Greece and Turkiye came up with the vital victories that send them into the top 12 as the leading teams had a day off in advance of Wednesday’s matches, which will determine who goes to the quarterfinals.
Overview
In Group G, Australia proved it is better than this level with a withering 29-3 victory over Argentina in the Southern Hemisphere clash. Singapore rattled Hong Kong 19-12 in a whirlwind match with both teams showing a lot of spirit.
In Group H, Brazil swatted Colombia 26-7 and Greece crumpled Canada 30-9.
Match Reports
Match 25. Group G, SINGAPORE 19 HONG KONG 12 (5-4, 5-3, 6-3, 3-2)
Singapore had the better of the first two quarters and continued the momentum until the final whistle, gaining a second victory in Rio Maior. This sets up a monumental clash with Australia, the unlucky loser in its group, which contained the reluctant Greece that is here for a medal. Singapore started the scoring, went to 3-1 before Hong Kong snared three goals for the lead, thanks to two Tsang Hoi strikes. Yong Chow and Matthias Goh redressed the imbalance at 5-4 by the first buzzer. Chow pushed it to 6-4 at the start of the second quarter and added his third at 8-6. Wong Wing, who equalised for Hong Kong in the first quarter, scored off a six-metre shot for 6-5 and from another free-throw shot at 8-7. Meantime, Tsang scored after a timeout, accepting the ball from the keeper and shooting one second into the exclusion period for 7-6. Singapore snapped in two more to close the first-half scoring. A good moment for Hong Kong was when keeper Chan Lut used his head to reject a Matthias Goh penalty attempt when Singapore was two ahead.
Goals were traded at the top of the third quarter and Javier Ng, the opening scorer, nabbed a pair to gift Singapore a 13-8 advantage. Tsang scored his second of the quarter for 13-9 but Singapore took the match to 16-9 before Tsang could find the net again, this time on counter with a lob finish for 16-10 at the last break. Chow and Tsang swapped goals with Ryan Chua on the ninth counter-attack goal of the match and Tristan Goh scored at two metres with Wong netting off extra, two seconds from time to give Hong Kong some consolation.
Match Heroes
Tsang was the best in pool with his seven goals and Wong contributed four. Chan made 14 saves in goal for Hong Kong. As for the winning team, captain Chow slammed in five, Ng four and Tristan Goh three. The goalkeepers combined for 13 saves.
Turning Point
Singapore coming from one down to one ahead late in the first quarter It was the spur that kept distance between it and Hong Kong.
Stats Don’t Lie
Singapore converted two from five on extra and Hong Kong five from 10 to Hong Kong. Singapore missed one of its two penalty attempts, stole the ball 11 to five and outshot Hong Kong 43-37.
Match 26. Group G, AUSTRALIA 29 ARGENTINA 3 (6-2, 9-0, 8-0, 6-1)
Australia, still fuming from having the unhappy position of being placed in the same group as Greece, meaning the winner went through and second place was a battle for 13-20, blew out its frustration of Argentina, using its full skills and strengths to display why it should not be in this situation. The first four goals came unanswered until Bruno Massa scooped in the ball from centre forward at 1:21. Jett Semmens made it 5-1 before Massa came good again, on extra from deep left. Dylan Jennison made it a second counter goal for the Aussies, five seconds from the first buzzer for 6-2. Argentina was given no access in the second quarter as the boys from Down Under went on the rampage with nine goals. Only one came on counter — Lachlan Davies with his second. Three came on extra and three from close in as seven players made the sheet. Jake Taboni scored twice on extra and Ivan Zorotovic converted consecutive shots from the right post and jumping on a loose ball at five metres to bring his tally to three. At 15-2, Argentina had chances, including two from very close but the Australia defence held strong.
The onslaught continued in the third as Argentina tired, allowing five of the first six to be scored on counter. Zorotovic made his fourth to start the period with Toby Gould, Taboni and Jennison twice adding to their totals. By now 11 Aussies were on the sheet. Gould began the fourth period with a backhand at centre forward for his fourth. Savo Todic became the 12th Aussie player to score, on penalty, then Argentina’s Renzo Portela converted the penalty goal. Cooper Semmens scored a triple with two on counter — his 12th for the tournament — and Jennison had a mixed finish, converting counter, hitting the right post on penalty and then having his counter blocked, all in quick succession.
