Pro League 2024 (London)
08.06.2024
Written by; Tao MacLeod
Day 5
India 2 – 4 Germany (Women)
Great Britain 0 – 3 Australia (Women)
Great Britain 2 – 3 Australia (Men)
India 2 – 3 Germany (Men)
What Happened Today
India 2 – 4 Germany (Women)
It took nine minutes before we saw the first goal of the day. The Indian right half got the ball just inside the German half, looked up and released Navneet Kaur, who attacked the baseline. After cutting inside, she cut the ball back to Sunelita Toppo, who tucked it away. They doubled their lead just before the end of the first period, with a break away run, that was finished off by Deepika. After they won the ball in an advanced area, Germany get themselves a penalty corner. This was dispatched from the top of the circle by Viktoria Huse. The goal seemed to enliven the Europeans, as they got into the opposition circle several times and on occasion tested the solidity of Savita’s padding.
Within two minutes of the third period Huse got her second, from another short corner routine, that seemed to take a deflection. Deepika nearly retook the lead for her side, after she picked the pocket of the German full back, but couldn’t get around the goalkeeper. Germany played a short pass and move game that looked to move the opposition about. It was a cautious approach that can grind down an opponent into making mistakes. However India, particularly in the third quarter of the game, looked to attack with a little bit more directness. They pressed well in one to one situations and then looked to capitalise on forced turn overs quickly and directly. In the 51st minute Kira Horn helped to win the Europeans another corner, after an attack down the right hand side. This time Stine Kurz scored to give her team the lead for the first time in the game.
Great Britain 0 – 3 Australia (Women)
The Hockeyroos of Australia are a forward thinking attacking side. Their ‘Gun and Run’ playing style characterises an assertiveness and directness that is ingrained within their sports culture. It was the Aussies who indeed took the lead in the second period through a short corner that Brooke Peris finished off. Charlotte Watson thought that she had scored a rebound after a GB short corner shot hit the post, but the umpire called for an Australian free hit.
A lung busting solo run towards goal from Scots captain Sarah Robertson five minutes into the second half saw the awarding of a penalty stroke. Tess Howard, who missed her attempt against India earlier in the mini-tournament, stepped up to take this one. She sent the ball high and wide. Australia continued to look to create attacking overloads in the wide areas of the pitch. However, it was a run through the centre of the pitch that created the next goal. A Hockeyroo attacker advanced on the British circle from the 25 yard line. She sent the ball to her right, where she found Rebecca Greiner, who walloped an open stick strike towards the far post, the inside of which the ball bounced off and into the netting to make the score two goals to nil for the tourists. A third goal for Australia was tucked away nicely by Greiner, who picked up a good lifted pass, from the right hand side, into the circle in the 45th minute and thus secured a comfortable win.
Great Britain 2 – 3 Australia (Men)
Welshman Gareth Furlong scored a ripper of a drag flick from a short corner in the seventh minute. The Aussies appeal that it was going wide, as it deflected in off the left hand post player, but the video umpire upheld the original decision and the goal stood. The Aussies got an equaliser from a set piece of their own. Whilst using a dummy shot from the second castle to mask his own attempt, Blake Govers scored from the first castle to level the scores. A firmly sent pass into the Australian circle from Tom Sorsby, was met by Zach Wallace. The ball bounced up off his stick and went over the head of Andrew Charter in the goal, which put GB in to the lead again. A field goal from Tom Wickham made sure that the scores were level at the half time break.
Both teams played in a rather direct manner. Australia looked to beat Britain’s man to man set up by coming short for the pass and then going around the corner. Blake Govers got his second goal from a penalty corner in the 40th minute to take the lead for the first time in the match. Both teams had chances to score more, but this is how the game ended.
India 2 – 3 Germany (Men)
Gonzalo Peillat opened the scoring for Germany in the second minute. His short corner effort from the top of the circle somehow managed to squeeze between the legs of Pathak in the Indian goal. Araijeet Singh Hundal forced a good save from Jean Danneberg. However, it was the Europeans who struck again before the end of the first quarter. A powerful solo effort from Christopher Rühr doubled his team’s lead. This didn’t last forever. A rocket of a drag flick from Harmanpreet Singh went low and to the left of the German goalie to get one back in the second quarter.
In the second half Gonzalo Peillat scored another goal from a penalty corner, within three minutes of the restart. However, India weren’t to be pegged back or too long, At the start of the final period they produced a lovely flowing move that involved three or four players that was finished off by Shamsher Singh. The Germans couldn’t add another, despite several shots at goal. India took off their goalie with a few minutes to go and very nearly equalised at the death, but the score remained three goals to two for the Europeans.
Star Player
In the Men’s game’s today Gonzalo Peillat and Blake Govers both got well taken braces from short corners. I thought that Tom Sorsby had a good game for Britain and Germany’s Jean Danneberg is a superb goalkeeper. That being said, I’m going to opt for a lady from the first game of the day. For the women, Rebecca Greiner also got two good goals against the hosts, one of which was rather good.
Although these above mentioned people all did very well, I’m going to opt for someone else. Kira Horn, the right half back for Germany, is a very good player. She never seems to be the person, who scores, or sets up the goal, but is often involved in some shape or for, earlier in the build up. She doesn’t do anything flash, or fancy, but can tackle well, pass competently and moves off the ball ambitiously getting into high areas which can cause a distraction for her opponents. All of this she did today in the match against India. This is why she is my Star Player…
Goal of the Day
There have been several good goals scored today. A quick and efficient attack through a central channel for Germany saw the ball played to the left and inside of the circle. Jule Bleuel took a touch and hammered home firm reverse stick shot to score the fourth goal for her team today – a well taken goal.
In the Men’s tournament between GB and Austraia Tom Sorsby attacked down the right hand side for Britain. He was held up by an Australian defender, but moved the ball left to right with a bit of skill, before he forced it through a congested area, with a powerful push. Zach Wallace quickly moved his feet to get a stick on the ball, which lobed the goalie. It was a fizzing, bit of play which summed up the first period of play between the two sides. Similarly, in the last game of the day between India and Germany, Christopher Rühr marked his first game in this year’s London leg of the FIH Pro League with some style. He received the ball just outside of the circle, went around the right hand side as he brushed past the opposition defender, before thwacking home a pile driver of a shot from a tight angle, close to the baseline.
However, I’m going to opt for a little ripper made ‘Down Under’. A lifted pass into the British ladies circle cut out a defender on the way to Hockeyroo Rebecca Greiner. She took a touch, as her team mate’s movement off to the left created some more space for her. A second touch allowed her to take an upright reverse hit into the near post. The GB goalkeeper was left isolated by the pass and the absence of defenders and could do very little about it.
Moment of the Day
Half of my family is from Scotland, I’m based in the capital city of Edinburgh and I’m a goalie. So watching the young up and coming Scottish ladies goalkeeper, Jess Buchanan, make her Great Britain debut was fun. After the retirement of Amy Gibson recently, she is now the number one for her home nation, yet at the age of 22 she’s still quite young. Buchanan has appeared on the Half Court Press Podcast a couple of times. You can listen to her episodes here.
