Hockey-Belgium, Britain secure 2nd wins in men’s tournament

By Daniel Leussink

TOKYO (Reuters) -Belgium’s men’s hockey team secured a 3-1 victory over Germany in a scrappy match on Monday for their second win of the Tokyo Olympics, while Britain also won their second match of the tournament with a triumph over Canada.

The world champion Belgians took early control of the game, with forward Cedric Charlier netting the ball behind the German goalie twice in the first quarter.

“It’s true that scoring here is a great feeling,” said Charlier. “As long as we are working well offensively together, that’s what matters the most for the team.”

Emotions ran high on both sides in the second half, with Belgian defender Alexander Hendrickx adding to Germany’s pain by scoring his fourth goal of the tournament through a penalty corner.

“They did four or five sliding tackles, which is a yellow card every time,” said Belgian veteran midfielder John-John Dohmen, who has more than 400 caps.

“Even when they tackled us, they came to us to have a fight.

“We stayed really calm and I’m really proud of that.”

By the end of the match, Germany had been given two yellow cards and a green one. Belgium had collected one yellow and two green cards. In field hockey, green cards result in two-minute suspensions for players and yellow cards bring five-minute suspensions.

The Germans could not penetrate their rivals’ defence effectively enough to level the score after scoring a penalty corner in the fourth quarter.

Amid an overcast sky, the pitch was still sprayed with water during the half-time break to keep it fast and smooth.

Officials stuck to the usual two-minute quarterly breaks after extended breaks on Sunday to allow players to cool down in sweltering conditions.

In another men’s match, Britain defeated Canada 3-1, with the goals scored by forwards Liam Ansell and Sam Ward. Britain started the game nervously against the Canadian underdogs but grew in confidence after netting the first goal.

“You have to understand when you’re playing teams that rank lower than you, they have nothing to lose. It’s a win-win for them,” said the team’s head coach Danny Kerry.

In the women’s tournament, gold medal favourites the Netherlands brushed aside Olympic debutants Ireland 4-0, while Australia beat China 6-0.

The goal scorers for the Netherlands were rookie ace Felice Albers, who also scored twice in the opening match, Marlou Pheninckx, Laurien Leurink and veteran striker Frederique Matla.

(Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Hockey - Men’s Pool B - Germany v Belgium - Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - July 26, 2021. Simon Gougnard of Belgium in action against Niklas Bosserhoff of Germany. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Hockey - Men’s Pool B - Germany v Belgium - Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - July 26, 2021. Mats Grambusch of Germany and Martin Zwicker of Germany in action against Antoine Kina of Belgium. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Hockey - Men’s Pool B - Germany v Belgium - Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - July 26, 2021. Players of Germany defend. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Hockey - Men’s Pool B - Germany v Belgium - Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - July 26, 2021. Felix Denayer of Belgium in action with Linus Mueller of Germany. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo