue (IRL)
Referee: Ben Gentgen & Michelle Otten