Match Heroes
Zorotovic, Gould, Cooper Semmens and Jennison notched four each and Taboni and Davies three apiece. The goalkeepers combined for 10 saves. For Argentina, Massa had the pair of goals.
Turning Point
Going from 5-2 to keep a clean sheet was a marvellous effort and traumatising for the South Americans.
Stats Don’t Lie
Australia crunched the numbers with eight from 10 on extra and blocking nine from 10. On penalties, Australia missed one of two and Argentina scored one. On steals, Australia went 16 to three and on shots, 43 to 20. Total dominance.
Match 27. Group H, COLOMBIA 7 BRAZIL 26 (2-4, 1-7, 3-6, 1-9)
After a slow start, Brazil applied the pressure and shot away to a fantastic victory. There were only six counter-attack goals, showing that Colombia was in position to take on the stronger Brazilians in the South American clash. Brazil last played in the first match of day two when it beat Hong Kong 19-6, so enjoyed the rest day. Joao Horst was to the fore again after his four-goal haul on Sunday. He scored the third and fourth goals to break the 2-2 deadlock for 4-2 at the first break. Brazil went untroubled to 11-2 before Lucas Levy, the scorer of Colombia’s first two goals, netted his third on extra to close the first half at 11-3.
Levy scored a fourth on penalty at 12-5 following team-mate Nicolas Vasquez’s centre-forward effort to start the period. Horst was in the thick of a five-goal spree for Brazil with four different scorers as Marcelo Winter scored at centre forward and on counter. Vasquez completed the period’s scoring, turning at two metres. Brazil controlled the final quarter, shooting to 25-6 with Horst grabbing a hat-trick; Vasquez turning at two metres and Horst providing the full stop off extra for his huge performance.
Match Heroes
Horst scored a tournament-high eight goals with Jose Fernandes and Niklas Cappellano netting four each and Pettena with three for Brazil. The goalkeepers combined for 14 saves with Victor Hugo de Souza making eight of them.
Turning Point
Breaking out from 2-2 to 8-2 set the tone of the match.
Stats Don’t Lie
Brazil made six of eight on extra and Colombia one from one. On penalty goals, Brazil scored all three and Colombia one. Brazil took the steals 14 to seven and the shots 43 to 32.
Match 28. Crossover, TURKIYE 11 NEW ZEALAND 10 (3-0, 3-3, 4-3, 1-4)
Turkiye had the goods to make the top grouping following a stunning effort against Hong Kong on day three. Turkiye opened with a clean sheet in the first quarter with three goals in the bag. The first did not come until 3:39 when Batur Yildiz slid in a long shot from top right. New Zealand grabbed two of the first three goals in the second quarter but could not control Demir Gulsoy who banged in two more for 6-2 to give him three for the period. His drive down the left post was superb. Riley Swindells, who started the quarter’s scoring from the top on extra, ended it from the top off a swift pass-shoot motion.
Efe Moroglu opened the second half off the left-post position on extra for 7-3. Hugo Dougall responded after the Kiwis took a timeout. He dragged the ball down from the left-post position off a cross pass. Turkiye scored twice more before Swindells and Gulsoy traded penalty goals after that. Lachie Schnauer rifled in a shot from the top for 10-6 just before the final break. The Kiwis lifted a notch in the fourth period with the first three goals including as Swindells penalty strike for 10-9. Turkiye was not rattled and Aras Ulas, who scored his team’s third goal, came good off the right post after a near pass on extra to regain the two-goal advantage at 2:03. Dougall scored from deep left on extra at 1:10 and it was a one-goal match again. However, both teams’ defence held and timeouts by both teams yielding nothing. Turkiye had a third victory under their Greek coaching panel.
Match Heroes
Gulsoy with four goals and Deniz Kaleagasi pulled in 11 saves for Turkiye. Swindells also scored four goals, for New Zealand.
Turning Point
Controlling for all of the match and being 9-4 in the third period was enough to hold off a late-charging Kiwi team.
Stats Don’t Lie
Turkiye went five from six on extra and New Zealand three from four. Both scored two penalty goals; Turkiye snared the steals 13-11 while New Zealand out-shot Turkiye 29-26.
