Tuesday, December 9 – Dublin: Two thrilling games of hockey raised the curtain on Day One of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Dublin. An eager crowd of onlookers braved the gusty conditions to watch four world class teams go toe-to-toe, as the Belgium Men and Women triumphed over Germany and England, respectively.
Despite two neutral games on the opening day, the sidelines were still packed with enthusiastic hockey fans eager to watch some of the world’s best teams face off. Spectators were richly rewarded, with eight goals across the two games, and plenty else to enjoy across the venue on opening day.
In the morning match, World #3 Belgium dispatched the reigning European Champions and World #2 Germany with a near flawless display. Tom Boon, who was voted FIH World Player of the Year just a matter of weeks before the tournament, opened the scoring, before Thomas Crols doubled the lead from open play. Crols grabbed Belgium’s third just after half time, but Germany responded, scoring four minutes later through Paul-Philipp Kaufmann. Belgium’s Alexander Hendrikx was, however, on hand to cancel out the goal in the final quarter and solidify a confident opening win for the Belgians.
In the afternoon, Belgium Women dismantled England to make it a perfect day for fans of the Red Lions and Red Dragons, getting a 3-0 win. Stephanie Vanden Borre put Belgium ahead after just seven minutes and then got her second after half-time to double her side’s advantage. With two minutes remaining, Charlotte Englebert put the icing on the cake for Belgium to complete the scoring.
All eyes now turn to Day 2 on Wednesday December 10 where the Ireland Women will make their eagerly anticipated FIH Hockey Pro League debut in front of a sold out crowd in the Sport Ireland Campus. The team will face Belgium at 14:00 Irish Time, with the game broadcast live on RTE News and the RTE Player.
Prior to that, England Men will begin their FIH Hockey Pro League, hoping to pile further woe on Germany. The sides will meet at 11:30 Irish Time on the Sport Ireland Campus, with the game available to watch live on the TG4 Player.