Wednesday 7 August is girls’s semi-finals day on the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium, with the Netherlands taking up nice rivals Argentina at 14:00 CEST earlier than Belgium’s Crimson Panthers face an impressed China at 19:00.
With 20,000 followers watching the 2 matches – 10,000 tickets have been bought for every contest – it’s going to be one other sensational day of hockey motion on the Yves-du-Manoir Hockey Stadium.
Netherlands v Argentina – 14:00 CEST
After their males’s workforce efficiently negotiated their method to the gold medal sport on Tuesday (6 August), the Netherlands girls will wish to preserve alive hopes of a Dutch double right here on the Olympic Video games Paris 2024. Their snug 3-1 quarter-final victory over Nice Britain was their sixth win on the bounce at Yves-du-Manoir, having scored 22 targets and conceded simply six. No nation has ever gained each the boys’s and the ladies’s hockey gold medals on the similar Olympic Video games, so historical past may very well be made right here in Paris.
Nevertheless, Argentina will do all the pieces of their energy to cease the mighty Dutch, and definitely have the standard to do it as they proceed their seek for a primary Olympic title. Along with on-field excellence, in addition they have motivation, with many gamers a part of the workforce overwhelmed by the Netherlands within the gold medal match at Tokyo 2020.
With a big contingent of Dutch and Argentinean followers attending, the stadium can be a cauldron of noise, color and environment.
Participant views
Renee van Laarhoven (NED): “I feel we all the time have nice, superb video games towards Argentina. I imply, we all know they’ve a great deal of ardour. They offer it their all. We noticed it towards Germany right now, once more. We all the time like to play towards them, and I feel they like to play towards us as nicely. It’s all the time an amazing battle. And, yeah, we will’t wait to maintain going.”
Agustina Albertarrio (ARG): “(Reaching the semi-finals) is superb. I like our workforce. I don’t have the phrases to elucidate it, however now we now have to relaxation, and we now have to maintain preventing, as a result of now we now have a very onerous sport (within the semi-finals).”
Belgium v China – 19:00 CEST
Having claimed 5 wins from six matches – their solely defeat coming by the hands of the Netherlands – Belgium’s girls are already assured their greatest ever end at an Olympic Video games. An exquisite achievement little question, however the Crimson Panthers have their eyes on the massive prize. Excellent of their 2-0 win over Spain, Belgium are brimming with confidence and can be decided to profit from what may very well be a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to achieve the Olympic remaining.
Competing of their first Olympic semi-final in 16 years, China’s spectacular type in Paris is a testomony to how far they’ve come since Alyson Annan grew to become head coach in 2022. China’s solely different Olympic semi-final look got here at Beijing 2008, the place targets from Gao Lihua, Ma Yibo and Zhao Yudiao helped the hosts to a 3-2 victory earlier than taking the silver medal, shedding within the remaining to the Netherlands. Nevertheless, after defeating Pool B winners Australia within the quarter-finals, China will consider they don’t have anything to concern of their subsequent two matches, beginning with Belgium.
Participant views
Delphine-Daphne Marien (BEL): “They (China) are actually disciplined, they work so onerous however we’re going to do the identical. Enjoying for the medals, all people can be much more fired up. For positive we’re going to be prepared from the primary whistle. After which hopefully, hopefully, hopefully we will make to the ultimate.”
Ou Ziaxia (CHN): “To succeed in the Olympic semi-finals is an enormous pay-off for us, a illustration of the onerous work that we now have put in. They (Australia) have been the champion of their pool. I’m very happy with my team-mates and really happy with my coach.”
Ladies’s Semi-Finals – Wednesday 7 August 2024 (all occasions CEST)
14:00: Netherlands vs Argentina
19:00: Belgium vs China
Medal Matches – Friday 9 August 2024
14:00: Bronze medal match
20:00: Gold medal match
The hockey competitions on the Olympic Video games Paris 2024 happen from Saturday 27 July to Friday 9 August. Each the boys’s and ladies’s competitions characteristic 12 groups, cut up into two swimming pools of six forward of quarter-finals, semi-finals and medal matches. For extra details about the hockey competitions at Paris 2024, go to Olympics.Hockey.
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