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England 0-6 Belgium: men's hockey World Cup semi-final – as it happened

This article is more than 5 years old
  • England thoroughly outmatched by Belgium in Bhubaneswar, India
  • The Red Devils reach their first ever World Cup final with a 6-0 win
 Updated 
Sat 15 Dec 2018 07.13 ESTFirst published on Sat 15 Dec 2018 05.25 EST
Belgium players celebrate as England’s George Pinner watches on.
Belgium players celebrate as England’s George Pinner watches on. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP
Belgium players celebrate as England’s George Pinner watches on. Photograph: Aijaz Rahi/AP

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Tom Boon gets the man of the match award. The forward got the first goal and dangerous throughout but that could have gone almost anyone in red.

It's all over! England 0-6 Belgium

The hooter puts and end to a humiliating defeat for England. Belgium dominated from start to finish and earn their first ever World Cup final berth with goals in every quarter.

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58 min Van Doren finally gets a tackle wrong and England get the chance to score a consolation from a penalty corner. Ansell gathers but puts his effort wide.

57 min Pinner is called into action again as Boucard salvages a loose pass to find Charlier in space. Bearing down on goal the forward tries to beat the keeper at his near post but Pinner gets a strong glove on it.

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55 min Penalty corner for England again but unlike Belgium they cannot make it count, they could be shutout here.

Goal! England 0-6 Belgium

53 min Van Doren has been majestic for Belgium whenever England look like create something the HC Bloemendaal man is there to snuff it out. He makes another key tackle and Belgium are quickly up the other end with Dockier. The forward gets his shot off as he breaks into the D and fires high past Pinner. This is a rout.

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Goal! England 0-5 Belgium

50 min Despite the man advantage its Belgium who break forward and they get another penalty corner as the ball strikes Hoare’s foot. Hendrickx is ruthless again from the set-piece, this time firing high into the net past a helpless Pinner.

48 min England’s passes are just not finding men but they have a chance to create something as Gougnard sees green. Belgium retreat into their own 23 and look to keep it compact.

End of the third quarter: England 0-4 Belgium

The hooter finally goes, just 15 minutes left for England to salvage anything from this game.

Goal! England 0-4 Belgium

45 min With the hooter seconds away England concede a penalty corner and Hendrickx takes the push and fires past Pinner. If it wasn’t over before it’d definitely done now.

44 min Vanasch makes the save from the set-piece and it’s scrambled away. On the break Belgium look nailed on for a fourth as they overload a stretched England defence but Boucard can’t finish.

Goal! England 0-3 Belgium

42 min Out of nowhere Belgium get the third! An aerial pass is not dealt with by England and Cedric Charlier is able to collect and fire on the half-volley past Pinner. That’s surely enough for Belgium.

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41 min The answer is no and the Belgians are back to full strength. England did manage a shot in anger but Condon’s wild effort is blocked.

39 min Van Aubel heads to the bin for two minutes after a foul on Ansell. Can England make the man advantage count?

37 mis Belgium are prepared to be patient with the buffer of a 2-0 lead , just moving the ball around midfield and keeping England at arm’s length.

Cedric Charlier tussles with England’s Ian Sloan. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images for FIH
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32 min Adam Dixon is the man to fire at goal but it’s blocked on the line with Vanasch beaten! Middleton can’t gather the ball on the rebound and Belgium get the whistle for the foot. That was positive for England as they played with some speed through the lines to earn the set-piece.

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31 min We’re back underway at the Kalinga Stadium and immediately look England brighter and they have a penalty corner!

Half-time: England 0-2 Belgium

England reach the break and find themselves lucky to be only two down. Danny Kerry has to get his team doing something different in the second if they’re to turn this around. England are struggling to get any kind of attacking momentum so far, Belgium are pressing high and look dangerous whenever they come forward.

28 min That should have been Belgium’s third. England give the ball away in their own 23 and as they scramble to get back into defensive position there are holes all over the place. Floren van Aubel cleverly feeds Sebastien Dockier and it looks like he can’t miss as lines up the shot from a metre out but the striker scuffs his sweep and holds his head in his hands as the ball goes wide. England need the hooter.

26 min Just as England look like they’re able to create some pressure with back-to-back free hits in the Belgian 23, Mark Gleghorne is unable to bring an aerial pass out to the left and the ball runs out of play which rather sums up his side’s performance.

21 min Just as England create an overload on right and looks to have men in the Belgium D Arthur Van Doren comes in with a perfectly timed tackle to nick the ball and snuff out the danger.

Goal! England 0-2 Belgium

20 min Belgium win a penalty corner for a foot and although Pinner makes the initial save from Alex Hendrickx but Simon Gougnard picks up the rebound and flashes the ball past the keeper from the angle. It’s only a fair reflection of the game to this point.

Simon Gougnard celebrates after making it 2-0 on the rebound from a penalty corner. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images for FIH
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16 min First bit of excitement for England. Waller beats four men with some very pretty work down in his own 23. He drives forward and feeds Middleton who carries into the Belgium area but can’t squeeze the ball into a teammate.

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End of the first quarter: England 0-1 Belgium

England get into the first break just the single goal down but it could have been much worse.

13 min Off the bar! Real let-off for England as a diving Boon deflects a fierce long-range drive on to the post. The resulting scramble sees Pinner recover the ball as it drops back to the turf.

12 min England are struggling to make any inroads into the Belgium 23. There don’t seem to be any spaces for the likes of Middleton to operate in. England are yet to trouble Vincent Vanasch in the Belgium goal.

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Goal! England 0-1 Belgium

9 min Tom Boon strikes an early blow to England’s chances as he finishes off a sweeping Belgium move. The ball came in from the left and and the striker was on-hand to turn it past George Pinner from close range. Disaster for Danny Kerry’s side.

Tom Boon celebrates after giving Belgium an early lead. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images for FIH
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8 min England give the ball away in midfield and Charlier looks like he’s got a clear run in at goal but Jack Waller gets back to make a crucial tackle and snuff out the danger

Good morning, welcome to our live coverage of the 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup semi-final. We’re straight into the action, the players are out and we’ve had the anthems, we’re ready get underway.

Here’s how England got to their third World Cup semi-final in a row:

Harry Martin fired England into the semi-finals of the hockey World Cup in India after a shock 3-2 victory over Argentina. Midfielder Martin struck in the second half against the Olympic champions to record England’s first World Cup win over Argentina since 1986 and first in their last seven meetings.

Gonzalo Peillat gave Argentina the lead from a penalty corner before Barry Middleton levelled before half-time in Bhubaneswar. Middleton’s excellent pass then set up Will Calnan to put England in front, but Peillat levelled in the 48th minute from another penalty corner.

Martin, though, hit the winner a minute later and Liam Ansell nearly added a fourth but hit a post. England will play Belgium in the last four after they defeated Germany 2-1.

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