After beating India and Wales in their other group stage games of the FIH Hockey World Cup, the England squad managed to keep a clean sheet against Spain last Tuesday.
They handed out the 4-0 battering scoring twice in the final quarter to seal a comfortable victory.
Nick Park played a key role in defence, and everyone appears to be fit and healthy coming off of the win, Park explains: “Training continues today with a rest day tomorrow, just chill out and be ready ahead of the quarter-final.”
“It should be a bloody good game… I think we’ve got them.”
England defender, Nick park
Who England would play in their quarter-final match up all depended on this afternoon’s Germany vs France fixture.
Germany dismantled France 5-1 in their crossover stage match at the Kalinga Stadium, they only needed a half to book their quarter final berth against our boys and even managed to score with a man down.
Inside two minutes, Mats Grambusch smashed home from a rebound, before Moritz Trompertz cleverly deflected in a drag-flick from Tom Grambusch. Germany was 4-0 in 24 minutes.
England have won 2 of their last 5 matches against Germany and are absolutely in with a fighting chance, it’s shaping up to be one of the best fixtures of the tournament.
Hopefully this exclusive ‘Park prediction’ can help settle any nerves leading up to the face off on 25 January: “It should be a bloody good game… I think we’ve got them.”
Park missed out on England’s medal winning Commonwealth Games squad in 2022 due to late injury: “[I was disappointed as obviously], England was hosting too and who knows when that will happen again, but yeah I had my debut in January and got my first cap.”
Getting the call-up for this England squad is a massive achievement, Park talks about the unmatched atmosphere in the Bhubaneswar, India stadium:
“It’s hockey and cricket out here, the atmosphere is the best in the world, playing in a stadium with 21,000 people it doesn’t get better.”
The quarter-final will take place once again at the Bhubaneswar stadium, 19:00 local time / 13:30 GMT, catch all FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup action on BT Sport.
