TOKYO: Reigning Olympic champions Argentina reached the quarter-finals of the Tokyo 2020 men’s hockey tournament on Friday, sending New Zealand packing with a convincing 4-1 win.
Argentina will now go on to play Germany who secured a 3-1 victory over the Netherlands and will likely be out for revenge for their 2016 Olympic semi-final loss against Los Leones.
Argentina pulled level shortly after the Black Sticks had opened the scoring in the first quarter and then took a 2-1 lead by halftime before two more goals after the break.
The South Americans were joined in the knockout rounds by Spain who scored a last-minute equaliser for a 1-1 draw against group winners Australia, which gave them the point they needed to advance.
Spain’s quarter-final match will be against Belgium, who ended with a 2-2 draw against Britain on Friday, while in-form Australia will take on the Netherlands.
South Africa failed to make it out of their group after a 4-4 draw against Canada, who had already been eliminated.
India beat hosts Japan 5-3 to finish second in their pool with a 4-1 record. They will face Britain on Sunday in the quarter-finals.
India’s women’s team celebrated a late goal which secured a 1-0 victory over Ireland, keeping the South Asian nation’s Olympic dreams alive.
Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2021
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