Match 29. Crossover, GREECE 30 CANADA 9 (6-3, 9-2, 5-1, 10-3)
Greece went on the rampage against Canada and the North Americans were up for the task despite the Europeans’ credentials. They were busy quarters and you could not blink as you might miss two goals! Ilias Angelopoulos, who scored seven goals against South Africa the day before, started the scoring with a reply from Canada’s Ivan Khramtsov. Dimitrios Chatzis — also a seven-goal scorer against South Africa — scored the second and Greece was on a roll, slipping to 3-1. However, Joshua Coxford and Rami Salem levelled before Angelopoulos smashed in three consecutive goals to close the period at 6-3. Chatzis, the son of 1996 and 2000 Olympian Themis Chatzis, opened the second quarter with Darion Wang replying on counter. Two Konstantinos Bitsakos goals and a fifth for Angelopoulos took the score to 11-4. Khramtsov nabbed a second on extra and Greece collected four more to close the half at 15-5.
Spyridon Deligiannis, son of Nikos Deligiannis, a long-time Greek goalkeeping international, opened the third period. Chatzis missed a penalty attempt and then scored the next two. Wang scored a second goal for Canada as the score rose to 20-6 at the final break. The teams were up for more frenzied action in the fourth, the first three goals going to Greece. Nash Porter interrupted the flow on penalty and Khramtsov added another for consecutive Canadian strikes at 23-8. Chatzis and Dimitrios Sarros scored and Noah Loo converted extra for Canada. Greece tumbled in the last five goals with Chatzis and Angelopoulos swelling their tallies.
Match Heroes
Angelopoulos with an equalising tournament-high eight goals, followed by Chatzis with seven and Bitsakos on four for Greece. Khramtsov scored a hat-trick for Canada.
Turning Point
There was none. Greece is here for a medal, nothing less.
Stats Don’t Lie
Greece rammed home nine from 13 on extra and stopped seven from 10. Greece missed one of two penalty attempts while Canada scored its one chance. The steals went the way of Greece 15 to three and the overall shots, as expected, 45 to 26.
Match 30. Group H, SOUTH AFRICA 15 PORTUGAL 9 (6-3, 3-1, 4-3, 2-2)
South Africa came from the toughest group and suffered huge losses to Greece and Australia. Today was a chance to put those lessons into action and this it did against Portugal and the parochial crowd. Portugal struck first and had to level after two South African scores. Taylor Seiler scored his first of the week followed by Timothy Young, the first scorer. Rafael Monteiro, who started all scoring with a six-metre shot, narrowed the margin to 4-3 on extra. Cooper Haworth scored off the right-post position and with a rocket from the top for 6-3, 16 seconds from the first break. Rafael Pereira then scored a first — an immediate six-metre shot off an extra-man play. Haworth buried two more, including from penalty and Young converted extra from top right for 9-4 at the halftime break.
South Africa stretched the margin to seven with the first two goals of the second half. Rowan Kane and Pereira replied on extra and counter. However, Young converted a penalty and scored off a six-metre shot either side of a Pereira counter, closing the quarter at 13-7. It was a tighter final quarter with Monteiro and Young exchanging goals, albeit more than two minutes apart. Seiler converted extra from the top left and Pereira countered for the last goal at 2:27 and 15-9.
Match Heroes
South Africa’s Young scored six and Haworth four. Pereira nailed four for Portugal with Monteiro claiming three. The goalkeepers combined for 10 saves with Diogo Carvalho pulling in nine.
Turning Point
Taking the match to 11-4 was where South Africa broke Portugal’s back.
Stats Don’t Lie
South Africa shot five from 11 on extra and Portugal three from nine. South Africa scored both penalty attempts; won the steals eight to six and the overall shots 37-33.
Progress Points
Group G: Australia 3, Singapore 3, Hong Kong 0, Argentina 0.
Group H: Brazil 3, South Africa 3, Portugal 0, Colombia 0.
Day 5 Schedule
09:00, Group G 13-20, Australia v Singapore
10:30, Group G 13-20, Argentina v Hong Kong China
12:00, Group H 13-20, South Africa v Colombia
13:30, Crossover 1-12, New Zealand v Hungary
15:00, Crossover 1-12, Canada v Italy
16:30, Crossover 1-12, Turkiye v Serbia
18:00, Crossover 1-12, Greece v China
19:30, Group H 13-20, Portugal v Brazil