Olympics – Hockey – Argentina and Spain advance to men’s quarter-finals, India wins

Olympic champion Argentina advanced to the quarter-finals of the Tokyo 2020 men’s hockey tournament on Friday and sent off New Zealand with a convincing 4-1 victory. Argentina now face Germany, who beat the Netherlands 3-1, and are expected to avenge their 2016 Olympics semi-final loss to Los Leones.

The South American side, who played Friday’s game knowing they had to win to advance, returned shortly after New Zealand opened the scoring in the first quarter. They then took a 2-1 lead in the first half before two more goals followed after the break.

“I think that’s why we’re Argentines, and we struggle with everything. With life, with the economy, with politics, with everything, “said veteran Agustin Mazili.” That’s how we play. When we feel under pressure, we play better.

Argentina were joined in the round of 16 by Spain, who tied in the last minute against Australia, who won the group, giving them the tying goal they needed to continue. The quarter-finals are Spain v Belgium, which ended in a 2-2 draw with Great Britain on Friday, while qualifying Australia face the Netherlands.

The Indian women’s team also celebrated with a late goal in a 1-0 victory over Ireland, preserving the Olympic dreams of the South Asian nation. The South African men’s team failed to break out of their squad after a 4-4 draw with already eliminated Canada. This draw means Germany’s men qualify for the play-offs.

Spain’s veteran Alvaro Iglesias Marcos said it was incredible his side scored a late-game penalty against Cocoabras 1-1. “We knew it would be the toughest game in the group and we played a perfect defensive game,” he said. “In the end, we got our chance and we got it, so it was perfect.”

The Indian men’s team beat Japan 5-3 to face Great Britain in the quarter-finals. India wins

On the women’s side, Navnit Kaur gave India their first victory in four games with a shot past the Irish goalkeeper from the shooting circle. “After missing so many chances, we finally scored. It’s fantastic, ”Kaur said.

“Now we have more confidence in the next game.” India and Ireland, making their Olympic debuts in women’s hockey, have three points in their group.

However, the Irish are fourth – which is enough to secure a ticket to the play-offs – thanks to a better goal difference. Both teams have one game to play and can still qualify based on the results of the group’s last round.

Elsewhere in the women’s tournament, Germany beat South Africa 4-1.

(This story was not edited by Devdiscourse staff and is automatically generated from a shared feed.)