Latest news with #XavierEsmenjaud
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Hockey Nations Cup: France book semis spot after win over South Africa
FRANCE have confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the FIH Men's Nations Cup Malaysia 2024-2025 after securing their second consecutive win by edging South Africa 4-3 in a high-intensity Group A clash at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here today. Victor Charlet was the star of the show after scoring a hat-trick from penalty corners in the 1st, 35th and 44th minutes while Xavier Esmenjaud added the fourth goal in the 58th minute to seal the victory for the Europeans. With two wins from two matches, France now top Group A with six points and will meet Wales in the last group match on Wednesday (June 18). According to the tournament format, the top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals while the bottom two will contest the classification matches for 5th to 8th place. Victor said the team's performance was the priority. 'We've managed to secure six points from our first two games, and we're happy to have achieved our target of qualifying for the semi-finals. The final group match will be tough as well, but we'll go into it with the same mindset and approach as the previous two. 'My inspiration is Nikola Karabatic, the handball player. My goal is to have a long and successful career like his. I admire his physicality and discipline, which motivates me to push myself further and succeed in hockey as he has in his sport,' he told reporters. South Africa actually gave a spirited fight with Jaydon Brooker scoring twice (2nd, 59th minutes) and Marvin Simons also finding the net in the 59th but they fell just short befor the final whistle. Meanwhile, in another Group A encounter, South Korea beat Wales 3-2 while Pakistan also beat Japan 3-2 in Group B match.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Charlet hat-trick helps France into Nations Cup semis
KUALA LUMPUR: World No. 9 France sealed their place in the Nations Cup semi-finals after edging world No. 12 South Africa 4-3 for their second straight Group A win at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Monday. Victor Charlet was the hero for France, converting three penalty corners in the first, 35th and 44th minutes, while Xavier Esmenjaud added the other in the 58th minute. South Africa replied through Jaydon Brooker (2nd, 59th) and Marvin Simons (59th), but it was not enough to stop the in-form French side. France, who had edged world No. 15 South Korea 6-5 on Sunday, now lead Group A with six points from two matches. Charlet, who stands at 1.96m and now leads the tournament scoring chart with five goals, was thrilled to score a hat-trick and believes France can go all the way. "I believe we can win the Nations Cup here and qualify for the FIH Pro League," said the drag-flick specialist. "Scoring goals is great, but this is not about personal glory, it's about doing it for my nation." Meanwhile, South Korea kept their semi-final hopes alive with a narrow 3-2 win over world No. 18 Wales. Korea now have three points from two matches and need a win over South Africa on Wednesday to book their place in the last four. Wales, who drew 4-4 with South Africa in their opener, have just one point from two matches. They will complete the group stage against France. The Koreans struck through Yang Jihun (44th), Lee Jungjun (45th) and Lim Dohyun (57th), while Gareth Furlong (30th) and Rhys Bradshaw (59th) replied for Wales. South Korea coach Min Tae Seok was generally pleased but admitted penalty corner conversion needs improvement. "We wasted too many penalty corners and must work on that before our next match. "It's going to be tough against South Africa, but we'll prepare well. The African champions have good individual skills and are very dangerous inside the semi-circle." Wales coach Daniel Newcombe was upbeat despite the loss. "I think we played really well. But the game completely changed when Korea scored two quick goals. After that, we were chasing the game. We still have a chance to reach the semi-finals and we'll go all out against France."
