On day 9 of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2018, the shocker result came from the high-voltage match between minnows France and the Olympic champions Argentina wherein France came out victorious in their final Pool A fixture.
World No 20, the lowest ranked side in the competition, France desperately needed an outright win to qualify for the cross-overs. The 2-2 draw of New Zealand and Spain earlier in the same day underlined this need.
In the 5-3 win, France scored their five goals through Hugo Genestet(18th minute), Aristide Coisne(26th minute), Gaspard Baumgarten (30th) and Francois Goyet(54th) and another one through a penalty corner conversion by skipper Victor Charlet in the 23rd minute.
France came out in flying colors in the Pool matches with four points and stands behind toppers Argentina(6 points) on account of a better goal difference than New Zealand(4 points). World No 8, Spain is eliminated from Pool A as they stand in the fourth position.
Despite the shocking loss to France, Argentina secured direct qualification for the quarters while France and New Zealand will now take part in the cross-over matches.
