England (World Ranking: 7) arguably had the better of the first period against New Zealand (World Ranking: 9) that was short on genuine goal-scoring opportunities. England took the lead in the second quarter thanks to a close-range finish from Will Calnan, although the undisputed architect was Phil Roper, who escaped his marker before bursting into the circle and coolly lifting the ball over Joyce for Calnan to force home at the back post.

England doubled the lead a minute before the end of the third quarter to make life increasingly difficult for the Black Sticks. A penalty corner from Adam Dixon rattled the right post before Luke Taylor smashed home the follow-up to put England firmly in control of the match. New Zealand replaced their goalkeeper with an outfield player in the latter stages, but England’s defence held firm to secure a berth in the competition quarter-finals.

France (WR: 20) and China (WR: 17) started this World Cup as the lowest ranked teams in the competition, but both had made it through to the knock-out stages of the event. Neither wanted their journey to end here, but it was fate awaiting one of these nations.

The two teams came into this match on the back of very different results, with France having stunned Olympic champions Argentina with a 5-3 victory while China were crushed 11-0 by reigning world champions Australia. Despite those outcomes, the early stages of this match were far closer than many had predicted, with China’s defensive line being particularly impressive.

France finally broke the deadlock in third quarter, thanks to a true striker’s finish from Nicolas Clemont, who guided Maximilien Branicki’s cross-shot into the China goal. China responded immediately by winning a penalty corner, but the attempt on goal from Du Talake was deemed dangerous after hitting France defender Victor Charlet on the knee.

China had two penalty corner opportunities to pull themselves level in the final quarter, but it was not to be. France, the lowest ranked team in the competition, were into the quarter-finals, much to the delight of Head Coach Jeroen Delmee. Viktor Lockwood of France was named as the Player of the Match on the occasion of his 100th senior international appearance.

RESULTS:

Dec 10 (Match No 25, Cross-over): England (Will Calnan 25-FG, Luke Taylor 44-PC) beat New Zealand 2-0. PoM: Liam Sanford (England).
Dec 10 (Match No 26, Cross-over): France (Timothee Clement 36-FG) beat China 1-0. PoM: Viktor Lockwood (France).
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TOP: Timothee Clement, the scorer of the all-important goal against New Zealand, in action on December 10, 2018.
RIGHT: Liam Sanford (England) receives the Player of the Match award Odisha High Court judge Justice C R Dash on December 10, 2018.