Hockey World Cup 2023:  Rankings hold true as FIH top four make it to semifinals in Odisha

Despite a few major upsets and some topsy-turvy results, the four top-ranked nations as per the FIH have made it to the 2023 Hockey World Cup semifinals.

Top-ranked Australia will face Germany, who are ranked fourth, in the first semifinal on Friday. Defending champions and second-ranked Belgium will take on the Netherlands who are now perched in the third slot of the FIH rankings.

Spain pushed Australia to the brink and missed a penalty stroke that could have taken their quarterfinal into a shootout. Germany, on the other hand, scored two goals in the last three minutes to nullify England's two-goal lead before prevailing in the shootout 4-3.

The clinical Belgians outplayed New Zealand 2-0 on Tuesday but the Germany-England quarterfinal clash proved to be the most dramatic of all.

Christopher Ruhr hit the post off a penalty stroke with just over three minutes left to play before Mats Grambusch reduced the two-goal deficit for the Germans in the 57th minute.

Much to the dismay of English supporters, Germany were handed a second penalty stroke which Tom Grambusch dispatched into the back of the net.

To add insult to injury, England lost the resultant shootout, forcing Paul Revington's team to bow out after promising much in the lead-up to the Hockey World Cup and during it.

In stark contrast, the Netherlands conceded their first goal of the tournament but were always in command against a gritty South Korean team. The Koreans fought hard in the first half, but lost their way in the second, going down 1-5 to the Dutch in the last quarterfinal of the Hockey World Cup.

Umpire Ben Goentgen took a nasty hit just as the Koreans were turning on the heat after having earned a PC even as reserve umpire Raghu Prasad sprinted on to the pitch to officiate the match along with Gareth Greenfield midway through the contest.

Hosts India, who were expected to go the distance, went down to New Zealand in a pulsating shootout during their crossover game while Rio gold medalists Argentina were stunned by South Korea.

The top four teams - as per the latest FIH rankings - did make it to the semifinals of the Hockey World Cup.

What can we expect from the Hockey World Cup semifinals?

Australia beat Germany 3-1 in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics

The Australia-Germany semifinal promises to be one for the ages, especially since the Australians are yet to come into their own thus far in the tournament.

Goalkeeper Andrew Charter saved the day for his team by saving Marc Miralles' penalty stroke late in the final quarter with the scoreline reading 4-3 in favor of Australia.

Colin Batch's side were also involved in a 3-3 draw with the Argentinians in the pool stages of the Hockey World Cup.

Australia had beaten Germany by a 3-1 margin in the semifinals of the field hockey competition at the Tokyo Olympics a couple of years ago. and hold a slight edge over their long-time European rivals.

Jeremy Hayward, who scored a brace against Spain, is currently the highest scorer in the competition with seven goals. His Aussie teammate Blake Govers has scored five - just as many as Germany's Niklas Wellen, who has been in-form while also becoming a father.

Defending champions Belgium, who had beaten the Netherlands to win the Hockey World Cup back in 2018, now face a younger Dutch squad. This Netherlands squad has scored a phenomenal 27 goals in Odisha (including 14 against Chile) while having conceded a lone goal against the Koreans.

The injury to star drag-flicker Alexander Hendrickx has not caused the Belgians to falter thus far, with Tom Boon coming to the party with six goals - and the semifinal under the lights at the Kalinga Stadium is a potential humdinger.

Fans in Bhubaneswar are certain to be treated to some delectable hockey during the semifinals on January 27 even as India take on Japan in a classification match in Rourkela on Republic Day.