SA hope to heap the pain on Spain
JOHANNESBURG: The South African women’s hockey team will be looking to keep their playoff hopes alive with a victory over Spain in their second-round match at the 2018 FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup in London today.
The Proteas suffered a 3-1 defeat in their opening match over the weekend leaving them with an uphill battle in their remaining two games.
Based on rankings, Spain provides South Africa with their biggest chance of victory. The Spaniards are ranked three spots higher globally, with the Proteas in 14th place.
South Africa were outclassed on Saturday with the Germans finding easy access through the midfield.
Shot-stopper Phumelela Mbande was a bulwark for South Africa, giving the scoreline respectability.
The Proteas will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against Germany and will be hoping to enjoy greater possession than in the opener.
They finished in a creditable ninth place at the previous edition which was their best since the 1998 World Cup where they bowed out in seventh position.
Spain will be hurting from their 6-2 annihilation at the hands of Argentina on Sunday and will be looking to make amends against South Africa.
The match is likely to determine which team finishes at the bottom of the pool, which leads to automatic elimination.
The winner of each pool qualifies for the quarter-finals while the second and third-placed teams play crossover matches for places in the next round.